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Readers talk back about private high schools.
By D Magazine |


“Your private schools feature makes little sense.”

Raves and Reprimands for Private Schools
Our November cover story, “Ranking the Private High Schools,” featured an exclusive list of the top 20 schools in Dallas and Fort Worth—much to the dismay of many of those schools’ headmasters. We argued that without comparison, parents can’t assess value.

THANK YOU FOR RANKING THE PRIVATE schools, despite opposition from the schools themselves. I agree wholeheartedly with your philosophy of accountability and giving us, the consumers, the right to select the right school for our kids.


I have four kids at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, and I thought your review of the school was fair and generally accurate. The only potentially misleading statement you made was that “high school students must be Bible-carrying Christians themselves.” This is only true if they transfer in as a high school student, not if they have been there since lower school. While TCA is definitely teaching Christian values, the school has its share of challenges.


Keep up the good work! I have long enjoyed reading D Magazine and appreciate the entertainment and service you provide.


HOLLY POWERS
Dallas


AS A GRADUATE OF JESUIT AND WITH A SON who graduated from Cistercian, I offer a couple of observations. You claim that Cistercian outpaces Jesuit academically. When you make that claim, be sure you are considering only the top 40 at Jesuit, because that’s who attends Cistercian. I think the top students at Jesuit are just as well off academically as those from Cistercian. The reality is that talented kids are well off academically no matter where they go.


It should also be noted that even though all of the students at Cistercian are very bright, someone has to be at the bottom of the class. The students near the bottom are classified and treated as “lazy.” They aren’t allowed to participate in the quiz-bowl-type competitions, for fear they might not win, and they are not admitted to the universities based on the fact that they graduated from Cistercian, despite those rumors. So if you think that by going there your kids will be “automatically” accepted to UT or A&M, think again.


Cistercian is an excellent school, especially for high-achieving students with high-achieving parents. But it’s not a good place to put your child if making an A+ is not what your life is about. As far as the social skills are concerned, I think Cistercian does a fine job. The size limits some of what they can do, but I never felt that was much of an issue.


DR. TOM NABORS
Irving


I FEEL THAT YOUR PRIVATE SCHOOL FEATURE was poorly conceived and makes little sense. While most, if not all, of your top 20 private high schools do a good job and accomplish their objectives, in many cases, their objectives are as different as the students they serve. Comparing them is like comparing Texas Monthly, D, Where, and Avid Golfer, magazines that cover different topics and appeal to different readers. If you had just described what each school seeks to accomplish, how it achieves its goals, and a student who typifies each school’s philosophy, you would have provided your readers with helpful information. Perhaps you would have sold just as many magazines, gotten the cooperation of the private schools, and actually presented some useful facts. I hope next year you will consider this option.


STEVE BOCK
Bock Jewelry Company Inc.


IN THE NOVEMBER ISSUE OF D MAGAZINE, YOU ranked the 20 best private schools in the city. As the director of admissions for one of the fastest growing private schools in the Southwest, I was truly surprised to read through the article and find not one mention of Prestonwood Christian Academy.
PCA is a fully SACS-accredited, pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school with more than 1,050 students. We have enrolled students who have chosen to transfer here from some of the schools ranked by your magazine as the best in the city.


The philosophy of the school is unique, as it focuses on the family as the primary party responsible for educating children and sees the school’s role as a partner in that endeavor. Every decision about the way Prestonwood functions is based on this foundation called “Kingdom Education.”


SHARRON SHAW
Director of Admissions
Prestonwood Christian Academy


 AS A GRADUATE OF BISHOP DUNNE, I WAS pleased to see the good review in D Magazine. However, I have one question: what map are you using to describe BD as an “inner city” school? I would hate to think that the prejudice your publication seems to have toward anything south of the Trinity River trickled over into this article. As a native of Dallas, I find it laughable that the location of Bishop Dunne could be described as “inner city” by anyone familiar with the Dallas area.


RUSTY EMORY
Bishop Dunne Class of 1974
Arlington


EDITOR’S NOTE: You can find an updated version of “Ranking the Private High Schools,” which includes information about Prestonwood Christian Academy, in our 2003 Newcomers Guide, on newsstands now.


The Chicken-Fried Philosopher Reaches Colorado


Dallas restaurateur Gene Street (of Black-Eyed Pea fame, among others) cut his literary teeth in November’s feature “The Chicken-Fried Philosopher Goes to Vietnam,” a tale of a man and his son traveling halfway across the world in search of the Next Big Thing in dining.


AS A FORMER RESIDENT OF DALLAS, I DEVELoped more than a passing interest in the city and its personality. Now I live in Colorado, and D Magazine allows me to keep up with the life and times of the city.


This past weekend, I completed Gene Street’s novella in your magazine. His byline caught my interest, and it only took the first paragraph to hook me into the story. I was aware of Street’s business interests and legendary presence in Dallas, but I had no idea of his literary capabilities. I laughed out loud several times while reading about the Vietnam excursion, but I was also keenly aware of the poignancy of an accomplished father trying to connect with his adult son.


I was so taken with the story, I immediately passed it on to my wife. Twenty minutes later, she was reading me the same hilarious passages I had just read myself. I sent the Internet link to some close friends, and they echoed my enthusiasm for Street’s writing. Now that we’ve had a taste of the “chicken-fried philosopher,” how about seconds?


GENE VAN HORNE
Fort Collins, Colorado


In Defense of Deep Ellum

In our November Pulse section, senior editor Adam McGill reported on the crowds and crime in the entertainment district in “Deep Ellum’s Growing Pains.”


I WAS SOMEWHAT OFFENDED BY YOUR RECENT article about Deep Ellum, which hints that the downslide of Deep Ellum is caused by “cruising cars … and kids, mostly minorities” and that a more “urban” clientele has started coming to the entertainment district. Trust me, nothing is more of a “growing pain” than the trashed-out, upper-crust white people who hang out at the West Village on the weekends and cruise around (usually under the influence) in their luxury cars.


DAVE NAVARRO
Dallas


Another BYOB


Food editor Nancy Nichols and wine consultant Diane Teitelbaum highlighted the best restaurants in town for bringing your own wine in November’s feature “The Best BYOB in Dallas.”


 NEXT TIME YOU FEEL THE URGE TO BYOB, I suggest you try Moni’s Pasta and Pizza in Arlington. When and if you do, I bet that you’ll regret not including it in your article—especially because you included restaurants in Garland, Addison, Richardson, and Plano.


LAMAR MUSE
The Woodlands, Texas


NEXT MONTH
Dallas restaurateurs and food editor Nancy Nichols travel to Uzbekistan to feed the troops.

COME SEE US
Check out our web site—www.dmagazine.com—for dining reviews, things to do, and our monthly features.


SOUND OFF
Letters to the editor should be sent to Editor, 4311 Oak Lawn Ave., First Floor, Dallas, TX 75219 or via e-mail to [email protected]. Please include a daytime phone number and the city in which you live. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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