Public Schools

[HShockeywatcher]

I was recently talking to a child growing up in South Mpls. This boy is growing up in Mpls and playing on a C level team. I asked him about high school and his response was, "I'm going to try to open enroll to Edina." I asked why. His response, "It's a much better school academically and it's safer." He laughed, then commented on their hockey team being good too. Who knows, maybe he'll hit a growth spurt and be good enough to play at Edina, but chances are no.

Honestly, it really depends on where you are growing up. The choice of high school for me was an option. 75% of the students at my private grade school were going public, but I had long since ruled out the Mpls public schools. That was my choice and no one else's, and I don't regret it for a minute. If I had grown up in Duluth, though, or almost any other part of the state, I don't know if I would've made that choice. There are many great public schools out there, great students, great teachers, great communities.

If I remember right, of four male relatives one went to St Thomas, one DeLaSalle, one Washburn and the forth another Mpls public school. They all had great high school memories. It all depends on you as an individual, where you grow up and what you are looking for.

[karl(east)]

I was recently talking to a child growing up in South Mpls. This boy is growing up in Mpls and playing on a C level team. I asked him about high school and his response was, "I'm going to try to open enroll to Edina." I asked why. His response, "It's a much better school academically and it's safer." He laughed, then commented on their hockey team being good too. Who knows, maybe he'll hit a growth spurt and be good enough to play at Edina, but chances are no.

Honestly, it really depends on where you are growing up. The choice of high school for me was an option. 75% of the students at my private grade school were going public, but I had long since ruled out the Mpls public schools. That was my choice and no one else's, and I don't regret it for a minute. If I had grown up in Duluth, though, or almost any other part of the state, I don't know if I would've made that choice. There are many great public schools out there, great students, great teachers, great communities.

If I remember right, of four male relatives one went to St Thomas, one DeLaSalle, one Washburn and the forth another Mpls public school. They all had great high school memories. It all depends on you as an individual, where you grow up and what you are looking for.

I agree completely.

I think a lot of outstate people have trouble understanding the public-private dynamic in the metro area, which is very different from what they are used to. It sure took me a bit of time.

Growing up in Duluth, I was also given a choice (between East and Marshall). I chose East, and though I guess I might have ended up with a slightly more rigorous HS experience at Marshall, the difference probably wasn't remotely worth the thousands of dollars. I worked with some amazing people and got exactly where I wanted to go, so I couldn't be happier with how it worked out.

We're also very lucky in MN to have a pretty solid public school system, all things considered. There are lots of places in this country where 90% kids going to public schools don't have a prayer of going to college.

[MrBoDangles]

Nothing compares to having your hometown fire and police department escort the team bus through main street after the big game. lots of players think it's their sure shot to get to the tournament by transfering to a top private school program and end up regreting it after it never happens. I would think it would feel a little plastic even if you did make it. Sorry to offend but they don't compare.

[stpaul]

B.S. Do you really believe that the kids from the Hill-Murray and St. Thomas Academy teams from last year feel like their championships felt "plastic" ? What nonsense. I was in the HM gym at the welcome home last March 8th. The joy and emotion was unbelievable. There is as great a pride & connection for students and families to Hill-Murray, CDH, STA, etc. as any public school. Probably greater because of the size of the school and the long histories of these schools. HM is one of the newest at 50 years of history. There are huge numbers of kids at the giant suburban schools that have no connection to the school other than going to class. 90% of the students at HM are involved in sports and activities. They are connected, love their school and take great pride in it's accomplishments. We don't need a police escort to make that true.

[hockeyboys]

B.S. Do you really believe that the kids from the Hill-Murray and St. Thomas Academy teams from last year feel like their championships felt "plastic" ? What nonsense. I was in the HM gym at the welcome home last March 8th. The joy and emotion was unbelievable. There is as great a pride & connection for students and families to Hill-Murray, CDH, STA, etc. as any public school. Probably greater because of the size of the school and the long histories of these school. HM is one of the newest at 50 years of history. There are huge numbers of kids at the giant suburban schools that have no connection to the school other than going to class. 90% of the students at HM are involved in sports and activites. They are connected, love their school and take great pride in it's accomplishments. We don't need a police escort to make that true.

This is so true. Private School alumni are extremely connected to their school. Their is great pride and tradition at these schools, and tremendous involvement by students. These are just a couple of the reasons why parents choose to send their kids to these schools. The connection to community at private schools is extremely strong.

