Different children, different choices

Bethesda family chooses private school for one child, public for another

But he says he and his wife, Janet Storella, are open-minded when it comes to school choices for their kids.

Karron attended a large public high school just outside Rochester, N.Y., while Storella attended a small private high school in Cambridge, Mass.

The couple found a similar variety of school choices in Montgomery County. "Schools are like people. They have different personalities," Karron said.

It was all about personality and learning style when it came time for the family to choose schools for Julia, 15, and Lucas, 13 — two children who Karron described as "different from birth."

Lucas is heading back to Thomas W. Pyle Middle School in Bethesda, a public school that feeds into Whitman High School, while Julia returns to St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, a private school.

Pyle has just more than 1,300 sixth- through eighth-graders, according to its Web site, making it one of the largest middle schools in the county.

St. Andrew's, which recently merged with St. Francis Episcopal Day School, enrolls about 550 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.

Lucas said he likes being in an environment where he may not know everyone. A hockey player and a whiz at math, he said he likes the idea that there's always someone who will be a bit better than him. He said it pushes him to work hard.

"I like it better that way, because you have to work for what you want," Lucas said.

He also said he's looking forward to the variety of classes that will be available when he starts high school next year at Whitman, in part because he is not sure which career path he wants to choose.

Julia, however, admitted that she is shy and gravitates toward a smaller environment with a smaller class size. "That's just how I work," Julia said. "If I were at a school like Whitman, I feel like I could get lost in the sea of faces."

Julia, who also plays hockey, said she likes that her school is small enough that she can try new sports if she wants to — like tennis. Schools like Whitman often reserve teams for the most talented players, she said.

She said she might not have had the chance to try tennis at a public school. And she was good at it, she said. "[At St. Andrew's], you can always dip your feet in the water," she said.

The family agreed that small classes and personal attention are a highlight of private school life, whereas more choice and variety are an upside to public school. But in the end, it comes down to fit.

"At a place like Whitman, there's always someone bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter. If that helps you strive and excel, that's good," Storella said.

Karron said private schools also have a variety of choice. "The question is, which of these places is the right fit for your kid?"

Lucas said one downside to public school is the food, which is not great, so he brings his own lunch. Also, he said, the fields are overused.

Julia and her classmates will enjoy recently installed Astroturf this year at St. Andrew's, though she said one downside is too little change in the student body.

Scheduling can also pose a challenge for the family. "Their spring breaks almost never overlap," Karron said.

The family sometimes solves that problem by taking separate vacations. Several years ago, Karron took Lucas to Florida, while Storella took Julia to New York.

While each child gravitates to their own school for different reasons, both agree that one plus of attending different schools is not having to worry about teachers comparing them to their siblings.

"They each have their own space, and that turns out to be a good thing," Karron said.