Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences
50 Years Forward
50 Years Forward Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences 1971-2021
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent of copyright owner. All images are property of Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences. All rights reserved. Copyright @ 2022 Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences has been granted not-for-profit status under section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences 1714 21st Street Santa Monica, CA 90404 310-829-7391 xrds.org Printed in the U.S.
“If, as parents, we were to take as our concern not the instruction of our children, but the lives of our children, we would find that our schools could be used in a powerfully regenerative way. … We might cease thinking of school as a place, and learn to believe that it is basically relationships: between children and adults, adults and adults, children and other children. The four walls and the principal’s office would cease to loom so hugely as the essential ingredients.” —George Dennison (1925–1987), author and educator
This book is dedicated to the students, faculty and staff, alumni, parents, trustees and friends whose transformative and joyful relationships will always be the essential ingredients of Crossroads School.
Los Angeles Times advertisement, June 13, 1971
50 Years Forward
Over the course of the last 50 years, there have been thousands of teachers, staff members, trustees, families and alumni who have made Crossroads what it is today. In this commemorative book, we mostly feature (in words and images) longstanding community members with 20 years or more at the School. When one of these luminaries is the author of an entry, you will see their name at the top of the article. The rest of the entries were penned by a dedicated team of staff writers. The School is grateful to everyone who made this publication possible.
Editors-in-Chief Sara Ring Director of Communications Emily Wolff Archivist Commemorative Book Committee Deborah Dragon Mary Farrell Joanie Martin Sonoma Van Brunt-Leyhe Staff Writers/Editors Deborah Dragon Mary Farrell Julian Laurent Joanie Martin Laura Presburger Sara Ring Jennifer Sagiao Nancy Seid Tara Shima Sonoma Van Brunt-Leyhe Barbara Whitney Emily Wolff Book Design Golden Design Studio Archival Photography Artkive Photographers Linda Abbott Johana Barahona Andreas Branch Gemma Corfield Cornerstone Photography Chris Flynn Elijah Hurwitz Janeen Jackson Jennifer Manley
Monica Morant ’89 Paul Ryan Mark Schubb Richard Stark Arthur Tullar Joy Watt Stephen Ziegler Proofreaders Rebecca Smith Hurd LeeAnne Jones Mary Nadler Thank You Susan Arena Johana Barahona Colleen Bartlett Mery Grace Castelo Ann Colburn Paul Cummins Crystal Fernandez Michelle Flores Jennifer Gerber ’97 Frankie Gladden Victoria Gor Nancy Grinstein ’76 Elyse Jung-Vrymoed ’06 Jeff Lipp Joanie Martin Rhoda Makoff Tom Nolan Catherine Ramos Bob Riddle Jesse Robinson Katherine Ruiz Allison Schaub Amber Scott Ira Smith Gayle Taylor Doug Thompson Joy Watt Roger Weaver Barbara Whitney
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The Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools, and Congress passed an amendment making all 18-yearolds eligible to vote. Norman Lear’s groundbreaking TV show “All in the Family” debuted. The Sylmar earthquake rattled Los Angeles, killing 64 people. The Vietnam War continued to rage. The first Starbucks coffee shop appeared in Seattle, and Walt Disney World opened in Orlando. John Lennon released the timeless classic “Imagine,” imploring us to “Imagine all the people living life in peace.” And “The Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences” was born. (“The” was eventually dropped from the School’s name.) It’s hard to remember, some 50 years later, why the creation of this new school was such a brave and bold act. The founders were responding to local, national and even global events, embedding commitments in the School’s founding philosophy that, at the time, were revolutionary: to the arts; to the greater community; to a student population of social, economic and racial diversity; and to the development of each student’s physical well-being and full human potential. At the time, these values were rare in independent schools, most of which were bastions of white privilege and focused almost exclusively on academic and athletic excellence. Crossroads School’s founders—who dared to imagine a school that prioritized the well-being of children, where the arts were as important as academics, where community service and outdoor education were graduation requirements and where racial and socioeconomic diversity were essential—indeed broke new ground in both the independent school world and in K-12 education.
Fifty years later, that brave and bold vision is embodied in a joyful, thriving and influential school, one that is deeply concerned with serving the greater good. What began with 34 students in grades seven and eight, in a few rented rooms on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, is today more than 1,200 K-12 students on two campuses that straddle Olympic Boulevard. The remarkable success of Crossroads these past 50 years is certainly due to the School’s original vision and the founding philosophy, which inspired those first courageous families to enroll their children in a school with no campus and no teachers. And they continue to resonate today for the hundreds of families who apply to Crossroads each year. That vision and philosophy have also influenced countless schools throughout Los Angeles and beyond. Many schools have mirrored or adopted the School’s forwardthinking programs and ideals, adding programs modeled after Life Skills, diversifying their student bodies or eliminating Advanced Placement courses, to name just a few examples. As a result, even some of the most traditional schools have become more progressive and student-centered in their approach to education. Crossroads’ impact extends to the many nonprofits with which we’ve partnered over the decades, as well as the robust arts and science education programs we launched to serve underfunded public schools. And many new independent and charter schools have opened with
similar philosophies and programs, some co-founded by our founding headmaster Paul Cummins himself. Crossroads has shaped the lives of the nearly 5,000 students who have graduated since 1976, and of thousands of teachers, staff members, administrators and trustees who themselves grew as professionals and as individuals during their tenure— myself included. In turn, those community members have helped make the School what it is today. This commemorative book is an attempt to capture just some of the wonderful, unique and often quirky moments, memories and mythologies that make Crossroads such an exceptional school. While it would be impossible to include every tradition, program, event and person that’s made an indelible mark on the School, we hope you find within these pages parts of our history and our culture that resonate with you. The book tells the story of a school that continues to evolve and mature while staying true to its founding mission and spirit. So much credit and appreciation are owed to the founding visionaries who dared to dream of a school that became Crossroads: co-founders Paul Cummins and Rhoda Makoff; the first Board of Trustees; early teachers like Art Tullar and Stephen Morgan; and the graduating classes of 1976 and 1977 and their parents and guardians. These individuals built our strong foundation through their revolutionary ideas, their unflinching commitment and their willingness to break the mold to create the kind of school that every child should have
the opportunity to attend. That legacy continued under the leadership of Paul’s successor, Roger Weaver. Alongside the School community, Roger built upon our founding vision, continuing to pave new paths in education while strengthening the programs and systems of our School. I feel incredibly honored to have followed in the footsteps of these visionary leaders, and to have had the strong support, counsel and guidance of so many in our community during my tenure as head of school. Now, after nearly four decades at Crossroads, I’m stepping down at the end of this school year, excited to see what the future holds. Today’s Roadrunners will continue to write the story of Crossroads as we head into our next 50 years with my successor, Mariama Richards, at the helm. At the end of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” he sings: You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one. So here’s to the dreamers past and present who not only helped to create one of the finest schools in America, but also had a grander vision of creating a better world. And here’s to the future generations of dreamers who will continue to build on our 50-year legacy while imagining their own vision for the future, with the hope that, one day, we all might live as one. Bob Riddle Head of School
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From Dream to Reality
Fools and Drunks
The First Pancake
Leading the Way
Spirit of Giving
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Marvelous and Magical Things
Home Away From Home
Quirky
A Gentle Pull Forward
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Meet-Greetand-Eat
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The Student Voice
Off and Running
The Roadrunner
Core Commitment
Lunch/Time
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The Wind Beneath Our Wings
Values in Action
Woof!
Reason Soundly, Question Thoughtfully
Graphic Images
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A Culture of Kindness
A Lasting Legacy
Into the Woods
Decades of Devotion
Milestones
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Circling Back
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Party of the Year
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The Greater Community
Tangible, Meaningful Change
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Statement of Philosophy
Campus Evolutions
Chaos and Talent
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To Safeguard and Uphold
What If?
Educating the Heart Page 97
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What’s in a Name?
Alligator Cow Bear
Love Is Love Is Love
Our Cup Runneth Over
Arts and Sciences
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Friday Socks
Lifers
Gathering
Rooms With a View
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Parents Rock
Giving Back
The Alley
The Art of Play
We Celebrate Them All
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From Dream to Reality
Paul Cummins
Rhoda Makoff
“People sometimes ask me whether I always had a vision of where the school would go, or say, ‘Wow, what a visionary you are.’ Visionary? Hell, I was just trying to get from Monday to Tuesday.” —Paul Cummins
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In one sense, Crossroads began at a dinner party in 1967, when educator Paul Cummins and scientist Rhoda Makoff first met and found themselves in instant agreement that most public schools were “rigid, testdriven, arts-deprived, intellectually thin and overall rather sterile institutions,” recalls Paul. “Helped along by a few glasses of wine, we thought, wouldn’t it be a hoot to start a school of our own and do it right?” In another sense, one might say it started in 1958, when Paul, then a junior at Stanford University, realized after a particularly boring lecture that he’d been daydreaming and doodling, filling three pages with an outline of a high school curriculum. Paul had grown up in Brentwood, and considered his own high school years a wasteland filled with one unstimulating class after another. But he loved learning: Two Stanford professors in particular ignited his interests in new subjects, challenged his mind and left him yearning for more. As he told Crossroads faculty in a 2011 address, “I realized I had been ‘ready’ to learn in high school, but compelling ideas just hadn’t been presented to me. Ideas, themes and conflicts—the ongoing drama of human history—had been absent from my high school.” The doodled curriculum was Paul’s eureka moment, when he realized he should pursue a career in education. He just needed to figure out how to tell his father. Paul adored his dad and didn’t want to disappoint him by not becoming an all-American football player or joining the family business.
So he wrote his father a letter: “I am now reasonably sure I want to look deeply into education. … I constantly dream of building and leading a school where students are encouraged and helped to seek the meaning of life, read and discuss the world’s greatest literature and music, to speak a foreign language … to have a knowledge of current events. ... This is perhaps my greatest dream.” His father responded: “You know, son, whatever your heart tells you to do is what you should do.” Twelve years later, Paul was serving as headmaster at St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal School, with Rhoda as his assistant headmaster. (He had called her and said, “I know you’re Jewish, and this isn’t exactly a new school, but how would you like to be my assistant head, teach science and have some fun together?”) And while the first year was turbulent, something was working. Some sixthgrade families, excited by the new direction at St. Augustine, approached Paul and Rhoda to ask how their children could continue to benefit from this exciting approach to education. Paul and Rhoda accepted the challenge of creating a new middle school with these dedicated parents. As the concept took shape, they assembled an official Board of Trustees, which included Paul and Rhoda, J.M. (Mel) Edelstein, Linda Elstad, Ed Kaufman, Barry Rubens, Gerry Sherman and Peter Swerling. The commitment and zeal of these founding trustees, as well as parents Eleanor Edelstein and Irene Jerison, transformed a daydream into a reality.
The next order of business: choosing a name for the school. As Paul recalls, after rejecting dozens of ideas—including Pacific Day School, Summerhill West and Oxford West— the trustees discussed Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” which led them to choose the name “The Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences.” (“The” was eventually dropped.) After that, it was all hands on deck: There were meetings and planning sessions, get-togethers with small groups of families, mailings, research, paperwork and budgets, job postings and leases. In September 1971, Crossroads opened its doors to 34 seventh- and eighth-grade students in three rented rooms at the First Baptist Church on Pico Boulevard. The first year was a magical, innovative and inspiring educational time. But the School’s relationship with the Baptist church was difficult at best. The “hippie kids” of Crossroads were not its cup of tea, Paul says. “We had to take everything down on Friday afternoons and make the rooms look brand-new for the Baptist Sunday school, which drove Rhoda nuts,” Paul explains. Before long, Rhoda announced at a Board meeting that they needed to find a new campus—or else. In the summer of 1972, before its second year of operation, the School rented a twostory warehouse building at 1714 21st Street, with an alley running behind it. Adapted in part from Paul Cummins’ “Damn Everything but the Circus” faculty address on August 29, 2011.
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“There are many tests for the greatness of a school. But perhaps the greatest test is its balance between timeliness and timelessness. The great school somehow communicates to its students the necessity for this balance. Such a school develops students who are neither intoxicated by the fashions of the present nor oblivious to the needs of the future; students who comprehend the intrinsic value of learning yet who are eager to contribute the fruits of their learning to the building of a more human community.” Paul Cummins, “A Proposal for a New, Co-Educational, Independent Secondary School,” 1970
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Fools and Drunks
by Paul Cummins
St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal School in 1970 was a pleasant, traditional, cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness elementary school in Santa Monica with declining enrollment. Frank Grisanti, chairman of the school’s board of directors and vestry, realized the school needed a jolt or it would cease to be. Frank’s daughters went to Westlake School. Its headmaster, Nat Reynolds, had joined the St. Augustine board. Nat was my best friend, and he engineered my hiring as the new head of school. Actually, I had to be convinced by Nat and Frank to take the position. I was turned off by what I saw when I visited: an adult’s vision of the world imposed upon children. I told Frank and Nat that if hired, I would seek to reverse that equation. I wrote a letter to the St. Augustine board outlining 10 changes I would want to implement. These included: seeking a more diverse student population; moving from rigid classrooms (teacher at the blackboard, students frozen at desks) to more “open” ones; adding an infusion of all arts (music, dance, drama, visual arts); offering an elective program; and moving from external discipline to internal discipline and self-awareness. These and many more changes I believed to be imperative. For whatever their reasons, desperation among them—it was May, and they needed to announce the new head of school—I was offered and accepted the job. My parents had been nominal Episcopalians, and that was good enough for the board. Besides, the church rector, Father Robert Hoggard, assured everyone he would take care of the religious education. So, shortly after being hired, I set off for a two-week conference for new headmasters in Deerfield, Massachusetts. I returned to find out that Hoggard had been reassigned. Thus, I went into my first year having to lead four chapels a week! Over the summer, Assistant Headmaster Rhoda Makoff and I had the challenge of increasing enrollment. I had hired teachers with higher salaries predicated on a budget with a fully enrolled school of 175 students, but enrollment had dropped to 100. In retrospect, Rhoda and I were crazy to think that we could meet this. But as the saying goes, God protects fools and drunks, and we weren’t drunks. We tried everything to appeal to families: ads on radio and TV, coffee meetings, lunches, open houses, newspaper articles. Everything but door-to-door begging.