[pondhockey04]

Man private schools are a joke in sports. Anyone from these schools can argue all they want about their parents sending their children their for the education of a lifetime, but the sports are not relevent to that argue. All the scouting they do is unreal and kids who go their for school do stricktly that and are not the star of the hockey team get over yourselves and admit that it stacks all of the great players from all over the state, against everyone else and in my opinion agree that private schools need their own tourny as say a AAA team

[Pioneerprideguy]

Man private schools are a joke in sports. Anyone from these schools can argue all they want about their parents sending their children their for the education of a lifetime, but the sports are not relevent to that argue. All the scouting they do is unreal and kids who go their for school do stricktly that and are not the star of the hockey team get over yourselves and admit that it stacks all of the great players from all over the state, against everyone else and in my opinion agree that private schools need their own tourny as say a AAA team

Posts like this just add fuel as to why parents send "their" kids to a private school.

[MrBoDangles]

A group of kids that that start playing together at five(band of brothers). A group of kids and parents coming together to try to form a private school dream team(plastic). Beating a former buddy that transfered in the section finals(priceless).

[Pioneerprideguy]

Seeing private schools kids skate around holding State Championship Hardware with gold medals around their necks....priceless.

[karl(east)]

Watching this same old topic degenerate into ridiculousness for the millionth time...boring.

[MrBoDangles]

It's all in good fun!

[hockeyboys]

Jefferson should not let the open enrollees into their program - they are just like one of those dasterdly privates.

[thorhockey]

Seeing private schools kids skate around holding State Championship Hardware with gold medals around their necks....priceless.

Now you're starting to get the jist of it PPG. Hey Michael Phelps has a lot of gold metals hanging around his neck too!!! - Now I'm starting to understand where the talent and motivation for success is truly coming from wink wink

[FightingSiouxForever]

B.S. Do you really believe that the kids from the Hill-Murray and St. Thomas Academy teams from last year feel like their championships felt "plastic" ? What nonsense. I was in the HM gym at the welcome home last March 8th. The joy and emotion was unbelievable. There is as great a pride & connection for students and families to Hill-Murray, CDH, STA, etc. as any public school. Probably greater because of the size of the school and the long histories of these school. HM is one of the newest at 50 years of history. There are huge numbers of kids at the giant suburban schools that have no connection to the school other than going to class. 90% of the students at HM are involved in sports and activites. They are connected, love their school and take great pride in it's accomplishments. We don't need a police escort to make that true.

This is so true. Private School alumni are extremely connected to their school. Their is great pride and tradition at these schools, and tremendous involvement by students. These are just a couple of the reasons why parents choose to send their kids to these schools. The connection to community at private schools is extremely strong.

Amen brotha.

[HShockeywatcher]

Karl, it's sad. Life experiences really lead to what school people go to. Most high schoolers, and many adults, don't know what education and community is like around other parts of the state.

Another big issue here is respect, plain and simple. Private schools are disrespected for so many reasons that are unwarranted because people are ignorant of what they are like. Public schools are also put down because of ignorance. When people from either side try to inform others, they are put down for "making excuses" or something like that.

Respect is the main issue.

[redfirehockey1]

Jefferson should not let the open enrollees into their program - they are just like one of those dasterdly privates.

they moved after 8th grade

plus, jefferson lost peter mueller, erik johnson, sahckhascoasckoiviak (spell check that please), among others a few years back

[breakout]

ep...continued..
Dodds (BSM..played as a sophmore then quit)
Miller (BSM.. 4th line varsity)
not much more but still shows how many have left that program

Imagin what ep could of been...thats scary what they would be like this year and 2010

2010..would of looked like this
Patterson/Rau/Clark on a line
Rogge/Erickson/McCartan on 2nd
Thompson/Moleenar on D
Meyers in net

I find it weird that you would have lines made up if kids stayed. How is that fantasy world you live in?

[karl(east)]

Karl, it's sad. Life experiences really lead to what school people go to. Most high schoolers, and many adults, don't know what education and community is like around other parts of the state.

Another big issue here is respect, plain and simple. Private schools are disrespected for so many reasons that are unwarranted because people are ignorant of what they are like. Public schools are also put down because of ignorance. When people from either side try to inform others, they are put down for "making excuses" or something like that.

Respect is the main issue.

Once again, I agree completely.

Moving to DC has really opened my eyes to the community differences. Here, the disparity makes any gap in MN look tiny. There are private boarding schools with vast, idyllic campuses with quaint buildings that date back decades, with schoolgirls in plaid skirts riding horses around (I kid you not). A few miles away, there are schools with barred and broken windows that are quite literally falling apart, and have men standing outside the metal detectors and gates smoking heaven-knows-what.

