I went to Whitman and had mixed opinions. I enjoyed the activities and classes I chose, but the…read morepeople really brought it down a notch. It's definitely very challenging academically. It either pushes students to excel or burns them out and causes them to give up. It just depends on each students ability to handle stress. Even so, the school has a class, activity, friend group, caring teacher for everyone.

I went to this school at the end of the Seventies and graduated in 1980. I made many friends. I…read morewould say it was better than other schools nearby at the time I went there for academics but also because of the unique landscape and architecture that was destroyed in a teardown and rebuild project which came ten years after I graduated. We had a domed arena that was in the style of Finnish architect Ero Saarinen and was great to play sports in. The principal was pretty good: Dr. Jerome Marco-he served a long time and had the current Football field named after him. He didn't like underage drinking so he got rid of the Rugby team which was a club sport-not varsity. That team became the Maryland Exiles thanks to Dan Soso who kept it going. I did academics with great teachers like Bari Bergman for English, Speech and Drama but sports was really what I was into at the time. We had arguably the best football team in the history of the school. I played each season. We were not undefeated in the regular season but 9-1 then lost the state AA Championship-our QB got injured in the semifinal. The 2003 team went 10-0 but lost their first playoff game that makes us better in my opinion. Our coach, Rich Cameron was good. He had us in the wishbone offense that just could not be stopped. Our rugby team won tournaments-the coach was John Haberman. I also wrestled. That was more fun than anything. Many of the students have gone on to great careers and spread out across the country nowadays. We had great colors and a great mascot but I do not agree with the gender equity changes made to our mascot. Our Colors were Black, White and Columbia Blue. We were the Vikings and we had a great Viking but nowadays any depiction of our Viking must be accompanied by a Lady Viking. I went to our reunion and saw Lady Viking drawings which we did not have. If you want to have Lady Viking Drawings in 2013 O.K. but we did not have them in 1980 so don't go back and try to re-write history. Cafeteria food was good. We even had a salad bar which I used in wrestling season. We always had a weight room open after school. Other notable teachers were Mr. Cleary-English and Yearbook, Jack Freeman-JV Football and Al Patini-Driver's Education, Mr. Peters and Mr. Debone-gym, Hugh Hammet-Tennis Coach, Ms. Linda Niedbalski and Melanie Sorg-Biology, Mrs. Trebor-Home Economics, Ms. Guiterrez-English, Ms. Cummings-English. Some great teachers have names I forgot-sorry. This was a high school you would want to go to. 4 stars.

This school is horrible, I went to this school for a year and immediately switched. The bathrooms…read morewere incredibly unhygienic there would be urine on the floor and clogged toilets. The counselors are horrible as well, specifically Ms. Saint Germain. Not sure if she still works there, but she would assume things about the students and even accused me of doing drugs. Along with the students, they are very disrespectful. They use racial and homophobic slurs.

Amazing school. Their band is 2nd in the country (as of 2021 middle schools). The reason I didn't…read moregive them 5 stars is because Shell Shockers is blocked. IT facility please fix this.

I recommend this school to everyone that is looking for a serious and true Montessori program. In…read moreMD any school that claims to be Montessori has to be approved by the state and has to have at least one Montessori-trained teacher. However, I have heard parents complain sending kids to Montessori is a waste of money because it's just a name to sell the school. So, not all state-approved Montessori programs have good quality of education. So being aware not all schools are the same, I toured 3 Montessori schools: Lone Oak, Manor and the Woods Academy. I found the Lone Oak Montessori on AMI website and Woods academy on AMS website. Manor was recommended by other parents and it seems to be a popular choice when it comes to Montessori preschools in Bethesda area. I took my 3-year-old son with me to all the tours and he loved the Woods the best because we were allowed to walk into the classroom and had very brief interactions with the students and teachers, to observe and also play some toys in the classroom while parents were talking to the director, Mrs. Gerber- who is very knowledgeable and experienced about Montessori programs and part of the reason we chose Montessori is because of her expertise and experience. After the tour, my son wanted to go back the next day because the classroom was just so fun and interesting for little kids. My son is happy every day and cannot wait to tell me what he learned in school. The teachers encourage independence, good manners, trying new things/food, healthy snacks, and creativity. They are caring and loving but also very firm when giving instructions. My son learns new things/facts each day and not just merely playing with expensive toys. For instance, he came home one day start singing "The family of the Sun," and talked about all the facts he learned about planets and I was amazed. And three weeks later, he started to learn the sounds of alphabets and try to read! The teacher told me she would advance any student if s/he is ready so there is no need to wait till 4 or 5 to learn how to read. The other pluses but not major factors are- 1) facility, it's a school so it has it's own gym, music/art classrooms, library, and playground. It's very spacious, clean and well-maintained. 2) it has PE, music and art classes once a week for 30 minutes. The school has a very strong art program. 3) faculty and staff are very friendly and they know student by names. I felt that students are given a lot of attention because of its small classroom size. The only downside is the tuition. It is about $2K more than other schools I checked/toured. We've been happy with our choice and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good preschool in Bethesda. If you want more information about the Montessori program, check out the blog: http://woodsmontessori.blogspot.com/

This is a very good private school in the Potomac and Bethesda area. I went here for Montessori…read morethrough 8th grade and loved my experience here. There were incredible resources and the teachers were awesome! I definitely recommend looking here for your child.