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St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal School, at 1229 Fourth Street in Santa Monica, merged with Crossroads in 1982. The Elementary School remained at the Fourth Street location until the Norton Campus opened in 1997.
Alas, but to our benefit, the public schools were having problems. Thus, in September 1970, Rhoda and I greeted 175 new students with nearly all-new faculty. (I had replaced 14 of 17 teachers from the previous years, which is not necessarily what they teach in educational administration courses.) It was rocky at first: We had no church rector to cover the required chapel; a new, diverse school community, including Jewish kids nervous that the school would be “too Christian”; old-guard families who were nervous that the Christian education would be diluted; and new schedules, course contents and teaching methods. Everything was new, and, for some, confusing. As if all this weren’t enough, many sixth-grade families liked the changes and wondered where they could find a school like ours next year for their rising middle schoolers. Rhoda and I were delighted by the notion and decided we should start a new school for seventh and eighth graders. So, amid the turmoil at St. Augustine, we began having exploratory meetings about creating a new middle school. Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences would open in less than a year.
Paul Cummins was headmaster of St. Augustine-by-the-Sea and co-founder and first headmaster of Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences. In 1995, Paul formed New Visions Foundation (now Coalition for Engaged Education), which opened New Roads School as well as several charter schools and serves vulnerable youth. He is the stepparent of Liesl Erman ’77 and Julie (Erman) Hansen ’78; parent of Anna Cummins ’91 and Emily (Cummins) Polk ’94; and grandparent of Della Polk ’27, Dax Polk ’31 and Avani Cummins ’31.
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The First Pancake
by Nancy Grinstein ’76
In the spring of 1971, Paul Cummins, Rhoda Makoff and the six founding Board members had formed a vision for a road map, an idea, a place they wanted to call Crossroads! There were no teachers, no students and no actual school location. Among the ingredients they would need to open the doors—including actual doors—were test subjects to prove out their theories on creative education. Enter me. For the visionaries who cooked up the recipe for Crossroads, I was their first pancake! My mother, Elyse, had heard Paul speak and decided on the spot that she was game for anything he created. My adventuresome nature and Crossroads’ “alternative” approach were a perfect match. With the savvy confidence and introspection of a seasoned 12-year-old, I had already declared my lack of interest in the public education I’d received during my single year of junior high. After an interview and a brief “exam” at St. Augustine by-the-Sea, Paul asked me point-blank, “Do you want to do this? You’ll be the first student.” Taking the appropriate millisecond to contemplate my vast options, I blurted out, “Absolutely!” By that summer, our visionary leaders had gathered a unique group of 34 students, a whopping two inspired teachers, a supportive group of parents and a sad, desolate church with a weed-strewn dirt yard. Despite the dreary surroundings, we shared a deep sense of curiosity and discovery, and embraced the fun of pioneering this new adventure. We wanted to construct something
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powerful, unique and significant. Whether it would last was not our main concern. We were too focused on the next step forward or, just as likely, our own physical safety during the next classroom science experiment! The School grew with us, and we grew with it. As Paul once told Rhoda, “Everything we did was right.” Looking back at my Crossroads experience, everything was right, because nothing was wrong. Try something—if it worked, keep it. If it didn’t, toss it aside. We all participated in this wildly fun, spontaneous and sometimes precarious educational model. Long after I had graduated, Steve Morgan, the School’s first English teacher and later director of the Middle School, called to invite me into the last days of his life. I was honored. This is exactly what the School created for me: a lasting sense of family, connection and belonging. Crossroads nurtured me and gave me the confidence to develop several professional parts of myself: artist, entrepreneur and community activist. My courage and deep curiosity for the world first blossomed on Pico Boulevard in an old, tired church with a sad little dirt field. Who would’ve expected that? Adapted from an essay published in the Summer 2021 issue of Cross Sections magazine.
Nancy Grinstein ’76 was the first student to enroll in Crossroads School. She has directed theater and cable television, imported fine goods and served on several boards in support of underrepresented youth and the arts.
Nancy circa 1972
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Leading the Way
“Rhoda’s style as a director was a wonderful blend of theory, risk-taking, personal involvement and sheer determination to make things happen.”
Rhoda Makoff Director, 1971-74 by Paul Cummins Brilliant, beautiful, passionate. Rhoda Makoff is all of these and more. I met Rhoda at a dinner party where we mused about starting a school someday and “doing it right.” Two years later, I was hired as headmaster of St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal School. I hadn’t spoken to Rhoda since that dinner, but she was the first call I made. I asked if she’d join me as assistant head and work with me to transform this rather staid institution into an exciting place. She said yes! A couple of days later, I told her I wanted to have a great music program. Did she know any teachers? Well, she did! Her name was Mary Ann Erman, and two years later she became my wife. Needless to say, Rhoda impacted my life rather dramatically.
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Rhoda’s style as a director was a wonderful blend of theory, risktaking, personal involvement and sheer determination to make things happen. She especially realized the need to create child-centered education with appropriate activities to engage students. We encouraged each other to take risks, to have fun with the children and to hire warm, passionate teachers who loved their subjects and whose love of learning was contagious. Academics were important to Rhoda, who holds a doctorate in biochemistry, and she saw to it that science was a key part of the curriculum. Students were presented with exciting, hands-on lab experiments and projects, despite our limited space. Our arts and sciences classes had to be the best, so we looked for the best teachers. Rather than hire arts educators,
we hired professional artists who were also great teachers. Hence our name: Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences. Rhoda served as the school’s director through 1974 before returning to her career as a researcher and biochemist. Rhoda had another skill. She was my North Star, helping me to stay on course and reassuring me that what we were doing was good, especially for the children. This became particularly important when I began wondering if maybe I wasn’t the right person for St. Augustine after some conservative parents became upset by my “progressive ideas” and withdrew their children from the school. We survived, and Crossroads grew and expanded. It was a rather magical time. When I met Rhoda at that dinner party, I had no idea where it would lead. What a great stroke of luck in my life and for Crossroads.
Paul Cummins Headmaster 1974-93 President, 1993-2002 by Rhoda Makoff I see Paul’s strengths as vision, focus, pragmatism, an openness to new ideas and people, humanity and charm. While there are many stories that I could share, these anecdotes tell you a great deal about Paul as the humanist, the innovator and the pragmatist. When Paul had just begun as headmaster at St. Augustine, and I was his assistant head, people without housing would come into the front patio for a meal on school lunch days. As the humanist, Paul offered them food—until the church suggested he stop and built a front fence and gate to prevent him from continuing. We believed in child-centered learning and racial and ethnic diversity, and we were given to new educational ideas, like offering Friday electives, which was innovative for the time. Crossroads students could choose what they wanted to learn— things like poetry writing, guitar or filmmaking. As the innovator, Paul conceived of interschool sports competitions for fifth and sixth graders. After being turned down by several private schools, Paul wondered, “Why is it when confronted with a new idea, most people respond with ’No’?” Those early days took all of us pulling together and doing whatever it took to reach our goal. We hired people who wanted to do the job at hand, even if it seemed unorthodox— most of the time. One day, the
struggling artist we’d hired as the janitor asked Paul to come to the boys’ bathroom. Pointing to an apple bobbing in the toilet, he said, “We have a problem. I don’t do this!” Ever the pragmatist, Paul looked at the apple, looked at the artist/janitor, and then reached into the toilet and removed the apple. Problem solved! His assistant later said, “I guess that’s why they call you the headmaster!” I believe Paul’s legacy is not just the co-founding of Crossroads. It is the entirety of his revolutionary vision, including the creation of a dedicated campus to further our educational goals and nurture the relationships that allowed the School to grow and thrive. His broader impact goes far beyond Crossroads, as he has persisted for more than 50 years in bringing his vision of a joyous education to numerous schools, some of which he founded and others he helped to develop. Paul continues to teach in many venues, including juvenile detention facilities, and he remains committed to bringing exciting educational opportunities to all those who seek them.
“After being turned down by several private schools, Paul wondered, “Why is it when confronted with a new idea, most people respond with ’No’?”
Rhoda Makoff was the co-founder of Crossroads and its first director. She left Crossroads in 1974 to continue her career as a biochemist. She was a research endocrinologist and adjunct professor in the Department of Medicine at UCLA Center for the Health Sciences. She later founded R&D Laboratories to develop, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products for kidney diseases.
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Roger Weaver Headmaster, 1993-2009 by Bob Riddle
“One of Roger’s greatest strengths is how he nurtured and mentored young educators and gave them a chance to excel, myself included.”
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It’s difficult to overstate the enormity of Roger’s contributions to Crossroads since he started as assistant head of school in 1983. In that role, he took on a seemingly monumental task: making Crossroads feel like one united K-12 entity. At the time, the Elementary School was located on Fourth Street, having evolved from its roots as St. Augustine, and it often felt like a separate school. Roger consolidated the operations of the two campuses while collaborating with the three division directors to create a more unified curriculum. As headmaster, he worked with the Board to acquire a property not far from the Middle and Upper School Campus that would become the K-5 Norton Campus in 1997, strengthening the cohesive K-12 sensibility that continues to this day. Roger helped to ensure the School’s financial sustainability by overseeing the purchase of a number of properties on the 21st Street Campus that we had been renting; expanding and enhancing our facilities (such as building the Paul Cummins Library and remodeling the Stephen Morgan Middle School building); and redirecting rental costs to programs, financial aid and faculty salaries. Roger was responsible for increasing the percentage of students of color from 30% to 40%. He increased and maintained faculty salaries while growing the
School’s enrollment, endowment and operating budgets. Roger supported the School’s progressive mission, resulting in some major curriculum changes in all three divisions. Perhaps most significantly, Crossroads replaced Upper School Advanced Placement classes with our own internally designed Crossroads Advanced Studies Courses, empowering faculty to teach complex subjects in more meaningful ways. I suspect one of Roger’s proudest achievements is leading the development of PS Science in 2006. Now its own nonprofit, PS Science helps teachers in Title I elementary schools provide a robust, hands-on science program for their students. The program is a true testament to Roger’s commitment to and belief in serving the greater community. Roger was a compassionate, highly organized and dedicated administrator. I was fortunate enough to work closely with him, first as the director of the Upper School and then as his assistant head of school. One of Roger’s greatest strengths is how he nurtured and mentored young educators and gave them a chance to excel, myself included. I will always remain grateful to Roger for the doors he opened for me, and for the invaluable counsel and mentorship he provided me along the way.
Bob Riddle joined Crossroads in 1984 as a math and Life Skills teacher. Over the decades, he served in many administrative roles before becoming head of school in 2009.
“Bob’s kindness, fairness and humility have made him an outstanding leader, one who has overseen a period of tremendous innovation and progress.”
Bob Riddle Head of School, 2009-22 by Bob Friedman As the parent of three Crossroads alumni, I’ve seen firsthand Bob’s commitment to providing each student with a creative, joyful and deeply engaging progressive education. And as a member of the School’s Board of Trustees and its former chair, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Bob to develop and implement longrange strategic planning to ensure the School’s continued success. Bob joined Crossroads as a math and Life Skills teacher in 1984. Over the next 25 years, he served in roles including Upper School academic dean; Upper School director; and assistant headmaster and dean of faculty. In 2009, he was chosen to succeed Headmaster Roger Weaver under the new title head of school. Bob’s contributions to Crossroads are countless. He conceived and helped fundraise to endow the Equity & Justice Institute, launched in 2018
as part of the Worlds Unimagined capital campaign. The campaign also supported the School’s Financial Aid Endowment and the creation of the Science Education & Research Facility and the upcoming Performing Arts Center. He oversaw the development of the 2019 strategic plan, which articulates the School’s priorities and will serve the School for years to come. Bob’s strong leadership in times of challenge was perhaps never more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. After Crossroads closed its campuses in March 2020, Bob guided the School in providing exceptional distance and hybrid learning; implementing significant campus safety upgrades; and planning for the full reopening of the campuses in spring 2021. The School will be forever indebted to Bob for his strength and steadiness during that most difficult year. Yet despite how immensely hard he works, Bob rarely lets the strain show and always embraces the lively
spirit that defines Crossroads. Don’t be surprised to see him judging the “Alleyween” costume contest, hitting the dance floor at parties or making cameo appearances in spring fundraiser shows. Bob’s kindness, fairness and humility have made him an outstanding leader, one who has overseen a period of tremendous innovation and progress. As he prepares to leave Crossroads at the end of the 2021-22 school year, I am grateful beyond measure for the legacy he leaves behind, which will see Crossroads into its next chapter and beyond. It has been an honor and a privilege to have worked with and stood beside Bob during his time as head of school. He will be deeply missed.
