232 E Sheldon St
Philadelphia, PA 19120

I was here since kindergarten, and at first it was very rocky, but after a new principal (Mr. Roth) stepped in, everything changed for the good. More and more students are motivated to be on good behavior due to the tiger rating system he created, there are clubs, and very good ones too, there’s sports programs, there are better test scores, and the teachers really encourage us to do our best. Olney may have been bad at first, but in my opinion, it’s great now.

As a high-achieving dual enrollment student who has spent over two years at this school, I must say that Olney is not the ideal place to be. Upon coming here, you are surrounded by a handful of disrespectful and rude students, as well as staff that favors students over others and allow them to get away with doing things that the school generally doesn’t allow (like having phones out of a Yondr pouch when pouches were relevant, or being out in the hallway during class and causing disruptions). Even the staff themselves can be rude, and this is coming from my own experience when dealing with them. In the classroom, the enjoyment of learning depends heavily on the teacher and their delivery. So far, I have had a generally decent time in classrooms, but my peers have had the tendency to disagree. Teachers have their own styles and don’t follow a strict curriculum, which I think can be helpful for students to learn how to navigate different teaching styles.As far as safety is concerned, the school does have a strict policy for no weapons on school grounds, and have metal detectors set up at every door to ensure that the school is safe. However, the danger doesn’t exactly lie in just the prospect of weapons, but the students themselves. There have been quite a few fights at this school, and there is a lot of drama between students—most of which particularly break out in hallways or outside on school grounds from what I’ve experienced.When it comes to weighted classes such as honors, Advanced Placement, and dual enrollment, they offer all of these to students who can be considered as high-achieving. I have been in all three. Honors and AP feel pretty much the same, but for dual enrollment it is much different, as it is a college course. Currently, I am taking psychology and it is more of a project-based course which, most times, requires a device. This is hard because there is a device policy that prohibits the possession of electronic devices outside of your school Chromebook (unless you are a Trojan, which are the school’s “high-ranking” students). It has been really difficult, despite explicit permission and acknowledgement from the principal and multiple staff that I am allowed to bring such things in, to get past the metal detectors. It feels almost like a burden to even be in dual enrollment because of all of the trouble the staff puts you through. So, with all of this said, I truly believe that Olney is not the school you would want to attend.