Friends, I’ve been reading Brené Brown’s book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parents, and Lead, which opens with the passage that made Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship in a Republic” speech famous: “… there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds … at best knows...

  For the past two years, science teacher Cliff Sodergren has led teams of middle school students in the FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League challenge, in which “students research a real-world engineering challenge, develop a solution, and compete with LEGO-based robots of their own design.” This year, upper school students wanted in on the...

Friends,   Each year, I like to share my thoughts about how to experience Parent Night to the fullest. While you are visiting, I hope you take an opportunity to view Crossroads, the teachers, and the learning through a young person’s eyes. When I encourage grown-ups to do this, I always think of this quote from The Little Prince: “Grown-ups love...

Friends, Recently, a colleague asked me, What do I hope to see when I call community members into our mission? And more specifically, What do I hope to see when I call the white members of our community into our responsibility to seek justice and equity? These are challenging and worthy questions. There are many excellent resources available with suggestions...

This list of resources was complied by Adelaide Eveleigh Lancaster, Co-Founder and Director of Community and Collaboration for We Stories, which “uses the power of children’s literature to create conversation, change and hope in St. Louis, and a stronger, more equitable and inclusive future for all.” BEGINNING AN EXPLORATION OF WHITENESS Waking Up White by Debbie Irving (book) White Like...

Again this year, middle school students spent their first three days of school on retreat at Camp Lakewood in Potosi, MO. For students at an urban school, says trip leader Mark Norwood, this time in nature “creates disequilibrium that invites change, reflection, and openness.” “We go away to get closer,” Mark says. “We start with relationships first. Relationship are key to the...

by Howard Granok, Science Department Chair Last Monday, the entire Crossroads community traveled to Washington State Park near DeSoto, Missouri to witness the total solar eclipse first hand, and nature did not disappoint. Prior to the big event, students spent time in their advisory groups learning more about each other, enjoying the park scenery, or wading in the nearby Big...

Friends, The 2017-2018 school year has begun! We started with 232 students this morning, our largest enrollment in the last ten years. One of my favorite moments as a school leader is welcoming students back to school on the very first day. The Crossroads lobby and hallways were resounding with laughter, conversations, and excited hellos. We began the day in the...

Friends, The events in Charlottesville, Virginia yesterday are weighing on me. Yesterday as I read news articles and watched videos from those who were there, I had to resist the impulse to separate myself from the bigotry and racism that fueled the protest and the violence. This is challenging and important to share. Even with my personal and professional commitment...

Friends, Welcome to the first Wednesday Notice of the 2017-2018 school year! I am looking forward to beginning together again after a relaxing, thoughtful, and joyful summer of rest, reading, and vacation. The Crossroads learning community, our commitments, and our effort and work are inspiring to me. We return to school with an updated mission statement, as announced in this summer’s edition...