Bob Friedman has been a Crossroads trustee since 1997. He served as chair from 2009-19 and was instrumental in bringing the Worlds Unimagined capital campaign to fruition. Bob is the parent of Joshua Friedman ’11, Samuel Friedman ’11 and Jessica Friedman ’16.
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Spirit of Giving
by Maisha Chappell
Artwork by Meazi Light-Orr ’23
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The Parent Association (PA) is really the School’s hub for helping parents access the resources they need. When my family first joined Crossroads, I signed up for the Good Neighbor Committee to step in when families are experiencing hardships—providing support like meal trains, laundry, child care and things like that. It makes a tremendous impact. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the amount of assistance needed dramatically increased. At the time, I was a member of the Parent Association’s Advisory Council. We had a lot of conversations and did a lot of listening to understand what families and students now needed to cope. We knew we had to implement a support system as quickly as possible, as families were facing time-sensitive emergencies. That’s how we came up with the idea of the online Help Hub, where parents and employees could request or offer support. There was a lot of energy that was bubbling during the pandemic: People wanted to figure out how to still connect, how to help others. There was a very beautiful spirit of giving and contribution that occurred. We had requests for and offers of help with things like job searches, grocery shopping and meal preparation. Some parents would simply call one of the PA leaders, someone they recognized as being active in the community. They might confide about a challenge that they were facing that was very private, and we would work to connect them to the resources they needed. The School itself established a confidential Community Emergency Fund for families receiving Affordability Grants (formerly known as Financial
Aid)—as well as faculty and staff—facing economic hardship. Since the Fund was launched March 31, 2020, the Crossroads community has donated $238,000 for community members in need, which the School continues to distribute. I’m very proud of the way that Crossroads addressed these requests with discretion. It allowed parents and employees to feel comfortable coming forward without worrying about their family’s privacy being compromised. It’s already difficult for students when their family is experiencing financial challenges. To have people know about it, especially in an independent school environment, becomes very sensitive. As PA leaders, we were very mindful of families’ privacy. We were conscious of how delicate it is to ask for help, how humbling it can feel. Whether you’re accustomed to needing help or not, it takes a lot to ask for it. The inability to engage and connect in person during the pandemic really hit Crossroads hard, because that’s such a big part of the character of the school. But our bonds during a time of crisis really showed just how powerful the community still was. Those connections remained strong, even in a difficult time to connect. It’s one of the most beautiful things about Crossroads.
Maisha Chappell has been a Crossroads parent since 2015. She has been a PA Advisory Council member and Upper School grade-level coordinator and continues to serve the PA in an advisory role. She is also a docent and liaison for Crossroads’ Black Family Alliance. Maisha is the parent of Isaiah Chappell ’23 and Yemaya Chappell ’29.
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Marvelous and Magical Things
By Marisa Alimento
Top: Kevin “K.K.” Jackson ’82, 2016; Jennifer Nelson, 2015; Arleen Weinstock, 2005. Middle: Tracey Porter, 1999. Bottom: Robbie Trombetta, 1995; Vernon Salyers, 2005; Hyacinth Young, 2010; Elva Ephriam, 1998; Art Tullar, 1970s (the first teacher hired by Crossroads)
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I’ve experienced what Paul called “marvelous and magical things ... in and outside the classroom,” as both a Crossroads parent and teacher. The deep connections between faculty and students—as well as the other caring adults on campus—are one of the things that make the School so special. My daughters, Casse ’18 and Chloe ’26, were both drawn to theater, after their drama teachers showed them how to serve the story and not themselves. Nurturing Elementary School teachers, endlessly creative Middle School Options instructors and, of course, my Latin-teaching colleagues—most of whom have known my children from birth—validated my daughters’ interests and opened their eyes to new subjects and ways of thinking. The connections last long after graduation. As a student, Darcy Krasne ’98 co-hosted the SCRAM Latin convention held at Crossroads, and she is now a classics professor at Columbia University. I recently asked her and Kayla Kane ’18, an archaeology major at Wellesley College, to write me letters of recommendation for an award nomination. Kayla tapped two other former students from her graduating class—LatinCon veterans Dante Vaisbort and Noah Evers—for additional support. What an honor it was for me to have alumni from both the early and later parts of my career writing on my behalf. During reunions, without fail, alumni sing Latin verb-tense songs when they see me. Class of 2006 graduates Ian Sloane and Terry Goldberg also serenaded me with their original eighth-grade Latin song at their 10-year reunion. With more students using popular music to make Latin videos, I can’t listen to some hit songs without recalling students’ projects. My former students Ian, Chrissy Gianni ’96, Collin Hertz ’10 and Noah Lemelson ’10 have taught my daughter Latin, music, robotics and science, respectively. Listening to Chloe share what they are teaching her is indeed both marvelous and magical.
Marisa joined Crossroads in 1991. She is a Middle School Latin teacher and has also taught Upper School Latin, math and various Options classes. Marisa is the parent of Casse Alimento-Miller ’18 and Chloe Alimento-Miller ’26.
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Home Away From Home
Rose Gathering Ceremony, 1996
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by Ronnie Anderson
Being the musical theater lover I am, I can’t think of the word “tradition” without the opening number of “Fiddler on the Roof” playing in my head. Embedded in me, woven into the fabric of my life, are the Crossroads Elementary School traditions that have made us not only a community, but also a family. Here are just some of the traditions that have made the Elementary School a home away from home for so many of us: Monday Morning Meetings I started my Crossroads journey as a teacher in 1995. On my first day, I was told to bring my class to something called Monday Morning Meeting, where the whole school would start the week together. We met in the St. Augustine church basement, where our fearless leader, then-Elementary School Director Joanie Martin, welcomed everyone to the new school year. Afterward, the children sang, teachers spoke, new teachers were introduced, and all I could think was what a magical place I’d just landed in. Monday Morning Meeting has always been a special time for us to gather together to celebrate birthdays, learn about class news, dive into the all-school read and, most importantly, just be together to sing, dance, laugh and smile. Buddies and Rose Gatherings The buddy program was created over 30 years ago. We welcome our youngest students to Crossroads by pairing them with a fifth-grade “buddy” to be their guide and mentor throughout their first year. (Buddies were initially sixth graders, when sixth was the culminating year of the Elementary School.) The Rose Gathering Ceremony was the brainchild of kindergarten teacher Diana Arnold and sixth-grade teacher Lori Russo. Today, at every September Rose Gathering, each buddy pair steps onto the Joanie Martin Community Room stage. The older students welcome their new kindergarten buddy and offer them a rose of friendship. At the year-end Rose Gathering, after a year together of playing and bonding, it’s the kindergartners’ turn to speak from their hearts, wishing love and success for their buddies as they prepare to transition into the Middle School. Elementary Class Gatherings Every class has its very own Friday to stand before the entire Elementary School community and present on Life Skills, Service Learning or classroom projects; celebrate a holiday; or perform. I’ll never forget my very first Gathering. It was intimidating to stand up in front of the gigantic church with my 24 kindergartners to share everything we’d learned about ... trees! I can still hear the words of little Hannah Reisman ’09 in my ears today: “Apples for apple juice, lemons for lemonade.” Over the decades, students have presented on everything from Civil Rights history and the struggles faced by people without housing to myths about Islam and exploring the unknown.
Ronnie Anderson began his Crossroads career in 1995 as a kindergarten teacher at the St. Augustine Campus and has taught third grade since 2001. He has served as the Elementary School’s faculty rep and was its Life Skills coordinator for five years. For six years, he taught the Elementary School summer drama program. Beginning in 2008, Ronnie and his partner, Fred, have directed Crossroads’ Middle and Upper School musical theater summer production class.
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XRDS SNAP SHOT
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Left: Elementary School students, 1986 Above: St. Augustine student note to Paul Cummins, c. 1975
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Quirky
by Rhoda Makoff
At the risk of implying “anything goes,” I see the culture of quirkiness at Crossroads as evolving from our early willingness to accept people and things as they are. Paul and I welcomed everyone, including those who may have been perceived as “different.” We tried new ideas; some now conflict with our present perspective and some were truly groundbreaking and were foundational to the School’s development. When Crossroads first opened its doors in three rented Sunday school classrooms, we didn’t have space for art classes, but our commitment to art told us to find a way. So, we did! We bought a bus, and we all learned to drive it. We took the students to artists’ studios all over Santa Monica and Venice. That a junior high school student could create art in a working artist’s studio was groundbreaking. Schools at that time typically did not offer community service or environmental programs. But we believed both were essential to student development and found ways to make them happen. We scoured neighborhood schools, offices and retirement homes to arrange for volunteer experiences. We developed a backpacking program to introduce students to the natural world and give them a taste of camp life. Early on, peer schools regarded these programs as quirky, but soon began to emulate them! The Crossroads campus is as unconventional as its programs and overall spirit. While the Norton Campus was designed to be a nurturing space for our Elementary School students, the 21st Street Campus has evolved in a setting that is far from pastoral. It is a collection of warehouses, industrial buildings, architectural gems and a 1920s bungalow, with an alley running through the middle. Nestled among the campus buildings are a dog-training business and a conservative synagogue. But faculty, students and parents embrace, celebrate and promote the School’s eclectic character. It informs and shapes their attitudes and encourages self-invention. In those early days, everything was an experiment. We tried new approaches, expanding or discarding them as necessary. All the while, we kept our eyes on the ultimate goal of building and maintaining a new kind of school where students wanted to be while getting a good education … and laughing a lot!
1993 Crossfire cover. Concept: Akash Khokha ’94 Design: Akash Khokha and Maura Pally ’94
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A Gentle Pull Forward
“The culture in the Middle School is very freeing. There’s a lot of open room, and there’s a lot of opportunity to try new things by immersing yourself in this place.” —Crossroads eighth grader
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by Michelle Merson
Middle school boasts neither the extreme sweetness of elementary nor the virtuoso achievements of high school. Many parents recall their own experience of it with a shudder, remembering the awkwardness and changes that puberty brings. Yet middle school can also be a time of great joy! Students learn to work and play on their own, to fail and pick themselves up again, and to discover the passions that can bring them lifelong happiness. What makes Crossroads’ Middle School so special? For one thing, every one of the teachers and administrators deliberately chose to work with children of this tender age, because we love them. The constantly evolving program is developed with young adolescents in mind, deliberately mixing rigorous academic work with a great deal of choice. So all Middle Schoolers learn medieval history and robotics, but they also get to choose Options classes such as Photoshop, cello or chess. They all take drama, music and studio art, but they also get to choose to study another language, join the jazz band, play Dungeons & Dragons or make jewelry. The campus is filled with seeds planted by science students, while math students study algebra and Mathletes come up with great solutions to mind-bending problems. We meet children where they are and gently pull them forward, encouraging them to read great authors from every continent and experience, to write essays and stories and keep journals themselves. We know they have a lot to say, and we encourage them to participate in debates and projects that can actually help them change the world. We don’t see middle school as a steppingstone or conduit between young and old, but as a true entity of its own. Life Skills and P.E. classes help students learn how best to support each other, to be thoughtful leaders and exuberant practitioners. Their friendships are deep, and they help each other loyally. Simply put, middle school students are magnificent.
Michelle Merson has been the head of Middle School since 2017, following a year as interim head. Prior to that, Michelle has held roles including assistant head of Middle School, eighth-grade Core coordinator, assistant director for the Middle and Upper School summer programs, and Upper School academic dean.
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Meet-Greet-and-Eat
••• “There is simply nothi ng better than a cup of tea at 7 a.m. the morning of the All ey Party on a barely decorated 21s t Street. The event itself is magic al: so many smiles, so much love, so mu ch diversity, so much volunteerin g and giving and so much comm unity.” —Joe Blackstone P’2 8, trustee •••
Events Coordinator Veronica Ulloa, Co-Chair Joe Blackstone, Bob Riddle, Co-Chair Michelle Dean ’89, Co-Chair Andrea Slutske and Director of Parent Relations & Special Events Mery Grace Castelo at the 2017 “Crossroads Corral” Alley Party 27
Since 1985, the entire Crossroads community has been welcomed back to school in the fall at the annual Alley Party. Conceived by Crossroads parent Leona Van Scoyk, the Alley Party started as a very casual “meet-greetand-eat” for families to kick off the school year. In those first years, Leona and parent Sue Marshall did all the cooking. As Crossroads grew, the Alley Party grew, eventually outgrowing the Alley itself. Today, the Alley Party is held on 21st Street, which is closed to traffic for the occasion. The Parent Association hosts the lively street fair with support from the School’s special events staff. Students, alumni, current and former employees and their families are all invited for a day of fun and community. The free event features games and activities; food generously provided by local restaurants; an overflowing dessert table courtesy of Crossroads family bakers; and live music. It’s a tradition that truly conveys the Crossroads spirit.
