I believe that the class of 2018 will represent our mission and their experiences at Crossroads well in the communities they join after graduation. I believe in their effort, their excellence, and their willingness to engage with others and with learning, justice, and equity. I believe that the class of 2018’s college and university communities, their friends and developing professional...

This year, Crossroads received a gift dedicated to supporting mental health education. With those funds, Counselor Gina Watkins and Learning Specialist Carrie Shaughnessy attended an intensive, weeklong course called Mental Health First Aid. Through seminars, projects, and presentations, they learned methods to identify students in mental health crisis, approaches to calming the immediate situation, and guidelines for finding appropriate help....

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Dear Friends, “Learning on the job, day after day, is the work,” writes Michael Fullan, one of my favorite writers on educational reform. I repeat a version of this often, reminding our students, faculty and staff, parents, and board members that learning is the work for all of us in a school community. The expectation is that we’re learning every...

Dear Friends, Leadership and learning happen best in relationship. To be an exemplary and engaging learning community requires us to build ongoing relationships both within and beyond Crossroads. Learning in relationship deepens our engagement with ideas and extends the reach of our work. For example, last week, students from the Theater for Social Change elective performed a short original play...

Dear Friends, When we returned from spring break on Monday, I noticed how tall our students are getting. This always catches my attention at this time of year; in both the physical and metaphorical senses, they have grown and we can see the evidence. The end of the school year can challenge our focus, but as I moved through the...

Dear Friends, March is Women’s History Month, and this month, I have marveled at the leadership of the young women at Crossroads. In this Wednesday Notice, you will find stories about our students participating in the inaugural Teen Advocacy Day with Planned Parenthood in Jefferson City, attending a leadership conference, and organizing and leading the National School Walkout event for Crossroads. In...

Friends, I think a lot about the inspiration and imagination necessary to realize the possibilities and complexities of our mission statement. So when I walked into the library last Friday and was surrounded by our middle schoolers’ Science Fair projects, I was delighted and impressed by the ways their work demonstrated that mission in action. Exemplary Students met high standards...

Friends, Earlier this month at the Crossroads Black Student Union’s Celebration of Black Arts Explosion, Malaika Pedzayi-Ferguson read her poem, “Black Girl I Write for You,” which includes these lines: …Truth is I write for the black girls. For that is what I am and the only experience I can write about to the fullest degree. I write for the...

Friends, Over half of Crossroads families receive financial aid through our need-based Scholarship program. All of us benefit. This is why we dedicate our annual Gala, coming up on February 24th, to our unique and robust Scholarship program. The intention to build a diverse-in-many-ways community was present in our founding 43 years ago. Our co-founders wanted to offer children of...