<p>The good news is that in about 21 months you’ll have few, if any, reasons to speak to these folks again if you choose not to. Run your own race.</p>
<p>^ good point SOG. I have a list. Just call me GOL ( grumpy old lady).</p>
<p>I will second the framed picture. I went to a small rural HS in the Midwest that had framed photos of every NMF in school history on the wall outside the principal’s office. (All-state athletes got the same treatment.)</p>
<p>Oh man, I think that’s a great idea!</p>
<p>Re. The framed photo, my kids’ local high school has yearly photos of their top 30. The year my oldest son was featured I was shocked by how few males had “played the game”. The school where I work only displays photos of the top 2 students.
@FromMD, What a competitive school! It probably isn’t fair to guess but from my scant knowledge of MD, I’m guessing its in Chevy Chase.</p>
<p>Apollo - I think you are thinking Bethesda Chevy Chase (B-CC) high which is one of the best schools in our district. D’s school is a few miles away in Rockville and houses county’s only IB magnet program. Typically the program produces about 25-30 NMSFs but this year it jumped up to ~40. They do push kids very hard but D loves it there.</p>
<p>Hold on…I am the original Grumpy Old Lady, also the Crazy Old Lady.</p>
<p>Some high schools deliberately try to minimize the PSAT hoopla so that they don’t add to the stress the kids are already feeling. Our old high school used to honor the kids at an assembly in the spring of senior year, I suppose because by that time the mood was celebratory rather than tense. There was never a list published or circulated within the school and if you weren’t at that assembly (and parents weren’t invited) you’d never know who was what. </p>
<p>This year was the first year that the new high school where D attends listed the semifinalists and commended kids. Traditionally there has not been any mention of NM at all.</p>
<p>We live not far from a high school that has…wait for it…63 semifinalists and 152 commended scholars this year.</p>
<p>FromMD, we used to live in that area years and years ago and I know that school–it’s a great and admittedly very rigorous program! For some reason I thought your D was at Blair.</p>
<p>Looks like a lot of ex-Marylanders here. 
</p>
<p>3girls – I think Blair and TJ are better known schools than D’s school. For those of you who are not familiar with Blair (in MD) and TJ (in VA), both are STEM magnet schools. I think TJ is often ranked #1 in the country (if you believe in ranking stuff). </p>
<p>I don’t know when you left the area but this region is still pretty wild – lots of tiger moms/dads/kids running around. As hard as D tries, I know she is not one of the top tier kids in the program. Thank goodness they don’t rank kids!</p>
<p>I’m starting to think maybe this soccer is going to turn out OK in the end. Since S’s hat trick last week he hasn’t scored any more goals, but has continued to play very strongly, looks great and coach plays him 60 minutes every game. Tonight he had a super assist, ran the ball all the way up fighting past 3 much bigger guys, then passed it to a senior who headed it in. It was particularly sweet because it was senior recognition night and this senior has never had a goal in the 2 years I’ve been watching. He is aerobically challenged. Last year whenever the guys lost a game, coach made them stay after and do these drills. They had to run back and forth between the goals several times in some pattern in a set time and then repeat shortening the time until they reached some impossibly short time and guys were wiped out. If they failed to do it as a team, they had to repeat. Excruciating for parents to sit through. This boy was usually a full field length behind rest of team at the end and so they had to repeat, unless someone stayed back and coached him to run faster. This year they aren’t losing any so haven’t had to endure that. Anyway S felt this boy had been wronged earlier in the game tonight and was happy to help ‘make it right.’ Boy got fouled and had a PK, but a junior who is team star stepped up to take the PK without waiting to see if boy wanted to take it himself. Boy didn’t want to make a fuss and stepped out of way but felt bad. S thought it’s senior recognition night, last conference game ever for him and star could have let boy have his own PK. They didn’t need to win, already nailed title and seeded first for sectionals. But it was 0-0 well into 2nd half and I guess star didn’t think it was the time to be generous. He’s a nice kid, but not thinking about stuff like that. Sorry to bore you all with sports talk, but it’s a happy day. S will have name in newspaper tomorrow for the assist. Oh, my heart. When something is so important to your kid, you bleed for them. You know how it is.</p>
<p>Ah Celeste, that is a very sweet story. Congratulations to your son (and to that very determined senior). </p>