“There are so many things I love about the Alley Party. I think one of the top reasons is that it’s a K-12 event and everyone in our community is welcome to help, volunteer, donate and participate. It’s the perfect way to kick off the school year.” —Mona Fakki P’23, P’26, P’27
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Crossroads School Bus, 1989
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The Student Voice
by Ann Colburn
In the fall of 1980, two moms pitched their idea of starting a student newspaper to Crossroads Headmaster Paul Cummins. I was one of those moms: My daughter Beth was in 11th grade and daughter Katie was in eighth. The other mom was Doris Spivack, whose son Gary was a 10th grader. Although we came from different quarters—I was a high school English teacher and Doris was an elementary school teacher—we had an idea that meshed. Why, we asked Paul, didn’t a school that advertised itself as an academy of arts and sciences have a writing program? After all, writing is an art. Why was there no student newspaper? “Oh,” said Paul, “Someone tried that, and it didn’t work. Besides, we don’t have money to pay you.” “Well, we want to try again,” Doris and I responded. Even though we were both California state-credentialed teachers, we were still “just moms.” But professionally credentialed or not, in our fervor to start a journalism program, Doris and I volunteered to work for free for the spring semester—if Paul would fund the printing of the newspaper. And give us a classroom. OK, after school. That spring, Doris created a Middle School newspaper production class, and I created an Upper School class. Students interested in joining the newspaper staff did so after school and for no credit. Those first students chose the name Crossfire for the paper. Forty years later, Crossfire is a highly honored student newspaper, routinely winning national awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, an international program of Columbia Journalism School. Many Crossfire staffers have gone on to careers in journalism and related careers in writing and publishing. I went on to start the creative writing program in the same way: after school, without pay, with Paul’s promise to pay for printing the creative writing journal. My first class, in 1982, consisted of three young men: Duncan Bock ’84, Jonathan Brackelmanns ’83 and Mark Norris ’82. The name of the journal changed according to its focus for the first few years, until students ultimately settled on Dark As Day. That program, too, has flourished: The journal continues to brighten the lives of student writers and the Crossroads community. The writing programs in all three divisions have expanded as Crossroads has moved from infancy to adulthood. It’s gratifying to see that what Doris and I created, as two moms, lives on and thrives.
Ann Colburn came to Crossroads as a parent in 1976. She joined the English faculty in 1982 and went on to serve as academic dean and then director of the Upper School. After retiring from Crossroads in 1999, Ann taught at the Academy of Finance, a program at Manual Arts High School, for 11 years. She currently volunteers in the One Voice College Scholars program. Ann has served as a Crossroads trustee since 2010 and is the parent of Beth Thompson ’82 and Katie Thompson ’85.
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Off and Running
by David Olds
As Paul Cummins worked to build Crossroads from the ground up, he needed to figure out how, in a veritable sea of Westside private schools, to put Crossroads on the map. He started, naturally, with one of his passions, classical music, working with Mary Ann to create a first-class chamber orchestra. Soon after, as a selfproclaimed “ex-jock and lifelong basketball aficionado,” Paul turned to athletics. He knew that, like it or not, most schools are viewed through the context of their athletics program, so Crossroads needed a great one. Paul hired a coach and enrolled some student athletes. And, in the fall of 1978, the Crossroads boys basketball team leveled up. In its first year, the team miraculously came within a few points of playing in the 1979 CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) Finals, shocking the wellestablished competition. The team would go on to win multiple CIF and regional titles, and state championships in 1987, 1997 and 2018. While the boys basketball team was growing in stature, newly appointed Athletics Director Chuck Ice built a powerhouse boys baseball program. By 1983, they were a force to be reckoned with, and in 1985, they won their first CIF championship, repeating the feat in 1987 (not to mention the team’s 25-0 record against archrival Brentwood). Crossroads athletics was officially on the map! But Paul, Chuck and Crossroads were not content with focusing on just a few marquee boys programs in athletics. True to Crossroads’ ambitious spirit, Chuck added team after team to the lineup, growing both the scope and the depth of the program and making athletics an integral part of the Crossroads experience.
As he put it, “Athletics was a part of the building process of the School.” In the late ’80s and early ’90s, girls athletics began to take center stage at Crossroads. Coach Larry Weiner guided the girls basketball team to 77 straight wins over the course of five years, garnering multiple league titles in the process. Coach Tom Gray was notso-quietly developing a formidable girls softball program. The stellar team won consecutive CIF titles in 1992 and 1993. Widespread athletics success had come to Crossroads, a school that, incredibly, still had no gym or fields to call its own. Those would come in 2000, with the opening of the Sports Center on the newly built Norton Campus. Athletics at Crossroads has expanded to include many more programs. Our talented athletes have won numerous league championship banners in soccer, volleyball, tennis, track and field, swimming and cross country. Crossroads has become known not just for one or two sports, but for our consistent achievement across the board. The athletics program walks a remarkable line between being highly competitive and being a positive personal and social experience for student-athletes, a balance that Crossroads takes very seriously and strikes very well.
David Olds has coached cross country and track at Crossroads since 1986 and is also an Upper School English teacher. Over the years, he has served as a math teacher, EOE director, academic dean, college counselor and interim Upper School director. He is the parent of Cooper Olds ’16, Riley Olds ’19 and Quin Olds ’21.
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CIF Championships Boys Basketball CIF Southern Section Champions: 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2002 CIF State Regional Champions: 1983, 1986, 1997, 2018 CIF State Champions: 1987, 1997, 2018 Girls Basketball CIF Southern Section Champions: 2008 Boys Soccer CIF Southern Section Champions: 2021 CIF State Regional Champions: 2012, 2021 Girls Volleyball CIF Southern Section Champions: 2016 CIF State Regional Champions: 2016 Girls Tennis CIF Southern Section Champions: 1993 Boys Tennis CIF Southern Section Champions: 2007 Softball CIF Southern Section Champions: 1992, 1993, 1996 CIF Southern Section All-Academic Championships 2005-06: Boys Volleyball, Girls Basketball, Boys Swimming 2006-07: Boys Track & Field, Boys Swimming 2011-12: Boys Cross Country, Boys Track & Field, Girls Swimming 2012-13: Boys Volleyball 2013-14: Girls Track & Field, Baseball, Boys Volleyball 2014-15: Girls Track & Field, Boys Tennis, Girls Swimming 2015-16: Girls Tennis 2016-17: Baseball, Boys Golf, Girls Soccer, Boys Track & Field, Girls Tennis, Boys Tennis, Boys Swimming 2018-19: Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer 2019-20: Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer CIF State All-Academic Champions 2007-08: Boys Swimming 2011-12: Girls Swimming 2015-16: Girls Tennis, Boys Swimming 2016-17: Baseball, Boys Tennis
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Clockwise from left: Girls Volleyball, 2016; Boys Basketball, 1980s; Softball Team, 1977; Flag Football, 1970s; Girls Soccer, 2002; Golf, 2019
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The Roadrunner
O
ther schools have fierce and elegant mascots such as wolves, eagles, cougars and wildcats. But in true Crossroads fashion, students chose an unlikely mascot for the School: the roadrunner. But did you know that Crossroads’ mascot was almost the rat? True story. In 1971, Crossroads Director Rhoda Makoff asked the first 34 students to come up with a mascot to represent the school. Those mischievous middle schoolers chose a rat, which seemed fitting for an unconventional startup housed in a three-room, run-down church. The kids looked forward to calling themselves “the rats,” but Rhoda insisted that they think again. A second round of voting brought forth the roadrunner, inspired by the popular Looney Tunes cartoon, classroom study of California desert wildlife and the word “road” in the school name. As odd as a rat would have been, some say a roadrunner mascot is an equally unorthodox choice, made more so for many years by a mascot costume that was actually a woodpecker. But then again, Crossroads was an unorthodox school 50 years ago— just as it is today. Go, Roadrunners!
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At a Nov. 2021 celebration of Crossroads’ 50th birthday, the new Roadrunner mascot (left) gifted the old mascot with a lei, suitcase and passport to ride (fly?) off into the sunset.
“The Elementary School students love the Roadrunner mascot. It’s like a cartoon character come to life, one that they can hug and high five. Everybody loves the Roadrunner—parents, students that graduated and haven’t been here for a while. ... During games, kids get tired of running around as the Roadrunner. It’s hot under there! But there’s always another kid ready to put on the costume, get on the court and get the school spirit going.” — Frankie Gladden, K-12 Sports Center Coordinator
These are just some of the many iterations of Crossroads’ mascot, from the drawing on the cover of the School’s first yearbook in 1972 to the newly minted Roadrunner of 2021. Crossroads introduced the new design in honor of the School’s 50th anniversary, along with a special mascot for the Elementary School, Roadrunner Jr.
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Core Commitment
by Stephanie Carrillo
The day of my interview in 1998, I mistook the wrong door for the school entrance. Instead of a receptionist, I was immediately greeted by a bulletin board decorated with rainbow triangles which beckoned me to “Join FLAG,” the club for “Friends of Lesbians and Gays.” In the ’90s, the military policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” also seemed to apply to education, since the presence of gay students and teachers was still largely unacknowledged in most schools. The fact that Crossroads celebrated LGBTQ identity at a time when mainstream education largely ignored LGBTQ issues signaled to me that the School’s commitment to social justice was authentic and real. I knew instantly I wanted to teach at Crossroads. Back then, the School’s commitment to inclusion was expressed by the presence of openly gay faculty and administrators; by the existence of the clubs FLAG and PEACE (People for Ethnic and Cultural Equality); by student attendance at the national Student Diversity Leadership Conference; and by senior History, Society and Ethics courses such as yearlong Cultural Diversity and Gender Studies classes. But there was still work to be done. With the exception of my Cultural Diversity class, I rarely had more than a few students of color, the faculty was not very racially diverse and two years of Western Civilizations was a graduation requirement. Today, 53% of our students identify as students of color. One in four of our students participates in the Affordability Program (formerly known as Financial Aid). And the history courses have been redesigned to be thematic, culturally relevant and globally inclusive. Now there are numerous affinity groups for students, faculty and staff, and parents and guardians, and these groups continue to grow.
The Equity & Justice Institute has become a reality, as has the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Another significant change is that both Crossroads’ Board of Directors and the senior administrative team are much more racially diverse than they were even 10 years ago. Crossroads’ foundational commitment to developing “a student population of social, economic and racial diversity” was notable in 1971. From its earliest days, the School prioritized enrolling students who lived beyond the Westside bubble, increasing racial diversity and setting aside 10% of the budget for financial aid. Today, that figure is nearly 20%. Indeed, this commitment has only strengthened over time. At Crossroads, we embrace complexity and don’t shy away from difficult conversations. We acknowledge mistakes and recognize that our actions are the truest affirmation of our ideals. Our commitment to inclusion will only be fully realized when all community members feel valued and seen, when they experience a true sense of belonging. By engaging with and learning from all facets of our community, we continually strive to create a more inclusive and equitable School.
Stephanie first joined Crossroads in 1998 and served in roles including co-chair of the Diversity and Social Justice Task Force, interim dean of students and History Department chair/teacher. She left in 2013 and became a teacher leader liaison for the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves. She also spent six years as the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Campbell Hall in Studio City. Stephanie was appointed Crossroads’ first K-12 Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in 2021 and serves on the School’s senior leadership team.
Artwork (foreground) by Benjamin Tannenbaum ’21 (2017); (background) by Julia Selman ’10 (2009)
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Lunch/Time
C
rossroads has never had a conventional school cafeteria. The lunch options have evolved along with the School, providing Crossroads alumni with mealtime memories that mark distinct eras. Does the thought of lunch at Crossroads evoke a blaring horn that makes you want to leap up from your seat? You were probably around in the early days, when students and teachers rushed out to a catering truck (affectionately called “the roach coach”) and ordered burgers and tuna melts alongside workers from the local businesses that shared the Alley. When the truck wasn’t around, you could hit Lucy’s down the street for a bean and cheese burrito—or did you prefer the taquitos? A decade or so later, once Crossroads had laid claim to most of the Alley, you had your pick of contracted food trucks. You might find yourself asking for a Malibu chicken sandwich or a “bagel-hash brown-cheese” from Bob’s a la Carte truck. Slightly healthier fare was available from So Good Foods or the BagelLady. If you were short on cash, you could grab a buttered tortilla from Ricky’s Hotline Catering. Don’t remember any food trucks in the Alley? Your Crossroads lunches probably happened after 1996. More recently, vendors like FreshLunches and Bergamot Cafe operate food-court style. Recent tasty options include mac and cheese and the famous Cadena Scramble.
Illustration by Rinee Shah 41
HOW W
E GET OUR PIZZ
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• • • A Cheesy Slice of Crossroads History
1980s Pizza Wars A battle between entrepreneurial students who had pizzas delivered to school and then sold slices at a profit became an all-out capitalist showdown.
2000s P.E.A.C.E. Club Fundraising Sales Overseen by then-faculty sponsor Hyacinth Young (aka Queen of the Alley), the People for Ethnic and Cultural Equality Club sold pizza to raise funds for service projects and to support student participation in the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference.
1990s The Anytime Pizza Machine Before the 1996 installation of a short-lived pizza vending machine, an administrator promised: “It makes a six-and-ahalf-inch personal pizza. It will fire up every 32 seconds. It will be better than MTV.”
2010s The Pizza Bagel Introduced around 2018, this bestseller from the Bergamot Cart proves that the combination of two delicious staples can only result in more deliciousness.
