Sign in to wowOwow

Enter the email address that you used when registering at wowOwow.
The password field is case sensitive. Click here if you have forgotten your password.

Please register for wowOwow

Newsletter subscriptions
Sign up to receive wowOwow's weekly newsletter and get our best picks delivered right to your inbox. Our newsletter content is hand-picked by the wowOwow editorial team and provides the top features, news, and commentary from our site. Subscribing to our newsletter is free and safe. We will never share your email or other information with a third-party without your direct consent.
By registering, you indicate that you have read and agree
with our privacy policy and terms of service.

Politics | 11/18/2008 1:15 pm

Developing: Obama Girls Attending Georgetown Day School? (Update)

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© AP

We may know where Sasha and Malia Obama, 7 and 10, will be attending school come January!

A tipster just revealed to us that future First Lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters are currently in DC doing two things: one, picking out their bedrooms in the White House, and two, putting the finishing touches on enrollment at the prestigious private school, Georgetown Day School.

Founded in 1945, the school says it’s "dedicated to providing a supportive educational atmosphere in which teachers challenge the intellectual, creative and physical abilities of our students and foster strength of character and concern for others," according to their website. GDS has grown from a school of seven students to a pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade school with more than 1,000 students and a faculty of 165 on two separate five-acre campuses in Washington, DC. It was the first integrated school in the District of Columbia.

Alumni include the novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, law professor Jamin Raskin and our very own Judith Martin!

Our calls to the school’s public relations department were not immediately returned, but we’ll keep you posted.

Update: Well, the Associated Press reports this afternoon that the Obama girls, as well as Mrs. Obama and her mother, did in fact pop into the White House to pick out their new bedrooms. And First Lady Laura Bush was more than happy to have them. Mrs. Obama’s spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, remarked: "The first lady graciously invited Mrs. Obama, her mother and the girls to visit what will be their new home. Of course, Mrs. Obama greatly appreciated this invitation to provide an opportunity for the girls to feel at home and become comfortable in this transition process."

It’s also been confirmed that Sasha and Malia toured some schools today. While there’s speculation the future first children may attend Sidwell Friends school, our source, who happens to be close to the President-elect’s inner circle, insists the Obama children will be go to Georgetown Day School because that institution’s academics more closely resemble the education they’ve been receiving in Chicago.

46 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

C Hardy
Good Luck to both of them! Hope they can really live a some what normal life.
By C Hardy on 11/18/2008 2:18 pm
Patty E
Good! Much more secure than Public School!
By Patty E on 11/18/2008 2:23 pm
Ginger Bennett
Please, please, please quit making this into news. Children should be off limits whether their parents work in the white house or a sound stage.
By Ginger Bennett on 11/18/2008 2:28 pm
Little Fefe ~ There is nothing wrong with being too idealistic. It is just your dreams sparkling.
Indeed. This generation will definitely grow up not knowing what privacy and secrets mean!
Delete This
I’m glad to know that those two darling girls may be attending that wonderful school. Like Caroline and John, Jr. the nation will love them and revel in their accomplishments. Here’s the Georgetown Day School website: http://www.gds.org/ BTW Wow—-Under ‘Google News” search your piece was number one…..under Google web search about number 5 of 150,000 pieces…on first page of search…I forgot to count. Good job! That’s really impressive given the site’s around 7 month’s old [yes?] now…why not get rid of the GOP writers who are against history and the times? Don’t forget that Arianna is #1 of all blogs for a reason.
By Delete This on 11/18/2008 2:53 pm
Belinda Joy
I was hoping they would choose Georgetown, what an excellent choice for the girls.
By Belinda Joy on 11/18/2008 4:23 pm
DeBúrca obj
Obviously the daughters of the President will go to a great school which also offers security, so I am not posing this question because I begrudge these particular girls this particular school. But, having gone to the website and looked at the tuition, for a DAY school, that ranges between $26,185 to $30,107 for one year of school… how can they justify fees like that? My daughter goes to a private university that costs that but includes room and board. What can they possibly be offering PK/K that justifies fees of $26,185?
By DeBúrca obj on 11/18/2008 4:49 pm
Delete This
DeB—My son went to a private Jesuit dollege prep in the 80s and then a Jesuit college both very pricey and at $30,000 a yr+…so can understand the fees and the need for security/privacy.
By Delete This on 11/18/2008 6:03 pm
Delete This
PS—can also understand the need for proof-reading before submitting re above…although never do it :0
By Delete This on 11/18/2008 6:06 pm
Ms. Dee
I think what DeB is recognizing is how these fees exlude so many children whose parents work just as hard as anybody else’s and love their children just as much. I don’t begrudge your ability to provide your son with the finest educational opportunity out there. Nor do I, by any means, begrudge the Obamas, or anyone else who are in a position to make their chldren’s education a financial priority. But these costs exclude many children whose parents can only anticipate earning $40,000-$50,000 annually. And being disadvantaged in the primary education experience, often takes a toll on a child’s ability to progress in higher education. All o which begs the question: why so much? Where/how is all that money spent?
By Ms. Dee on 11/18/2008 7:22 pm
Lucinda Herbert
Ms. Dee, The truth is that there is much available in the way of scholarships for the offspring of those who earn $40-$50M p.a. If a child is qualified and has an advocate, the money is available. What’s critical is to have an advocate.
By Lucinda Herbert on 11/18/2008 8:15 pm
Ms. Dee
And how does one determine the criterion which would “qualify” one 6-year-old American child over another? Where does one find an advocate? Do elementary or pre-K teachers from public school’s advocate for a particularly bright student? Ministers? Friends? Relatives? How does one become an advocate? And how would someone who works 40-50 hours each week go about finding one?
By Ms. Dee on 11/18/2008 10:02 pm
Lucinda Herbert
It takes a little work, but it’s worth it. You would have to treat it like a job. Talk to everyone you know, all of the people you mentioned are good places to start. Here’s another good beginning — Click on the following link http://www.scholarshipfund.org/index.asp. Look through the web site and you’ll learn about other sources for scholarships and/or tuition assistance http://www.scholarshipfund.org/index.asp If you are a minority, google minority scholarships and you’ll find all sorts of avenues — and then you have to do your due diligence. If you have already identified a school you’d like your child to attend, contact the school directly and ask about the availability of scholarships. There often is a pool of money waiting to be used. In the community I live in there are even scholarships to private nursery schools. Network everywhere you go and soon you’ll discover possibilities you didn’t know existed. I hope this helps.
By Lucinda Herbert on 11/18/2008 10:43 pm
Delete This
Ms. Dee, Actually at my son’s school there were a lot of great scholarship [minority] kids who lived in homes that were pratically cardboard shacks…I know because they were friends with my son….and a terrific asset to the school. Very smart, very hard working and just lacking in cash but not kept out of the school. If I had tons of $$ to fund educational scholarships that is what I would love to do because like you I believe all kids deserve a great education.
By Delete This on 11/18/2008 8:23 pm
Ms. Dee
Oh, that’s great! I figured something like that was probably the case. So you knew part of the tuition you paid would provide scholarships. That must have felt really good. I helped establish a little scholarship foundation a few years ago. I never know who they select or why, but I know each year at least one young musician is getting the an educational experience he or she might not have been able to afford, otherwise…and I helped. That’s always nice to recall. But I’m with you. There are so many talented young people. You just wish you could help them all. Today, when we were crunching through the leaves, Henry and I were thinking about you and your 17-mile hike along the beach. We’re hoping you’ll have a Golden at your side soon.
By Ms. Dee on 11/18/2008 9:43 pm