Perhaps it's because I've moved on to a private college, or because I have grown old and jaded ( ), but I've lost any difference in respect I ever had for different types of schools (if anyone remembers/is bored enough to dig up and see the nature of my very first few posts on here, that statement should amuse them...wow, was I stupid then). Sure, I'll still root for the public school when forced to choose, but that's more out of silly old tradition than anything else.

The system works pretty well as it is. We can moan all we want about how many players Team X has lost to privates or open enrollment, but this is not the right way of looking at things at all. It trivializes the hours of agony over all the individual decisions like this and makes it seem like hockey is the center of the world, which, as much as we may wish it to be, it is not.

[GreenisGood]

The fantasy world is great.
I am from edina so i don't know what your getting at?
but i grew up playing against Patterson, Thompson and those ep boys,
so i just threw that together showing you what they could of been like..sorry??

[pondhockey04]

Man private schools are a joke in sports. Anyone from these schools can argue all they want about their parents sending their children their for the education of a lifetime, but the sports are not relevent to that argue. All the scouting they do is unreal and kids who go their for school do stricktly that and are not the star of the hockey team get over yourselves and admit that it stacks all of the great players from all over the state, against everyone else and in my opinion agree that private schools need their own tourny as say a AAA team

Posts like this just add fuel as to why parents send "their" kids to a private school.

ok.. pioneerprideguy huh? the bias here is quite obvious. the ONLY reasons those kids get the medals around their necks and hold that trophy is because they take the highest tallent in the state and "play" the rest in the season and in the tourny. they dont start with the youngsters in the youth program and build the tallent year by year like every true hometown hockey team does, they bribe the kids to go to a good school and play on the best teams stealing them away from where they should be playing. Say all that you want about it being ok and acceptable, but the majority shows that a true great high school hockey team doesnt scout and recruit players in high school, they teach them when theyre young

[HShockeywatcher]

pondhockey04, reference my last post. Pioneerprideguy's comment was a joke, I think. But it is true that comments like yours are where the issues start. It is ignorance that your post is made in and, for whatever reason, you don't respect something you don't understand.

You really telling me Providence Academy steals top notch players from all over and wins medals every year?

[Pioneerprideguy]

What will public schools cry about (they will find something) if this year's Tourney is without a private school? Cretin is down, Hill's situation is well known, and Benilde & AHA will have battles on thier hands. Chances are high that this could be an all public school tourney. No chants between public/private....no common enemy to cheer against. Will private schools complain?...doubtful.

Now they may fire thier scouts, force hockey parents to start paying tuition, have kids return thier cars the schools bought them, and expand their recruiting into Canada & Europe, but they won't complain.

[HShockeywatcher]

Hill buys you guys cars? Guess I picked the wrong private school

[a1puck]

The results of the poll 75/25 are telling.

My guess is if you got to 1000 votes the proportion would be the same.

Neither side will convince the other. I am not sure why... I think there is some "base" thought process or set of ideals that is different. A different philosophy.

[MedleyWR]

Karl, it's sad. Life experiences really lead to what school people go to. Most high schoolers, and many adults, don't know what education and community is like around other parts of the state.

Another big issue here is respect, plain and simple. Private schools are disrespected for so many reasons that are unwarranted because people are ignorant of what they are like. Public schools are also put down because of ignorance. When people from either side try to inform others, they are put down for "making excuses" or something like that.

Respect is the main issue.

Once again, I agree completely.

Moving to DC has really opened my eyes to the community differences. Here, the disparity makes any gap in MN look tiny. There are private boarding schools with vast, idyllic campuses with quaint buildings that date back decades, with schoolgirls in plaid skirts riding horses around (I kid you not). A few miles away, there are schools with barred and broken windows that are quite literally falling apart, and have men standing outside the metal detectors and gates smoking heaven-knows-what.

Nothing to do with hockey, but...

We are fortunate here in Minnesota that most of our public schools have high academic achievement. But this is not the case in DC and other inner cities. Our President and other politicians send their children to elite academies while the majority of the populace; the serfs, the proletariat and the underclass, are condemned by way of their financial situations to send their kids to these failing public schools. We all support the public schools through taxation, but most people are unable to pay the "double tuition" of high taxes and private school fees. Mr. Obama, have the courage of your convictions, stop the hypocrisy and approve school vouchers so that "the great unwashed" can escape the failing public schools of our inner cities and help their children get a quality education, as you have chosen for your daughters.