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The Wind Beneath Our Wings
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nyone who’s been associated with Crossroads over its lifetime has had regular contact with our devoted Facilities staff: security officers, maintenance workers, bus drivers, landscapers, events staff and custodians. Their work—cleaning, repairing, constructing, scheduling, transporting, guiding, informing, troubleshooting and so much more—keeps the School functioning. And the care, skill and energy with which they do it creates a fundamental sense of well-being for everyone on campus. Retired Elementary School Director Joanie Martin once called longtime custodian Lilian Mejia “the wind under everyone’s wings,” because Lilian’s work was so essential to the Crossroads experience. The same can be said of our hardworking Facilities crew in general, many of whom have been at Crossroads for over 20 years, and some for more than 30. They have been a vital part of the School’s growth and transformation and are the keepers of some of its best stories— many of which get told and retold at the potluck they throw every year for faculty and staff. Through it all, these dedicated colleagues have remained committed to keeping our students safe and well cared for—and they’ve used their skills and their know-how to make it all happen.
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Back row: Jim Untrauer, Silvino Avila, Gayle Taylor, Bruce Fisher, Frank Gillette, Frankie Gladden, Rafael Caceras, Matthew Samuels. Front row: Arturo Gonzales, Pedro Ruelas, John Koonz, Larry Sheffield, Emma Ortiz, Manny Zermeno, Jerry Bravo. Seated on ground: Guillermo Lopez (2007)
First row: Rafael Caceras, Larry Sheffield. Second row: Lena Gallagher, Miguel Cisneros, Frank Gillete, Isaac Maganda. Third row: Fidel Ramirez, Marcos Bustos, Rosario Noyola, Migel Iriarte, Silvino Avila. Back row: Francisco Balderas, Maria Luisa Leon Rodriguez, Steve Tomasini, Salvador Segura, Jim Untrauer (1993)
Left: Marjo Polanco, Allen Mason and Miguel Cisneros (1984). Right: Will Garcia and Michael Ellington (2019)
Left: Luz Zuniga, Francisco Balderas, Jose Guzman (2015). Right: Clockwise from top left: Paul Larson, Gerardo Colmenares, Lilian Mejia, Luvia Lopez, Jose Segura, Adan Magana (2015)
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Values in Action
by Todd Baron
“Man cannot survive in a state of spiritual indifference; he cannot survive famine and pollution; he cannot survive depravity, bigotry and inequity; and certainly he cannot survive all-out war. The Crossroads School proposes to confront each of these problems and to develop its curriculum with these problems as guidelines. The School dedicates itself to the development of students who are profoundly aware of these problems and who are committed to seeking intelligent, rational, human solutions.” — Paul Cummins, “A Proposal for a New, Co-Educational, Independent Secondary School,” 1970
Clockwise from top left: Students protest U.S. involvement in Central America, 1988; Earth Day demonstration, 2019; Larry Morrissette protests Iraq War, c. 2003; AIDS Walk, 2012; International Women’s Day march for human rights, 2017; “Take a Knee” racial justice demonstration, 2017
While I was in middle school in the 1960s, student activists were leading the Civil Rights Movement and becoming early adopters of the environmental, feminist, Native American sovereignty and prison reform movements. But my own political engagement happened outside of school. Here at Crossroads, I’m proud that activism is both taught and encouraged in classes and at special events on campus. Fueled by their understanding of inequity and injustice, our students are inspired to act. Throughout the School’s history, students have launched letter-writing campaigns, held vigils, marched in protests, organized fundraisers and engaged in meaningful civil engagement to promote positive change. A few years ago, with the help of the Math Department, I created an interactive physical representation of economic inequality in the U.S. Starting at a central point, students stepped either to the right or the left by inches, then by feet, to represent where most Americans “stood” in terms of housing and income: The gaps among the economic classes became overwhelming. At the same time, we read aloud from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech, in which he lamented “debilitating and grinding poverty.” In 2020, my students researched and presented a contemporary protest song of their choice, which ranged from songs against war to songs supporting varied identities and even mental and physical health. As always, students showed how engaged they were with their own deeply felt values. I’m proud to work at a school where students don’t set aside their political beliefs when they step inside the classroom doors. Our kids know that understanding and shaping the world they will someday inherit is integral to their practice as students.
Todd Baron joined Crossroads in 1992 as a summer school teacher, subsequently served as the Upper School’s “poet in residence” and is now a Middle School Core teacher. He is the parent of Sophie Baron ’18.
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Woof!
S
ome things that were once regarded as quirky at Crossroads later proved to be ahead of their time—cutting edge, if you will—and have become standard practice at other schools. Hopefully, this will be the case with Senior Dog Day. In what began as a prank in the late 1990s and is now an annual Crossroads tradition, seniors bring their pups to campus shortly before graduation.
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ruf
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w w o b
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Reason Soundly, Question Thoughtfully
When Crossroads was a new school, the philosophy that shaped its approach was a source of curiosity, even mockery. Yes, it offered some traditional college preparatory courses, such as Greek and Latin. But could Crossroads be a serious academic institution when arts were valued as highly as traditional subjects, when community service was embedded into the curriculum, when the social-emotional “Mysteries” became a weekly experience and when outdoor education was essential? The success of Crossroads alumni in college and beyond—and today’s emphasis on “whole child” education—have provided a resounding “yes.” The School helped give rise to the now common understanding that nurturing creativity and personal growth supports academic achievement and is equally important to a child’s development. Crossroads was innovative and student-centered from the start, and the foundational principles of its early years continue to inform today’s academic programs. At every level, the curriculum is designed to make the most of developmental opportunities, spark student interest and curiosity, and build intellectual capacity. The Elementary School teachers establish the Crossroads approach of encouraging student initiative and ownership, promoting inquiry and strengthening thinking processes while developing skills in reading, writing, mathematics, speaking and listening. Handson, integrated investigations and simulations replace textbooks. Narrative feedback replaces grades. Questions are as important as answers.
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Crossroads Middle School teachers often describe moments when students’ eyes light up as understanding clicks in. Middle School offerings expand knowledge and create connections among academic disciplines and between academics and the real world, capitalizing on adolescents’ desire for exploration and independence. The Crossroads Upper School finds innovative ways to build an enriching, dynamic learning environment. In the early 2000s, the School replaced standard Advanced Placement courses with its own college-level seminar classes known as Crossroads Advanced Studies. Offerings have included Machine Learning and A.I., Graphic Design and Animation, Calculus and Topics in Advanced Math, Organic Chemistry and the Other Side of History, which examines the legacies of colonial empires, international wars and emerging national identities. In recent years, K-12 faculty have reviewed their curriculum with an eye toward elevating the voices, histories and struggles of people of color, with particularly significant changes implemented in Upper School History. Though the content of academic programs has evolved over time, two essential elements remain consistent. The School culture encourages authentic relationships that support learning: teacher-to-student, student-to-student and teacher-to-teacher. Crossroads is also committed to fostering joy in learning. When remarkable teachers share their expertise and enthusiasm, students find excitement and meaning in their education. They become motivated to pursue their next challenges and become lifelong learners on whatever path they choose.
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“Crossroads encouraged unorthodox thinking. It wasn’t about memorizing formulas or facts or how other people had solved problems. It was all about figuring out how to solve problems from first principles. Nothing was sacred. History was the subjective opinions of the winners. Students saw current events as entirely in the eye of the beholder. Even the math nerds (myself included) taking Multivariable Calculus questioned whether traditional mathematics education, in which they excelled, was destructive to the essence of math itself. There was a lot of respect for people who spoke up and defended extremely unconventional and controversial viewpoints. Students became genuinely worried when too many people were thinking similarly. Diversity of thought was considered the purpose of education. This philosophy fostered intense interdisciplinary creativity that resulted in an attitude of ’Forget how other people have solved problems before me. I’m going to try solving it my way, based on all the unrelated things that I’ve ever learned.’ We were encouraged to take the road less traveled.” — Noah Evers ’18
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Graphic Images
center diamond overlap (convergence)
O
ver the decades, sometimes with the help of external consultants, the School has developed various logos, with rules regarding their use to ensure brand consistency and integrity. Needless to say, those rules rarely stop our students—and even teachers and staff—from developing all manner of apparel and swag with their own creative takes on our name and logo.
Left arrow (arts)
Right arrow (sciences)
Logomark
2 “C” Height
“C” Height Logotype
Logotype font: Klavika
2 “C” Height
vertical lockup (primary)
1971
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1976
1980
“I came up with this design when I was applying to Crossroads for ninth grade. During my application process, I decided I would make a piece of art with the X logo. This style is something that I do naturally, taking a shape and filling it with characters, so that part was pretty easy. I was inspired by the sense I got from taking a tour at Crossroads; this inclusive and playful feeling is shown with the expressions and colors of each character. After that, I had the designs made into stickers, which I gave out when I went back for more tours and other on-campus opportunities for prospective students.” —Jonah Mannheim ’23
Our 50th anniversary logo reimagines the Crossroads X as light reflected through a kaleidoscope, a vivid, everchanging interplay of art and science that reflects the School’s embrace of complexity, evolution and innovation. 1992
2008
2021
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XRDS SNAP SHOT
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A Culture of Kindness
by Ilene Silk
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Historically, these three gates of speech have been attributed to Greek philosopher Socrates, Sufi poet Rumi and even radio host Bernard Meltzer. Whoever the original source of the concept may be, having a thoughtful filter for our words can help ensure kind, thoughtful and honest communication. Early in Joanie Martin’s tenure as director of the Elementary School, the social studies program revolved around Native American history and customs. Joanie invited Crossroads parent Ben Redclay P’91, ’97, ’05 to speak to faculty and students about Navajo culture. He explained that the three gates reflected their approach to communication. Joanie and the faculty immediately embraced the three gates as the division’s standard practice. I reached out to current third graders and Upper School students for their feelings about the three gates. One third grader spoke without hesitation: “Before I say something, in my head I put the three gates and if it doesn’t go through all three, then I don’t say it.” Another said, “Sometimes words just come out. And I think to myself, ’You really need to stop and think. Did I need to say it?’” A senior and School lifer expressed these thoughts: “I am grateful to have learned from an early age how to socialize kindly with other kids. I know I will take the three gates with me to college and beyond.” Shared values have the power of holding families and nations together. Crossroads has a legacy of powerful words that bind us. The three gates created a kindness culture that courses through the School’s veins.
Ilene Silk is the K-3 Elementary School dean. She has been at Crossroads since 1999 and has more than 40 years of experience as an educator.
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Elementary School Gathering, 2011
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, yo u
his we live
.F
you I receive
to
r
om
he
r
et
t m o
I give, to g rw
e shar
e, an d
f
The unofficial anthem of the Elementary School, “From You I Receive,” was written by Joseph and Nathan Segal and is sung in a round. Music teacher Robbie Trombetta introduced the song to Crossroads in 1996.
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A Lasting Legacy
Jake Jacobusse drives Paul Cummins (in white) and Stephen Morgan through campus to view the building named in Steve’s honor, 1989.
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by Bob Riddle
I moved to Los Angeles in the early ’80s with the sole purpose of finding a school where I did not have to hide my identity. In my first few years of teaching, at a public school in Connecticut, I was beginning to come out as a gay man and knew of no other openly gay educator in the district. I was, however, aware of a lesbian guidance counselor in the neighboring school district. She was fired when they learned of her sexual orientation, and I knew I couldn’t risk coming out in my school. In 1984, I answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. A small private school in Santa Monica was looking for a math teacher. You can imagine my surprise —and my relief—when I was interviewed by Stephen Morgan, the openly gay Middle School director at Crossroads. I thought that perhaps this place could be my professional home. I soon learned how much Steve was loved by the School community. As the third teacher hired at Crossroads in the early ’70s, he quickly established himself as every student’s favorite. By all accounts, Steve was a brilliant English teacher and someone who cared deeply for his students. He brought that same empathy to his roles as Middle School director and the School’s admission director. Everyone adored Steve. Tragically, Steve developed AIDS in the late ’80s. Rather than shun him— something that was happening much too often at that time—the School community rallied behind him, sending him so much love and support as he valiantly battled this cruel disease, a disease that had no cure. In 1989, when it became evident that Steve had just a short time left to live, then-Headmaster Paul Cummins and Upper School Director Jake Jacobusse hatched a plan. They called Steve and offered to take him for a ride on a beautiful southern California day in Jake’s convertible Mercedes, with the top down. After driving around for a bit, they told Steve they wanted to drive him by campus. As they turned down Pennsylvania Avenue and rounded the corner, Steve saw the entire Middle and Upper School community lining the Alley. The students, teachers and staff members erupted in applause, cheering Steve on and showering him with love as Jake’s car drove slowly through the crowd. When the car reached the Middle School building, Paul told Steve to look up to see the real reason for the drive. They had named the Stephen Morgan Middle School Building in his honor. There was not a dry eye in the Alley that day. That gesture, that outpouring of support, that overwhelming embrace of Steve that day told me everything I needed to know about this community I’d joined. And Steve’s legacy lives on to this day: He admitted so many students, and hired so many teachers—myself included—who have made their own indelible marks on our School. Steve’s picture hangs in the Middle School lobby, for every student, teacher and employee to see. Below it is the Thornton Wilder quote from his funeral program: “There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.” That day in 1989 was our way to be that bridge of love for Steve, one that exists to this day in the hearts of everyone who was touched by his life.