<p>FromMD, I have been gone for many years but even back in the old days there were many crazy competitive kids and parents. But in such a good program your D doesn’t have to be at the top to do well and earn a lot of respect.</p>
<p>SOG’s story reminds me that several years ago I was touring along the Old River Road in Louisiana, and passed through a small town that was way off the beaten track. It was clearly an economically challenged place. But when I drove past their humble combined middle/high school, they had up a enormous shiny-new billboard that read “Congratulations to <name> National Merit Scholar!”</name></p>
<p>3girls I knew the name sounded familiar!! I will be Grumpy Old Lady 2. You can be the original LOL. Wow lots and lots of NMF in your school!! Our school does not seem to make an issue except for a letter we got two weeks ago stating that some kids may want to prep for this test. It will be interesting to see what they tell the kids. In our district kids prep big time for the SAT/ACT but typically not the PSAT. My kid started doing SAT tutoring in the beginning of Sept, so I suppose it should help with PSAT as well. </p>
<p>I am shocked at the good mood my daughter was in yesterday. This was after her game ( got home 6:30) and after sending me a frantic text message stating that she needed an AP Spanish book ASAP because she needs to practice the listening NOW. </p>
<p>Her IB English class is picking up speed. The month of September seemed to be review from last years 11H. Kids seem to be dropping out now for one reason or another.</p>
<p>I just wanted to say a quick “good morning” to everyone. This thread moves so fast that I can’t comment on anything, because by the time I have read it, we are on to the next topic. </p>
<p>In our house, the stress level may have dropped a tiny bit since we finally came up with what looks like a workable plan for studying for the SAT/ACT. It was too difficult for DS15 trying to prep for both - so we picked the SAT for the fall/winter, and will move to the ACT for the spring. SATII’s in May. He can re-take whatever he needs to in June. </p>
<p>PSAT coming up on Wednesday. He just realized yesterday how soon it was. I told him not to worry, he would do great. He totally accepted that and moved on to the next topic. Its so funny - he is just like a little kid with some things. If I tell him it will be ok, then it must be. I’m the mom.</p>
<p>twogirls- I think we are going to watch a lot of people make a lot of mistakes going through this process. Unless they are paying you to be their college advisor, I think you have to keep your thoughts in your head and share their mistakes (and your frustration) with us. I made the same mistake recently, trying to convince a friend something that I’m pretty sure I’m right about. She has a school college advisor, she has a computer and a Fiske college book. She’ll learn.</p>
<p>Stemm you are 100% right. She brings up the topic so it makes it hard to stay quiet, but from now on my mouth stays shut and I vent here. I will just listen and shake my head yes!!</p>
<p>Another Marylander here chiming in to say hi. I have been lurking for a while on this thread, and it does move fast! I came to cc late in the game with S1 hs class of 2012, now it’s S2’s turn and I definitely learned a lot from cc about the college planning process. Things have really changed in the past 30 years. S2 is in a magnet stem program and NMF is a big deal with all the kids. They do push themselves to get the score, but school doesn’t publish results.</p>
<p>Marylandfour…Welcome!! I too am amazed how much the whole college process has changed since Mrs Wolverine and I attended back in the Dark Ages. :)</p>
<p>Touring some of these campuses with our kids and seeing Starbucks/Panda Express/etc. on campus, Mongolian BBQ and taco bars in the dorm dining halls, wireless Internet throughout the whole campus makes me ALMOST want to go back to school. Sure…the whole “academics” thing is important (I guess ) but creature comforts would certainly sway my decision if it were my college being chosen!!</p>
<p>I would love to go back to school! Some of the schools we have toured (and S1’s school) are amazing. I would even enjoy the academics again-just no tests please!</p>
<p>D dressed up today for her school’s character day. (homecoming week.) I don’t really like the distraction, esp. considering PSAT is a week away, but I have to say she looks so cute and I admire her creativity! :)</p>
<p>Everything OK herandhisMom?</p>
<p>Welcome Marylandfour! There are days I think I’d like to go back to college as well. I squandered lots of opportunities having a bit too much fun. ;)</p>
<p>OK, we crossposted. What was her character?</p>
<p>Pretty sure if I did go back to college these days I’d end up weighing 400 pounds, spend all day playing games on the computer, and struggling to keep a 1.5 GPA. Happier than all get out while it lasted…but I fear my college career would be short-lived.</p>