US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys High School

You should read the AG report and why is the AOB declaring bankruptcy if catholic schools are not involved?

Key School is a great school. That said, I recommend reading the 2016? 3rd party investigation (funded by school) on their faculty's grooming culture in the past. It's wild....for example, Bay Foundation was used as a ruse to get kids out of state camping for the worst of abuses by Key teachers. Bay Foundation chose not to report or disclose at the time. It's in the report.

The poster asked about the article.
There was no catholic school mentioned in the article.

But the article mentioned that the news about the Key School coincides with the ADB and ADW declaring bankruptcy to limit victim payouts.

And this also has nothing to do with the abuse scandals at Gilman and McDonogh.

And even less to do with lacrosse.

As a practicing Catholic and Catholic MIAA parent, here's what I understand (not a statement of fact) the general landscape to be...there's more connection than we'd like there to be:

1) Calvert Hall had a priest in the 1980s who has been accused of abusing CHC students. I think it's a separate class action lawsuit.
2) Curley, Loyola, and MSJ housed/employed priests (at the Archdiocese's insistence) in the 1950s-1960s who were never accused of abusing students at those schools, but had been accused of child abuse at their previous job posts. "Hiding in plain sight" basically.
3) Many of the feeder schools/parishes to the Catholic HS's, in the 1950s-1980s, provided housing to retired/retiring clergy and indeed some of those dudes were the worst abusers, before they arrived there. I haven't heard that any parishioners or students were abused as a result, but it sure looks like a typical "look the other way" malfeasance on the part of the Archdiocese. Gee, sure glad the retired serial abusive priest lives upstairs from the elementary school library!

Also in general, the declaring bankruptcy is close to the end of this process, not a new problem. The Archdiocese has been selling off schools and lands for several years in anticipation of this, segregating financial accounts, and informing parishioners of what's going on (sort of). It's a move to cut off liability to limit it to a certain date of filed lawsuits. When this happened to Boy Scouts (again, brought it on themselves), the actual bankruptcy filing was maybe 6-9 months before the "end of the scandal" when all lawsuits were settled, property was sold, names of abusers un-redacted publicly, etc.

Yeah, Roland Park/Tuscany-Canturbury/Guilford/Charles Village/Hapmden are sooooooooooooooo scary. JFC.

I'd say it's not good for Hop.

Have you been to Hampden in the last few years? Area has gone completely down hill. If you consider armed robbery and carjacking as a mild inconvenience, then I guess its a great place to have a college kid hanging out at.

Don’t forget about the flop house across from the Wine Source!

Someone was pistol whipped a few weeks ago on Roland Ave by Gilman. Headmaster witnessed it but hid under his desk and said he saw nothing. Just like he doesn’t notice that every athletic team in the school has a losing record.

City campus comes with city issues. Get over it. Hopkins is far from the only one.

Not scary.

But you gotta be cool with assaults, robberies, car jackings and break-ins every week.

https://arcgisportal.baltimorepolice.org/publiccrimemap/

I don't need to get over it, just cross it off the list of places my kid would go. Given the political environment, its not changing anytime soon either. Ed Norris late 90s couldn't clean this mess up.

You going to go to college with your kid too?

Gilman has 5 Varsity sports in the fall and 4 have winning records, but don't let facts get in your way clown. And the Gilman headmaster isn't the one afraid of freaking Hampden. Find a safe space please.

That's the plan. I plan to open up the Thorton Melon School of Business.

Not hard to have a winning record playing the teams they do. A good Jr High club team would have a better record against the teams Gilman plays.

Dad of a middle school kid playing for one of the big brand "elite" clubs in maryland (we're closer to baltimore than philly) but going to a PA public school system not known for lax hoping for some answers/advice...

1. Our "elite" club has been averaging 17 D1 commits per year. In your experience, how many of those kids are recruited and brought in during high school vs. being developed from middle school? My kid's probably in the top 25% of our team but is not one of the key studs. What type of turnover should I expect come 9th grade?

2. If my kid does develop, is he screwed because he doesn't go to a private school with a reputation? Several team dads say that school is more important than club in getting visibility.