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Into the Woods (and the Streams and the Snow)
There’s a striking similarity between the photographs of the first Crossroads outdoor education trip and almost all of those taken since. The early images show small groups of students standing under towering trees at Yosemite National Park in the spring of 1972, Crossroads’ first year. By all accounts, those first trips were a bit like the Wild West, with a couple of teachers—who also had to drive the bus—making it up as they went along. But they were also deeply committed to a new vision of what school could be. That vision included giving students experiences in nature, with the belief that outdoor education was a valuable part of their development. Taking a group of students into the woods creates challenges and opportunities that cannot be replicated in a classroom. They come back from trips with skills and stories. They are exhausted and dirty, but transformed. Now, in all three divisions, students travel to California’s desert, mountain and marine ecosystems to study science and history. They also hike, kayak, rock climb and snorkel. And they deepen their connections to the natural world and to one another. In the Upper School, opportunities for students include backpacking, rafting and snowshoeing. Field study trips delve into marine biology and geology. Service trips engage students in habitat restoration and wildlife surveys. Arts trips invite students to paint outdoors, learn about natural materials and connect their artistic practice to the environment. Crossroads’ Environmental and Outdoor Education (EOE) program has grown and evolved as the school has. Over the years, curricula have been developed and honed. The gear has certainly gotten better, and we’ve perfected the bag-check system. But in many ways—the most important ways—those first trips were not so different from the ones that Crossroads students take today.
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“Reflecting on 50 years of EOE programs, I’m reminded that
outdoor education remains as valuable as ever. Engaging with
the natural world remains enriching, restorative and humbling
in all the ways that our pioneering teachers envisioned.
Activities such as spending time in wild places, enjoying the
company of old friends while making new ones, learning about
ourselves and exploring the diverse ecosystems of California
remain a core component of the Crossroads experience.”
—Jeff Ranes ’95, Co-chair, Environmental and Outdoor Education Department
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Decades of Devotion
Mary Ann Cummins In 1971, Mary Ann was a full-time music teacher when she received a call from someone named Paul Cummins. He wanted to hire her as a music instructor at St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal School. Uninterested in the job but eager to help, Mary Ann invited Paul to her house to meet two potential candidates. The next day, Paul once again offered her the position, with the added incentive that her two daughters could attend The Crossroads School tuition-free when it opened in September. (Little did Mary Ann know that the school was in fact underenrolled, or that she and Paul would fall in love and wed the next year.) She accepted the offer. Mary Ann created the music program at St. Augustine using the developmentally based Orff Schulwerk system. As the Upper School grew, she put together a jug band and a jazz ensemble and then the beginnings of a chamber ensemble. She devised a music major program that evolved into the Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute, a nationally and even internationally renowned conservatory within the Upper School. Crossroads remains a family affair: Paul and Mary Ann are the parents of Liesl Erman ’77, Julie (Erman) Hansen ’78, Anna Cummins ’91 and Emily (Cummins) Polk ’94, and the grandparents of Della Polk ’27, Dax Polk ’31 and Avani Cummins ’31. Anyone who knows Mary Ann knows that she is one of a kind. Wild, curious, spontaneous and generous, Mary Ann has fed, loved and housed students who have needed a place to stay for a night, and, in some cases, for years. She has worked tirelessly, year after year, to build the School and bring music into the lives of her students and the Crossroads community. Davida Wills Hurwin In 1981, Davida noticed Crossroads School while driving down 20th Street. She was new to the area at the time and teaching one drama class at Santa Monica
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We salute the three current teachers with the longest tenures at Crossroads. Together, they have contributed a combined 136 years of service to the School. Thank you, Mary Ann, Davida and Antoinette, for your decades of devotion!
High School. On a whim, Davida sent her resume to Crossroads, along with letters of recommendation from her students. And it worked! During her interview, Davida fell “head over heels” in love with the energy, trust and freedom of Crossroads. She was hired part-time to teach seventh and eighth grades. She moved to the Upper School a year later, where she started a movement class in the Drama Majors program, choreographed “Oh! What a Lovely War” and directed the first all-school Cabaret in 1985, the same year she became a full-time employee. Three years later, Davida became chair of the Drama Department, a position she has held for all but eight of the last 34 years. Davida loves the fact that Crossroads says, “Yes!” She started the annual Drama Tour program, in which ninth and 10th graders travel to the Bay Area to perform for audiences with limited access to live theater, including residents of homeless shelters and juvenile detention centers. Davida also started the Dance Company, the Dance Department and the two-year Drama Conservatory for juniors and seniors. (Her daughter, Frazier Hurwin ’07, was a Conservatory student.) Unafraid to take the same types of risks that she asks
Mary Ann Cummins
Davida Wills Hurwin
of her students, Davida has staged many productions considered cutting-edge for Upper Schoolers, including “Godspell” (produced outdoors with real police cars in the Alley), “Rent” and “Spring Awakening,” to name a few. Davida remains thrilled that no two students or two years are ever the same. Vivacious, energetic and dynamic, Davida changes right along with the culture and the children. Antoinette Parker Antoinette was a graduate mathematics student—one of the few women in her numerical analysis program—when she realized her true calling was to become an educator. Her mentor had left to do research and asked Antoinette to take over his undergraduate calculus course. She found she loved teaching students the beauty of mathematics and helping them understand concepts and how they all connect. Since 1977, she has brought her knowledge of math and passion for teaching to her Crossroads classes. “One thing that stands out about Antoinette is her kindness,” notes math teacher Barbara Kahn. “She’s an extremely warm person. She’s just naturally zen. She works to bring peace and calm into the kids’ math experience.”
Antoinette Parker
When Antoinette interviewed at Crossroads, she was surprised to be asked, “Do you camp?” As it turned out, she did! Antoinette was hired as a math teacher and supervised many Environmental and Outdoor Education adventures. At that time, the whole school went on EOE trips: The faculty served as the guides, the cooks and the chaperones. Antoinette fondly recalls traveling to Catalina Island as well as Kings Canyon and Joshua Tree national parks. When she was granted a sabbatical year in 1987, she decided to try something new: She worked as a researcher at the Rand Corporation on a longterm study assessing the effect of counseling on teen substance use. Although she enjoyed the work, she was very happy to return to the fast-paced world of Crossroads. The parent of two Crossroads graduates—Nadine Parker ’06 and Shannon Parker ’09—Antoinette believes that the School’s constant evolution prevents the experience from ever getting stale. She chaired the Math Department for a decade but passed on other administrative roles she was offered throughout the years. After four decades, her true passion remains teaching students. Profiles adapted from pieces in Cross Sections magazine.
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1970
1991-92
Sixth grade moves from the Elementary School to the 21st Street Campus, consolidating the Middle School into a sixth, seventh and eighth-grade division.
Milestones
Paul Cummins becomes headmaster at St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal School, and Rhoda Makoff joins as assistant director.
1971-72
Crossroads opens for seventh and eighth grade, with Rhoda as director, at the First Baptist Church, 2601 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.
1972-73
Crossroads moves to 1714 21st Street.
1974-75
1975-76
Paul becomes headmaster of both Crossroads and St. Augustine after Rhoda steps down to return to scientific research.
A class of 19 seniors becomes Crossroads’ first high school graduates.
1990-91
Crossroads Community Foundation launches P.S. Arts to provide arts classes at underserved public schools.
1982-83
Crossroads and St. Augustine merge to become the K-12 Crossroads School.
1978-79
Performing arts majors in music and drama are added.
The inaugural Crossroads Peace Institute educates and inspires student activism around nuclear disarmament.
1986-87
W. M. Keck Science Center opens on the 21st Street Campus, expanding opportunities for students in science and technology.
1983-84
Crossroads creates Mysteries, the precursor to Life Skills, to support human development. Seniors take culminating trips to the Ojai Foundation. Crossroads receives national recognition as one of the country’s 60 best independent schools, receiving an Exemplary Secondary School award from the U.S. Department of Education.
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1985-86 1984-85
First all-school Cabaret brings the entire community together to raise funds for student financial aid.
The Upper School Parent Association organizes the first Alley Party to welcome K-12 families back to school in September.
1993-94
2006-07
Roger Weaver becomes headmaster, and Paul becomes president of the Crossroads Community Foundation, focusing primarily on community outreach.
Crossroads Community Outreach Foundation launches PS Science to serve underserved public schools.
1996-97
The Middle School Core program begins, integrating the humanities curriculum for grades seven and eight.
Advanced Placement courses are replaced with Crossroads Advanced Studies classes.
2005-06
Drama Department students make their debut as a touring company, performing musical theater in the Bay Area for audiences with limited access to live theater.
Crossroads/UCLA AIDS ambassadors—a Middle and Upper School volunteer program—develops peer-topeer AIDS education.
2008-09
2001-02
Crossroads owns or has the option to purchase 85% of the buildings on the 21st Street Campus, ensuring stability and growth.
Paul Cummins leaves Crossroads after 32 years to lead the New Visions Foundation.
2009-10
Teacher and longtime Upper School administrator Bob Riddle becomes head of school.
1997-98
The Elementary School moves to the newly built Norton Campus.
2011-12
Crossroads achieves a long-term goal of 40% racial and ethnic diversity. (Today, that figure is 53%.)
2018-19
The Equity & Justice Institute launches, bringing new opportunities for service and innovation to students while developing and supporting meaningful community action with partner organizations.
2020-21
The School community unites in response to the COVID-19 crisis, demonstrating resilience, ingenuity and compassion.
The EMMI Chamber Orchestra performs at Carnegie Hall as part of the New York Invitational Music Festival.
2015-16
The Science Education & Research Facility for Middle and Upper Schoolers opens and earns LEED Gold certification for its sustainability features.
2021-22
Crossroads celebrates its 50th anniversary—including the people, the stories and the growth of the School over the last half-century—and looks ahead to the next 50 years. 68
XRDS SNAP SHOT
“The classical music program at Crossroads was born in 1978. It blossomed through a collaboration that Mary Ann and I formed with USC music faculty Grant Beglarian, Nancee Cortés, Fran Zarubick and Herbert Zipper. Together, we designed a comprehensive music major at Crossroads—an academic solid— perhaps unique to the country. After attracting extraordinarily talented students, we needed a first-rate conductor and hired Heiichiro Ohyama, who led as fine a high school chamber orchestra at Crossroads as one could imagine. Our students played a joint concert with the LA Phil; were conducted by André Previn and Simon Rattle; and played for soloists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax. After the 1997 passing of parent of alumni and former trustee Elizabeth Mandell, a longtime supporter of the program, her family and the Clarence E. Heller Foundation provided a gift to bolster what would now be called the Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute (EMMI). Over the decades, EMMI graduates have gone on to careers as concertmasters, major soloists and more with the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.” —Paul Cummins
Music majors, 1980
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The Greater Community
In 1990, Paul Cummins visited several neighboring public schools and was appalled to discover that they had absolutely no arts programming. He offered to lend one of them, Palms Middle School, our choral teacher for a few hours a week. The principal was thrilled and reported the program was a tremendous success. This led Crossroads to develop the Crossroads Community Foundation to formalize its institutional outreach program. Shortly after that, during a dinner at my home for families new to Crossroads, Paul talked about how budget cuts had eliminated arts from public schools and how we were providing a choral program to Palms. After the meal, parent and musician Herb Alpert approached Paul and me and asked if a substantial financial contribution would allow us to provide arts programs more broadly to local
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by Roger Weaver
Title I public schools. His generosity enabled Crossroads to develop P.S. Arts. That program, which became a standalone nonprofit organization in 1993, is a flagship of California educational nonprofits. As of this writing, it serves nearly 25,000 students in 11 school districts in Southern California and the Central Valley. In 2006, I was the head of school and oversaw what had become the Crossroads Community Outreach Foundation, with then-Director of Institutional Advancement Gennifer Yoshimaru as vice president. I decided to visit Crossroads’ close neighbor, Saint Anne School. After meeting with the dynamic principal, Michael Browning, I came to understand that the Catholic elementary school was financially strapped and at risk of closure. I called a number of other school leaders in the area and put together the Saint Anne
School Support Council from a group of volunteers. That group was instrumental in stabilizing the financial future of Saint Anne, and to this day it continues to bring monetary support and other resources to the school. After P.S. Arts became an independent nonprofit, we needed a new program that gave substance to what I termed “Crossroads institutional community service.” If we require community service of our students, we should require it of ourselves on an institutional level to fully meet our founding philosophical commitment to the greater community. Gennifer and I considered different options. We finally settled on providing science education to Title I elementary schools, and PS Science was born. Like P.S. Arts, it was initially fully funded by Crossroads and is now its own independent nonprofit, serving 3,300 students in 130 classrooms in 15 schools.
Many other community service initiatives have been put into action over the years by students and faculty. But the three described here are emblematic of the place community service holds within the Crossroads culture. The launch of the Equity & Justice Institute in 2018 further solidified Crossroads’ commitment to serving the greater community and creates new opportunities to develop and support meaningful action with partner organizations.
Roger Weaver joined Crossroads as assistant headmaster in 1983. He was associate headmaster from 1991 to 1993 and headmaster from 1993 to 2009. Roger is the co-founder of PS Science and continues to serve as a Board member. He is the president and senior consultant of The Weaver Group and the grandparent of Harry Lincir ‘26.
