This week, journalist Stephanie Hanes presented to biology and AP Environmental Science students about her work reporting from Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, the subject of her newly released book, White Man’s Game: Saving Animals, Rebuilding Eden, and Other Myths of Conservation in Africa. In the book “[Hanes] traces the tangled history of Western missionaries, explorers, and do-gooders in...

  Spanish teacher Matt Barrett is a St. Louis native and Crossroads alum. He remembers visiting the school as a 6th grader because he had neighbors who attended Crossroads. He says he left that day with the impression it was a a school where “everybody knew each other, and it felt like everybody belonged.” “I think the experience for the...

Friends, In our most recent Next Week at Crossroads communication to parents, Kim wrote that the “rigor and vigor doesn’t end on Friday.” She was referring to all that was going on last Saturday at Crossroads, things like student ambassador training, FIRST Robotics, open gym for a few basketball players, professional development for a few teachers, and our Parents of Children...

  Middle school science teacher Sarah Tolch was born in North Carolina, but doesn’t have an easy answer to where she’s from. As a child, she moved around, following her father’s work as a minister. Her parents now live in New Mexico, but if she has to pick, she’ll say she’s from Texas, which is where she spent the longest...

  This summer, Elaina Grimm (’17) attended the Young Women’s Political Leadership Program in Washington, DC, organized by Running Start, a non-partisan group that supports young women in politics. The annual, weeklong experience introduces high school students to the ins and outs of political leadership through workshops covering public speaking, media, networking, fundraising, and advocacy. Participants meet with women candidates and...

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...