I appreciate any advice...

My sons were on similar clubs and in similar position talent-wise. The turnover wasn't bad in 9th grade. A 3 new kids as 9th graders and then the roster was pretty much locked, unless we lost a player. Then they would pick up 1 for 1.

My advice is to find an MIAA school to play in. They would probably project as a contributor or starter by JR year at a top team, sooner at a bottom team. You can do college going to a bad public school, it's just harder to get film college
coaches want to watch. Highlights against suburban York doesnt impress a ton. But lots of film against A teams sells. College coaches know the level of talent on the league is very high. I know a few kids who don't touch field or played 3 years of JV in the MIAA and still got recruited to good D3 programs. Kids who started as Juniors all usually have a good shot at top college programs. What they do in college is then on them. Work hard and they will be fine. Lots of kids from PA commute to Loyola, Boys Latin, John Carroll and others.

Good advice to find MIAA if you goal is to get recruited . But the big thing is what is realistic for your son and what is he after. Just cause he wants to play for a better D1 doesnt mean he will. Plenty of MIAA starters and subs are recruited to top D1and sit the entire time or quit. His work habit , size, and skills to get better will be the factors that get him to play in top college . If he wants to ride bench and be on D1, better go to MIAA for sure. If his goal is Ivy then MIAA is a good way to get there as most white guys dont get in unless one step below genius.
There is no rainbow after college lacrosse. But there is your education learned and a job .

Re turnover:

If it’s FCA - you probably won’t see much turnover
If it’s 91 MD - expect a ton of turnover
If It’s Crabs- expect a ton of turnover

Either of these three will provide enough exposure to get recruited.

MIAA is still the biggest brand name conference for lacrosse so playing in it bolsters your sons brand by a lot.

You can get recruited at a public school playing at a flashy club for sure. You will just need to bolster things with a ton of supplemental training on your own. Unless your son is unreal it’s easy (and likely) to fall behind simply on how much the MIAA kids train as opposed to a standard public. Obviously there are exceptions.

If your after getting recruited to good D1 schools, MIAA will always be a better option than PA public by a large margin. Now if he is an outright student and one of best on top club, you are probably good at PA public with club and supplements. If he is like many more than likely, he needs to go to MIAA as what will a coach want, a good PA public player or good MIAA player, The training and teams are different in MIAA and College Coaches know that.

One of the bigger reasons college coaches like MIAA players is that MIAA players are good practice fodder on teams due to their skills and IQ.

Goal is to get into the best academic school that he can (he has good grades and is a JHU CTY student) but hoping to play lax and potentially use lax to get into a better school. Elite academic D3 is fine as well.

D3? Dude, if the kid can throw reasonably well with both hands and you are full pay then don’t worry about it. He’s in to all of them.

I’m thinking an elite academic D3 school like Washington and Lee where he would have the grades but frankly get lost in the pack of other qualified kids. Hoping lax coach would move his name to the front of the line with admissions.

Tufts, W&L, Middlebury, etc are not “if you can catch and throw, and willing to pay $, you’re in.” Just not accurate whatsoever. Far easier to get into U Md than any of those listed…

Sure, your kid many be able to get into some top 20 D3 schools.
But dont expect them to just see field for them.
Most of these parents don't understand the level of lax at top D3 programs.
Top 20 D3 is generally better lax than the bottom third of D1.
The biggest difference being that the top 20 D3 schools really support their lax programs.

Thoughts to offer:

The college counseling offices at top MIAA schools have a counselor to student ratio that is a fraction of the counselor caseload in a public school. This is a big help if your son is focused on finding academic and cultural fit as opposed to just "getting into a good school" with athletics (lacrosse) as a differentiator. In terms of numbers, a few MIAA college counselors I know have about 15 students, and public HS college counselors I know have over 300.

High-quality dIII schools can give more money than DI athletic programs in lacrosse - not athletic $$, but merit and need-based aid. DI lacrosse splits 12.5 scholarships across a team, while DIII financial aid and merit money is unrestricted. For example, Williams (NESCAC) has the highest endowment on a per-student basis in the world...if they want your son enough, they will find the money.