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Tangible, Meaningful Change
“If we become a hopelessly and irreversibly two-tiered society with the few very rich flourishing and the many poor living in degraded conditions, we will have shattered the American dream of a democratic, just and fair society.” —Paul Cummins, “Two Americas, Two Educations: Funding Quality Schools for All Students,” 2006
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by Marisol León ’03
In 2009, when I decided to return to Crossroads as a faculty member, I did so for two reasons. As a student, I was gifted with an education that taught me self-awareness and instilled in me an intellectual curiosity and lifelong commitment to fighting for justice and equity. And as an educator, I wanted not only to teach and learn from my students while anchored in Crossroads’ philosophy, but also to expand Crossroads’ founding commitment to the greater community and help fulfill Paul’s wish to make a more “democratic, just and fair society.” My desire to impact the greater community is what eventually inspired me to attend law school. But when Head of School Bob Riddle contacted me years later to discuss his dream of creating an Equity & Justice Institute, I came right back to Crossroads to serve on the Institute’s Launch Committee. The Equity & Justice Institute is an endowed program supported by donors to Crossroads’ Worlds Unimagined capital campaign, ensuring that it will live in perpetuity at the School. Opened in September 2018 with Founding Director Derric J. Johnson at the helm, the Institute inspired me to join the Crossroads Board of Trustees and to serve on its Advisory Council. The work of the Institute includes a new K-12 social justice curriculum that touches on equity and justice issues across disciplines in developmentally responsive ways. Its Younes and Soraya Nazarian Equity & Justice Distinguished Lecture Series welcomes noted social justice advocates to share ideas with
the Crossroads community and the general public. And the development of an incubation lab for future initiatives will serve the greater good—and perhaps eventually spin off into independent nonprofit organizations similar to P.S. Arts and PS Science. In 2021, Crossroads was designated a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School® site. That summer, the Institute hosted its first six-week summer literacy course for 50 students of color. Virginia Avenue Park promoted the program to Pico neighborhood families; Santa Monica college students served as teachers. This program is made possible by generous donors including Pacific Western Bank, which made a three-year commitment, and the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. I hope that future Crossroads alumni in all fields will bring an equity and justice lens to their work, making a powerful impact on not only Crossroads but also the community at large. As Bob Riddle has noted, “The Institute will allow the leaders of tomorrow to make tangible, meaningful change in the world today and will serve as a model for other schools looking to effect change.”
Marisol León ’03 is a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Enforcement Section. In 2017, she joined the Crossroads Board of Trustees and currently serves as executive vice chair. Marisol mentors first-generation students through multiple organizations, including the Legal Access Education Pipeline.
Clockwise from top: Students at a talk by “White Fragility” author Robin DiAngelo, 2020; environmental advocate Winona LaDuke, 2019; prompted by DiAngelo, audience members engage in powerful conversations with one another; labor leader Dolores Huerta, 2020; Holocaust survivor Zenon Neumark, 2019; students from the Institute’s CDF Freedom School® site at the aquarium in Santa Monica, 2021; anti-racism historian Ibram X. Kendi, 2019
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Circling Back
by Jennifer Gerber ’97
“Over my 35 years at Crossroads, I’ve seen the School be many things to many students and alumni—a nest, a home, a laboratory, a consciousness-raising center and an arena to develop artistic, athletic and intellectual talents, among others. Most of all, it has been a community. I love the people drawn to this place. Though spread across the globe, we remain connected. —Tom Nolan P’01, P’03, Life Skills teacher and former dean of alumni relations
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In 1976, Crossroads held its first high school graduation, sending 19 students out into the world. They’ve since been joined by thousands more to create the diverse, multigenerational, far-flung yet tight-knit family of Crossroads alumni. At last count, there were nearly 5,000 Crossroads graduates living in over 36 countries. The Crossroads Alumni Association fosters the ongoing relationship between the School and its graduates. Reunions, networking events and programs like the Alumni Internship Program and the new Small Business Initiative are some of the opportunities the Association creates for old friends to stay in touch and for new connections to be made. When I graduated from Crossroads in 1997, I never imagined that I would circle back to become part of the School’s staff. When I did return, I realized what a vital role alumni play in the School’s culture and what a valuable resource Crossroads can be after graduation. Crossroads graduates return to our community as teachers, administrators and Board members; visiting artists, lecturers and mentors; architects and consultants on all kinds of projects; and, of course, as parents. And they are often generous donors to the Crossroads Fund and capital campaigns. While their life choices and career paths run the gamut, alumni share the experience of being educated at a school that values relationships— and it shows. Their ongoing commitment and engagement have made alumni an integral part of the Crossroads community, one of which the School is immensely proud.
Jennifer Gerber ’97 has been director of alumni relations since 2017. She and her twin sister, Lizzy Gerber, entered Crossroads in ninth grade.
All ’80s Reunion, 2019
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Party of the Year
Even before Crossroads opened its doors in 1971, the School began raising money for what were then called “scholarships” to help fulfill its commitment to developing an economically diverse student body. By the late ’70s, the Parent Association was responsible for hosting a fundraiser in support of this program every spring. (At the 1979 event, parents gathered at the Directors Guild Theater for a screening of the Laurence Olivier comedy “A Little Romance.”) These annual events are designed to be warm and inclusive community builders as well as fundraisers. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend, and the low-priced tickets are sold on a suggested-donation basis. When Michele Hickey was the Parent Association president, she determined that every employee should receive complimentary admission. (Michele went on to become the School’s first director of development.) The event offers both a traditional silent auction and inexpensive raffles for fantastic prizes. For the past two decades, I’ve had the pleasure of developing the vision and overseeing the execution of these events alongside an army of Parent Association volunteers. By tapping into the remarkable creativity, extraordinary talents and rich resources of our community, we have been able to offer incredibly exciting and unique events. Who
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by Mery Grace Castelo
but Crossroads could produce The Art of the Doodle (in which we auctioned off drawings by everyone from Deepak Chopra to Lady Gaga), the steampunk party Alchemy and a sold-out “Crossroads Night Live”? In 2020, when the pandemic hit, we pulled together a music-themed virtual show in just six weeks, aptly named “Couchella.” Now every third year, Crossroads outdoes itself with “Cabaret,” an original musical written by a team of parent writers, directed by Crossroads faculty and performed by a cast of more than 300 students, parents, employees and alumni. Our first Cabaret took place in 1985 under the direction of Drama Department chair Davida Wills Hurwin. Cabaret is a phenomenal production that always brings down the house with its amazing display of talent and heart. No matter the theme or venue, the Parent Association Spring Fundraiser raises crucial funds to support our newly renamed Affordability Program and is invariably the party of the year!
Mery Grace Castelo joined the Crossroads community in 1995 as a dance teacher in the Upper School. She moved to the Advancement Office in 2001 as parent association manager and is currently director of parent relations and special events. She is the grandparent of Logan Alfaro ’28.
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“Paul had a very defined philosophy about what education should be, what the teaching experience should be like, what a kid’s day should look like. Paul was light-years ahead of his time. People were talking about these things, pie in the sky, kind of like we talk about flying cars today. You know: ’Someday, cars will fly.’ But Paul had a flying car. Paul had put together something where the teachers loved the kids, the kids loved their teachers, and fun was absolutely a part of it.” –Teri Redman Kahn, Upper School science teacher, 1974-1984
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30
What If?
by Pam Posey
Driven by the question “What if,” the Crossroads Visual Arts Department remains an ongoing experiment. Teachers determine curriculum according to who’s in the room and what’s going on outside the room, while proudly embracing old-school practices like figure drawing, darkroom photography and the handmade. During my 25 years in the Visual Arts Department, I saw many things develop from asking “What if?” Some were fleeting, like the Crossroads Advanced Studies art overnight in the Peter Boxenbaum Arts Education Centre, or short-lived, like the Alley mural paintings. Some were spontaneous, such as turning the library-turnedhumanities building into an art installation site just before it was demolished to create the Science Education & Research Facility. Other responses to “What if?” have endured, so that we can still boast about the program. Highlights include Environmental and Outdoor Education art field trips, Crossroads Advanced Studies Studio Art class über-critique sessions, the senior thesis exhibition and catalog, and a vibrant program in our Sam Francis Gallery with visiting artists and an annual student-curated exhibition. And I’ve left out a ton. But of course, the most important responses to “What if?” have come from the students themselves. Over the years, the most consistent thing about Crossroads student artists is the way they kind of don’t like to follow directions, but they do like to make their own rules and put everything they’ve got into their work to create boldly beautiful, extraordinary works of art. They have graduated to become curators, gallerists, museum professionals, art historians, art teachers, collectors and artists who doggedly work in their studios to produce art that is exhibited worldwide. What if you look for alumni art in homes, restaurants, public parks, newspapers, magazines, galleries, museums and nonprofit artists’ collectives? You will be amazed.
Pam Posey is a Los Angeles-based artist and educator. As a Crossroads faculty member from 1989 to 2016, she taught art classes in the Middle and Upper Schools and served as Upper School Visual Arts Department chair and director of the Sam Francis Gallery. She is the parent of Liam Considine ’98 and Caleb Considine ’00.
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“Crossroads changed my life, and there is really no other way to put it. I was never a good student, and school was always a place where I was made to feel insecure, unsure about myself. When I got to Crossroads, my whole world changed. People like Rhoda Makoff, Paul Cummins and Steve Morgan changed the way I thought about myself. And the environment—which was, at that point, basically one building and a parking lot— somehow made me love school and literature. I remember the backpacking trips and acting in ‘Up the Down Staircase.’ I remember starting to like myself better; I remember becoming intellectually curious. It was at Crossroads where I realized that I loved analyzing stories, and, not just that, but I was good at it! I remember sitting on top of the desk while Paul read and interpreted ’All the King’s Men.’ After college, I leapt at the chance to work in the movie business, pulled by my love of compelling stories that began in Paul’s makeshift classrooms. I still live in Los Angeles, and I always will, no doubt partly due to the joy that I still feel driving down Olympic Boulevard and passing the school that shaped me to my core.” —AMY PASCAL ’76 94
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34
To Safeguard and Uphold
by Nada Kirkpatrick
The first Crossroads Board of Trustees, 1971. From left: Paul Cummins, Rhoda Makoff, Barry Rubens, J.M. Edelstein, Geraldine Sherman, Edmund Kaufman, Peter Swerling and Linda Elstad
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“What exactly do you DO?” I’ve lost track of how many times that question was hurled at me after I joined the Crossroads Board in 2009. The question usually followed a parent lodging a complaint about their inability to find a parking space on campus or get tickets to the latest Drama Conservatory performance. Over the years, I fumbled through explaining the Board’s fiduciary responsibility and our focus on governance rather than management. Eventually, I distilled my answer into our core role: We safeguard and uphold the founding mission of Crossroads. When Paul Cummins and Rhoda Makoff assembled the first Board, they purposefully chose people with backgrounds and expertise that would benefit Crossroads. Just as the School community has expanded, the Board has grown from eight to more than 20 trustees. While the scope of discussions may have broadened, the current Board continues to think as mindfully and critically as its original members. We’re fortunate to have a diverse group of individuals who are engaged and deeply committed to serving the Crossroads community. Trustees Nat Trives and Lois Reinis have been on the Board since 1975 and 1985, respectively, and they remind us to never lose sight of our roots as we look ahead and plan for the future. Five decades ago, the founding Board needed to think outside of the box to create and sustain a brand-new school. Our School and community have inevitably scaled up, evolved and undergone leadership changes since then, but our mission and focus have stayed the same. In partnership with our administration, faculty and parents, trustees keep Crossroads students’ learning experience and wellbeing at the core of all decision-making. Similar to that first small group of courageous trustees, our current Board has risen to recent challenges to ensure that Crossroads will remain the lively, diverse learning community that it is 50 years from now—and beyond.
Nada Kirkpatrick came to Crossroads in 2003, when her oldest son started kindergarten. She was a member of the Board of Trustees from 2009-18 and Board Chair from 2019 to 2021. She also served as Parent Association vice president and president and as a docent for the Elementary, Middle and Upper Schools. Nada is the parent of Sami Kirkpatrick ’16, Maia Kirkpatrick ’18 and Finn Kirkpatrick ’21.
Nat Trives When Crossroads was in its infancy, thenSanta Monica City Council Member Nat Trives came to speak to the student body about the importance of community service. His rousing call to action was warmly received by students, who asked thoughtful questions about how to follow through on his suggestions. Nat left the school impressed. Not long after, Paul Cummins asked Nat to join the Crossroads Board. His record-breaking tenure as a trustee began in 1975—the same year he became the first Black mayor of Santa Monica. Nat was Board president for 11 years and continues to serve as executive vice chair, a position he has held for over 30 years. His dedication and leadership have had a tremendous impact on Crossroads. Through the decades, he has guided the School’s growth and development while keeping it anchored in its original philosophy. Nat has described his role at Crossroads as a “conscience for diversity and service.” His belief in the power of organizations to create social change has made him an essential adviser in upholding the School’s commitment to social justice and racial and economic equality.
