First, any serious discussion of GHS college admissions statistics needs to take into account the fact that Greenwich has one of the highest percentage of high-school age students attending private schools in the nation. While these students may or may not be academically exceptional, nearly all come from families that prize academic accomplishment–and nearly all of them go on to college. Just image what the college admissions rate would be if these students attended GHS instead of Brunswick, Greenwich Academy, Sacred Heart, Choate-Rosemary Hall, Deerfield, Taft, Andover, Exeter, etc.

My child attended a local private school from age 1 to 13, and was accepted by one of the above mention private schools, but decided on GHS instead. The education she received at GHS far surpassed anything she could possibly attained elsewhere and she is now in one of the most competitive college programs–with an admissions rate of less than 7 percent–in the world. She somehow managed this without playing on a single sports team — or even attending a single sporting event, as far as I know. What she did receive was excellent Honors and AP instruction in Science, English, Math, Social Studies, French, and Theater Arts — as well as incredible extracurricular opportunities in Student Government, service organizations, theatrical productions and numerous other areas.

Success, however, did not always come easily. There were many tears shed and hundreds of nights spent working to midnight and beyond. I often found school assignment files on our computer that were closed well after 1 AM. I would suspect that many of students in the top 10 percent of the GHS graduating class matched or exceeded Mr. Millstein’s 10 hours a day, six days a week of academic commitment. I know mine did.

The reality is that wherever there is a top 10 percent, there is also going to be a bottom 10 percent. Intelligence may play a factor. But so does motivation and, especially, a family background that values and encourages education. The suggestion that “McDonald’s and Burger King have fine training programs” is, indeed, flippant and insulting.

GHS has a responsibility the 70 or so students each year who do not go on to college to provide vocational training that insures that they won’t need to resort to flipping burgers. Here Mr. Millstein has it completely backwards: If someone wants a vocational education, that IS GHS’s job.

Finally, although I’m no fan of athletics at the cost of academics, let’s be realistic, Mr. Millstein. Have you ever heard of student being courted by a top-ranked university for their academic ability? Sorry, Charlie, but it’s the kids who excel at football, soccer, lacrosse, fencing, crew, tennis, and, yes, even water polo, who get the free passes to college–often in the form of a letter of intent signed even before the Senior year begins. So if increasing college acceptance rates is really the goal, you probably want MORE athletic coaches, not less.

First, any serious discussion of GHS college admissions statistics needs to take into account the fact that Greenwich has one of the highest percentage of high-school age students attending private schools in the nation. While these students may or may not be academically exceptional, nearly all come from families that prize academic accomplishment–and nearly all of them go on to college. Just image what the college admissions rate would be if these students attended GHS instead of Brunswick, Greenwich Academy, Sacred Heart, Choate-Rosemary Hall, Deerfield, Taft, Andover, Exeter, etc.

My own child a local attended private school from age 1 to 13, and was accepted by one of the above mention private schools, but decided on GHS instead. The education she received at GHS far surpassed anything she could possibly attained elsewhere and she is now in one of the most competitive college programs–with an admissions rate of less than 7 percent–in the world. She somehow managed this without playing on a single sports team — or even attending a single sporting event, as far as I know. What she did receive was excellent Honors and AP instruction in Science, English, Math, Social Studies, French, and Theater Arts — as well as incredible extracurricular opportunities in Student Government, service organizations, theatrical productions and numerous other areas.

Success, however, did not always come easily. There were many tears shed and hundreds of nights spent working to midnight and beyond. I often found school assignment files on our computer that were closed well after 1 AM. I would suspect that many of students in the top 10 percent of the GHS graduating class matched or exceeded Mr. Millstein’s 10 hours a day, six days a week of academic commitment. I know mine did.

The reality is that wherever there is a top 10 percent, there is also going to be a bottom 10 percent. Intelligence may play a factor. But so does motivation and, especially, a family background that values and encourages education. The suggestion that “McDonald’s and Burger King have fine training programs” is, indeed, flippant and insulting.

GHS has a responsibility the 70 or so students each year who do not go on to college to provide vocational training that insures that they won’t need to resort to flipping burgers. Here Mr. Millstein has it completely backwards: If someone wants a vocational education, that IS GHS’s job.

Finally, although I’m no fan of athletics at the cost of academics, let’s be realistic, Mr. Millstein. Have you ever heard of student being courted by a top-ranked university for their academic ability? Sorry, Charlie, but it’s the kids who excel at football, soccer, lacrosse, fencing, crew, tennis, and, yes, even water polo, who get the free passes to college–often in the form of a letter of intent signed even before the Senior year begins. So if increasing college acceptance rates is really the goal, you probably want MORE athletic coaches, not less.

Mr. Log Head- You owe an apology to those parents and students you identify as “less than college material.” My dear man, Greenwich would fail to pieces, like Rome did, without these “vocational types” operating those very services you ridicule. You might have been somewhat successful in college, but you are not a very sensitive or kind human being.. Deb.

I wonder just how good a decision it was to make the interim headmaster the permanent headmaster. How much differently will Mr. Winters’ term in office be if he was there while academic performance was sliding? Is he committed to excellence in education? From his suggestion that we should de-emphasize honors and AP classes by putting grade points back to the level of non-honors courses, it seems that he just doesn’t “get it”. His misguided emphasis on education for those not going to college, when he should be working with those students and supporting those students and pushing those students to take harder courses and make sure they go to college, is very troubling.

You are absolutely right to point out that Asian students, and, for that matter, most students in the rest of the world go to school for more days and longer school days than do we. It’s no big secret that if you study more and harder, you will get better results. Funny that we apply that work ethic to scholastic sports, but we consider kids who work hard at their studies to be some sort of freaks, whom we refer to as “overachievers”. Not only is the performance of Greenwich public schools mediocre in the context of our region, but even worse in an international context.

Perhaps if our local newspapers began writing as many articles highlighting the achievements of our outstanding students as it does outstanding athletes, our educational achievement level would increase.