Most MIAA schools have a very solid academic reputation and are highly regarded by college admissions counselors, and your son will be able to find a friend group that is serious about preparing for college. Not saying this isn't the case in publics, but if it is a question of friend group and daily environment, the difference is striking.

HS class size is quite different in the private schools. Smaller classes mean more teacher time, more attention, more discussion, and a greater focus on individual needs.

We invested in private schools for both our kids, which was a significant expense. As public school grads, my wife and I see the difference in our experiences every day, and we would do it all again without any doubt.

Good luck to your son and your family as you begin this journey.

Totally accurate based on info: full pay, smart student, plays lax reasonably well

Disagree maybe top 5 D3 programs can hang with D1. D2 is a joke

Rare to actually get a helpful post on here but this one was good. But then again maybe you're just telling me what I want to hear.

"Going D1" to say they did it is sending a ton of kids to horrible schools and horrible programs.

I could name at least 20 D3 schools better than the bottom half+ of the a10, ASUN, MAAC, CAA, America East.

If your kid is looking at those schools, I ask- Why?

Go to an established top 20 D3 program that supports its program. There are plenty of great schools in the NESCAC, ODAC, Centennial schools that would be better a education, better lacrosse and competition, and a better experience for your kid. Low end D1 isn't good.

This is so accurate it’s actually surprising for this forum.

You have good D3 schools right here in MD that are great for academics and have good lacrosse programs. Its all about education and getting on the field

agree!

Agree- Why send your kid to some underfunded school, 8 hours away from home, without their desired major, so they can say they "PLAYED D1?"
It's not wise. Find the school that is the right fit for your kid athletically and academically, and let 'em be happy.
There is no pot of gold at the end of the college lax rainbow.

I wholeheartedly agree. The son of a friend of ours went to Muhlenberg and had an amazing academic and lax experience. Had an elite finance job lined up for him through alumni by the end of his junior year.

If parents understand this concept for college, why isn't it true for HS?

So many parents send their kids to the same MIAA student/lax mills and wonder why their kid isn't playing.

Guess reality hasn't set in for them yet.

It takes getting to the college level to realize what 🐂💩the MIAA and everything pertaining to it really is. And I say that having two kids in MIAA.

Hi John Carroll Dad. Your argument is a mess - what's the parallel between "people sending kids to bad D1 programs with poor academics and poor athletics" and "people sending kids to McDonogh" (which has great academics and great sports)? And in a country where the average kid is in a trailer classroom with a 1:32 teacher student ratio, lead pipes, and 1 college counselor per 500-1000 kids, and probably has to share the lax field with 3 other sports in the spring, you think the MIAA big boy schools are "student mills?" LOL.

But I'll play.

First of all there's no "majors" in HS.

The academic outcomes are all over the place. Half of the MIAA-A are true prep schools and the average SAT scores approach 1400 (with 100% of students taking the SAT...unlike public schools). But some MIAA-A schools are not, namely MSJ and John Carroll. An average 1180on the SAT is just fine to go to Towson or Frostburg, and there's nothing wrong with that. To your point, your son would probably be far better off at Key, Friends, or Park school if you can swallow the politics at any of them, and your son can keep up academically (hardly a given) since their academic results are in line with McD, Gilman, St. Pauls, Loyola.

As for the lax outcomes, I know your belief is that "no teenager is mentally strong enough to ride the bench," but for the 14th time, maybe just maybe you have blinders on there. There's something to be said about getting reps with the best coaches, the most talented teammates, at the best facilities, and if you have a serious work ethic, suddenly at some point in 11th grade, boom, you're on the field, even if you're not a star, not a donor's son, etc. You're right that many kids like most of the 2028s applying to schools this fall, do not have that level of maturity (or it leads them to give it up). But some kids can - in fact - hack it, and grow stronger from it. And they get their moment of glory.

Here's the fact you'll detest the most: there are varsity players at the "lax mills" who never step foot on the field at their school (at varsity), and get D1 offers (no athletic scholarship of course).