absolutely horrible school. the teachers are not qualified, not able to properly deliver…read moreinformation. they keep complaining the parents about children's low results trying to shift their own responsibility. constantly begging for donations in add to tuition fee increases every year. strict dress code, the girls are not allowed to wear tights in winter but teachers can wear pijamas. shame to this school

Absolutely horrible experience. Waste of money. For this…read morehuge amount of money children are not even taught handwriting or good behaving but they are educated how to sue their own parents. Poor girls are not allowed to wear warm tights in winter, instead they have to go with bare legs when it's freezing cold. Is that normal? Teachers wear pijamas, that's ok, but little girls can't wear tights? Why the child isn't allowed to bring even warm tea for lunch? Ice water is ok but warm tea is not, in winter? The teachers have very poor level of behaving and education (mostly online). Constantly collecting money in something else. Don't send your child there!

Holton-Arms runs a summer camp called, "Creative Summer "at their spacious private school. They…read morehave excellent counselors and a phenomenal variety of activities. They offer hip hop dancing, science activities, yoga, knitting, and ceramics. That is just a few choices. They have a spacious campus and are very well organized. This year, I attended the dance recital and it was really entertaining. The kids love the camp. Drop off and pick up are well organized as well. They have a lower camp for younger students and upper camp, for older students. If you are looking for a great summer camp, I highly recommend it.

The school is nice with really encouraging teachers and fun filled school days. The sports team is…read morealso amazing and the after school clubs have a big selection .

I learned to paddle a kayaking in white water with Liquid Adventures and can't think of learning…read morethis sport anywhere else. The school offers classes for every range of ability from beginner through intermediate and even advanced. The instructors are first rate and very friendly. They even have a national team member teach the slalom classes, and you can find the owner, DC kayaking legend Tom McEwan, teaching classes and leading trips to Mexico and Canada for all abilities. If you think white water paddling is for you, I can't think of a better school to teach you the ropes. Best of all, while most other schools in the DC area offer only beginner classes, Liquid Adventures offers classes for all ranges of abilities from beginner to advanced. In fact, I still paddle their Cheat river training programs in the Spring of each year, and will have them teach my kids how to paddle come summer. In short, I would recommend Liquid Adventures kayaking school without reservation to anyone who wants to learn how to paddle a kayak or wants to refine their skills on the water.

Tom McEwan, Ashley McEwan, and the Liquid Adventures Kayak School (LAKS) team are fantastic people…read moreand outstanding instructors. On Father's Day last year, my kids and I signed up for an introductory private lesson. Tom is a legend in the whitewater kayaking world, so we were excited that he came out to guide us that day. My kids had both spent significant time in kayaks at their summer camps, but Tom took the time to get us properly outfitted in his boats, and then review basic principles on land before we got in the water. Once in the water, we reviewed several basic safety issues, how to give each other bow rescues if we flipped over, and how to exit the boat if needed. Then off we went! Tom guided us into some gentle moving water, and took us into progressively bigger rapids as our comfort level increased. At one point, my 9 year old daughter flipped over - which of course happens routinely - and she calmly waited, upside down, for Tom to quickly paddle over and give her a bow rescue. It was awesome that she didn't panic and stayed in her boat. Since then, we've really gotten to know LAKS. My 13 year old son has become an excellent kayaker through Tom's after-school program, where LAKS picks kids up from local middle/high schools and takes them out to the river. It is a super program, that he has thoroughly enjoyed. Both of my kids also spent the winter practicing their rolling techniques in the pool with the LAKS instructors, and are now fully confident in big whitewater with bombproof rolls. This summer, Tom invited my son to start more intense training with him out at the Mirant Power Plant in Dickerson, MD, where they have a man-made whitewater course. Those workouts have dramatically improved his skills, and his muscles are happily sore for 2 days. Next week, he will participate in the LAKS' summer camp: kayaking out on the river all day, plus an overnight trip where they'll camp out and cook dinner over the fire. (I want to go!) While we haven't joined one yet, LAKS runs kayaking trips to Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere. We hope to do one soon! So, if you want to learn to kayak, or want to take a kayaking trip, give Tom and Ashley a call!

Both of my kids have attended Wonders and it has been a truly magical place for them to grow up. We…read morelove all of their teachers - they're experienced, engaged and loving, and most have been with Wonders for several years. The directors and staff are deeply knowledgeable and get to know all of the students and families on a personal level. Some things that set Wonders apart from other places we looked are that kids stay in the same class all year long, with the same teachers and classmates, which has really really helped my kids' growth and confidence and allowed them to develop close relationships. Wonders also provides lunch and snacks, which makes life easier. Lastly, having the playground right outside the center makes it easy to build relationships with other families and creates a closeknit community.

Our children are now in elementary school but we our two children to Wonders for three years (Age 2…read morethrough 5) and could couldn't have been happier with the teachers. A great, loving, and caring environment. You should definitely consider Wonders if you are looking for a high quality pre-school that provides full day options for working families.

Terrible. Always talking about preventing bullying and yet bullying is always happening. Be ready…read moreto burn a hole in your wallet with the costs for therapy!

I haven't figured out anything I don't like about this school. I wish I went here! I know my…read moredaughter is receiving a phenomenal education. Glad to sacrifice my life for my children.