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Educating the Heart
••• Haiku Life Skills: A — le t si We in circ t space li un one candle in ill weave... the stories st
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by David Listenberger
A Koan for Recent History
Is an Ojai Trip still an Ojai Trip if it doesn’t take us to Ojai? With gratitude to the land and community at Quail Springs Permaculture, which hosted our 2018-20 senior trips due to the impact of the Thomas Fire on the Ojai Foundation.
The origins of the Life Skills program date back to 1983, when a student exclaimed to then-Headmaster Paul Cummins, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow—is that all you adults ever talk about?” With so much focus on preparing for the future, where could students address their daily experiences, the trials and tribulations of growing up? That fateful encounter inspired the program—originally called Mysteries—that has since evolved into K-12 Life Skills. Through the process of Council (which teacher Jack Zimmerman introduced to Paul), open discussions, collaborative art projects and more, every student at Crossroads shares their own personal stories. Sharing and listening to their peers allows them to explore the grand mysteries of what it means to be human today. In recent Crossroads history—at least the past 20 years—Life Skills classes have taken place primarily in two classrooms, named Christie and Chandler. Rather than choose great spiritual leaders, we named our rooms after two famous mystery writers. This reinforces the idea that foundational truths are often found in unexpected places.
“The [Mysteries] course was in part a response to over-stressed, anxious and discouraged seniors who felt, perhaps somewhat like their headmaster, that they were traveling from tree to tree so fast that the forest was being lost. We employed the council (circle) format and, with the aid of a few simple ceremonial rituals, began discussing our deeper issues. … I am convinced that this kind of class and format is an important means of helping our students make sense of their lives and to function more productively and effectively at school and in the larger community.” Excerpt from a 1986 letter from then-Headmaster Paul Cummins to parents
David Listenberger joined Crossroads in 1999 as the Middle and Upper School choral director and has helped grow the music program considerably. He later joined the Life Skills Department and has served as its chair since 2011. He is the parent of Abby Listenberger ’27 and Ellie Listenberger ’27.
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What’s in a Name?
From the earliest days on 21st Street Campus, it’s been a tradition to name rooms for the artists, scientists, activists, authors and academics who inspire us. Here are some of the heroes we’ve chosen to honor on our campus. Can you match the individuals with their accomplishments?
a
American philosopher associated with queer theory and third-wave feminism
1
Sally Ride
b
Chilean poet and diplomat who won the 1971 Nobel Prize for Literature
2
Fred Korematsu
c
Persian polymath whose work had a lasting impact on mathematics, astronomy and geography
3
Frida Kahlo
d
American lawyer and Civil Rights activist who became the first Black Supreme Court Justice
4
Thurgood Marshall
Presumed author of foundational works of ancient Greek literature, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”
5
Pablo Neruda
f
American jazz saxophonist, composer and pioneer of free jazz
6
Homer
g
American poet, memoirist and Civil Rights activist
7
Henrietta Lacks
h
English primatologist and foremost expert on chimpanzees
i
U.S. astronaut and physicist who became the first American woman in space
8
Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwarizmi
j
American whose “immortal” cancer cells have contributed to breakthroughs in medical research
9
Jane Goodall
k
Mexican artist known for her vibrant paintings, self-portraits and sketches
10
John Coltrane
l
U.S. Civil Rights activist who fought the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II
11
Maya Angelou
e
12 Judith Butler
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12
7
5 1
4
2
8 10
11
9
6
3
1. Sally Ride by Avery Greenburg ’25 2. Fred Korematsu by Mira Hill ’25 3. Frida Kahlo by Birdie Blaugrund ’22 4. Thurgood Marshall by Keilin Smith ’24 & Joshua Huang ’24 5. Pablo Neruda by Kai Washington ’28 6. Homer by Yann Carrillo ’23 7. Henrietta Lacks by Kate Jang ’23 8. Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwarizmi by Max Ratner ’22 9. Jane Goodall by Zack Cheuk ’27 10. John Coltrane by Sydney Holden ’22 11. Maya Angelou by Nyla Washington ’25 12. Judith Butler by Elyse Barry ’28 Answers: 1i, 2l, 3k, 4d, 5b, 6e, 7j, 8c, 9h, 10f, 11g, 12a 100
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Alligator Cow Bear
Perhaps the most confounding nomenclature in the history of the Upper School is the schedule known as “Alligator Cow Bear.” Until 1990, the Upper School had a very traditional daily schedule: seven periods a day with 45-minute classes. In the late ’80s, Headmaster Paul Cummins challenged a committee of Upper School math and science teachers to reduce the number of times each class met per week. The goals were to ensure that students didn’t have homework in every class every day; give students and teachers more free periods; and allow for more flexibility when scheduling arts and academic classes, given the different demands of those disciplines. Hence, the now infamous Alligator Cow Bear schedule was born. The new schedule divided each day into three distinct blocks, during which academic classes would meet two out of every three days for 55 minutes, and arts classes would meet twice a week for 115 minutes. Sound complicated? It is! The committee worried that students and teachers would have trouble keeping track of each three-day rotation, especially since arts classes were on a five-day rotation based on the day of the week. They sought a way to clearly communicate to everyone what day it was in the irregular schedule. As the School already occasionally flew a flag adorned with a cow, they landed on an animal theme. Each day, a flag featuring an alligator (A), a bear (B) or a cow (C) waved from outside the Upper School administration building. Class A is first on day one, followed by class B. Class C doesn’t meet until day two but is the first course that day. Class B is first on day three. This pattern is how an already confusing schedule gained the equally confusing name A-C-B, or Alligator Cow Bear. Alas, these animal symbols may soon go extinct, replaced by a new system dreamed up by our strategic plan committee tasked with “reimagining our use of time.” Will the new schedule achieve the legendary status of its predecessor? Only time will tell.
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“It was the early 1980s, and I was raising children in a strange world where the righting of wrongs was, at times, subtly hinted at as being passé. And then, as luck and fortune would have it, we stumbled onto an odd oasis in an odd alley in an odd section of Santa Monica. It completely lacked curb appeal, but by God, it did seem to be a lone place in a lonely decade. It seemed to say that to live well you needed to live rightly, to help others, that poetry had to be true and art was to be expressed. It was run by the co-founder and headmaster, who was deeply concerned about nuclear proliferation, and not LLP’s and stock options. It was a funky place where people sent their very best hopes, their very own children, where idealism was not considered a contemptible idea. ... What seemed to link us all was this belief, mainly unspoken, that we were together—the teachers, the students, the parents, the staff—each in our way leaving the safety of our lairs to come to this odd little place and try to know, in the years, months, weeks, minutes and seconds we have been given, that, yes, wrongs have been done, and here we might just set something right.” — Excerpt from a speech given at Paul Cummins’ 2002 retirement party by Michele Steiger Hickey P’88, P’99, then director of Institutional Advancement
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Love Is Love Is Love
by Joanie Martin
Artwork by Hannah H. ’28 (2015)
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“This isn’t what we signed up for!” Some parents, upon learning that we would introduce terms such as “gay,” “lesbian” and “mixed race” to their kindergartners, were alarmed. “Aren’t they too young to be introduced to that language?” We responded that it’s never too soon to start learning about and celebrating the love that exists among all kinds of families. Crossroads students come from a diverse set of households—singleparent families, families headed by grandparents, families whose children were adopted, families with same-sex parents and mixed-race families, to name just some. Yet, historically, children’s literature and popular culture have narrowly depicted the typical “family” as one led by a married man and woman, usually white. We wanted all of our children to see themselves and their families represented. In 1997, the Elementary School launched its Different Families curriculum. We offered a “curriculum night” for parents to share the details of our plan. About 10 parents showed up. When they realized that we would use words like “gay” and “lesbian” with their children, they panicked and spread the word to other families. The uproar began. We scheduled another parent meeting: This time, 165 parents showed up to complain: “This is against our religion.” “We didn’t have a say in this decision.” Then-Head of School Roger Weaver explained that we wanted all children to see themselves in the School and that we would proceed with our plans. “So you’re just going to start this new program next week?” one parent barked. “Of course not,” I said. “We’re starting tomorrow.” We were prepared for families to leave the School, but they didn’t. The curriculum started by showing students the groundbreaking 1996 documentary “It’s Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School.” We held a parent night every year for kindergarten families to preview the video and read books featuring diverse sets of families. At the time, parents were anxious about participating in a conversation that they’d never had with their children, but they ultimately trusted us to lead the way. Since then, societal norms have changed so much that what was once innovative and daring is now familiar and accepted—at least in Southern California. The best part? All children can see their families reflected in the School curriculum. I’m very proud that we were among the very first schools to take this important step.
Joanie Martin was the director of Crossroads Elementary from 1987 to 2016. She also served as acting sixth-grade dean and supported the Admission and Communications Offices. Now retired, Joanie lives part-time in Vermont, where she volunteers at a homeless shelter and spends time walking in the woods. She is the parent of Conrad Taft Green ’91 and the grandparent of Sophie Cataldi ’16, Bella Cataldi ’17 and Lily Cataldi ’20.
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Our Cup Runneth Over
by Doug Thompson on
Soon after I returned to campus in the fall of 2018, following a 16-year absence, I began to hear mutterings about something called “Extravaganza,” along with hints that it had become much more elaborate than I might remember. The truth is, I had no memories of anything called “Extravaganza.” What I did remember was a Crossroads version of homecoming, which celebrated the boys varsity basketball team in its home game against Brentwood. As Paul Cummins later explained, he believed that one of the best ways to draw attention to a new and growing school would be to make a splash in sports. Given the logistical issues—the number of students involved, equipment needed, venues available—basketball made the most sense. All very well, except that I had joined Crossroads in 1983 to teach Spanish and to rebuild a faltering soccer program. By the time of the first homecoming rally, a few years later, I had become the dean of students. As such, I was responsible for monitoring student behavior during what was to me a blatant celebration of the boys varsity basketball team—an event that excluded all other teams, including mine. My frustration quickly gave way to outrage, and I began to vocalize my discontent with anyone who would listen. As a result, the next homecoming rally grew into a celebration of all the winter season teams—boys junior varsity basketball, girls varsity basketball and coed varsity soccer. Soon after, we began to schedule all the Brentwood home games on the same day, and the seed of “Extravaganza” took root. The event really took off just after my 2002 departure, and it has since evolved into the all-out Roadrunners vs. Eagles competition to bring home the coveted Extravaganza Cup that we know today. In 2009, Sports Spectacular was born, pitting Middle School boys and girls basketball and soccer teams against their counterparts from Brentwood and Windward, primarily. The Elementary School even has its own Sports Extraordinaire, competing against peer schools in sports including boys flag football, girls basketball, coed soccer and boys volleyball. Go Runners!
Doug Thompson joined Crossroads in 1983 as a Spanish teacher and soccer coach. He later served as director of Upper School admission, dean of students, assistant headmaster and dean of faculty. He left in 2002 to become head of school at Mid-Peninsula High School. He returned to Crossroads in 2018 to serve as interim assistant head of school for two years. Now retired, he spends his time playing music and working on house and garden projects.
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XRDS SNAP SHOT 1971
2021
34
Student Enrollment
1,221
LET’S 7&8
Grades Served
K-12
HAVE 2
Full-Time Faculty
140
A 1,200 sq
2
Physical Space
370,375 sq
2
LOOK 10 109
Student Zip Codes
91
1971
2
2021
Annual EOE Trips
20
AT 2
Athletics Teams (Middle and Upper School)
56
THEN 0
Summer Enrollment
900+
AND 2
Annual Theater Productions (Middle and Upper School)
9
NOW 0
Alumni
5,000 110
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Arts and Sciences
As Crossroads grew and began to occupy a patchwork of buildings on 21st Street, Paul and Roger discussed how to bring a sense of unity to the campus. They approached artist and visual arts teacher Michael Pestel for help. In 1987, he completed a sculpture called “Sine Wave” that stretched across the rooftops of three buildings. The mathematical curve physically connected Crossroads’ buildings and conceptually linked the various disciplines pursued within them. A section of the sculpture had to be removed when Crossroads stopped leasing 1721 21st St. (known then as Upper School East and now as Fit Dog). The remaining parts have changed color over the years: The original laminated wood is now painted brick red.
“The ’Sine Wave’ has connotations that are especially appropriate for the scholastic, artistic and athletic environment we inhabit at Crossroads. There is wave analysis in physics, pitch and timbre in music, mathematical functions, surfing and skateboarding. In other words, ’Sine Wave’ attempts to deal with the idea of ’sitespecific’ on both the level of symbols and of abstract space.” —Michael Pestel
1111 111 11
Inspired by “Sine Wave,” environmental artist Ned Kahn created another piece that adorns a 21st Street Campus rooftop. The 2015 opening of the Science Education & Research Facility marked a milestone in the School’s development, and atop the building’s two-story Projects Pavilion, Kahn installed a dazzling sculpture composed of small metal plates attached to wires crisscrossing a paraboloid structure. The appearance of the “Hyperbolic Paraboloid” constantly shifts with changes in the natural environment, as the plates move to reveal the often invisible interplay of light, wind and gravity. The sculpture reflects Crossroads’ continuing exploration of art and science and the intersections between them.
“I strive to create artworks that enable viewers to observe and interact with natural processes. I am less interested in creating an alternative reality than I am in capturing, through my art, the mysteriousness of the world around us.” —Ned Kahn
1112 112 11 2
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Lifers
“There is definitely a special bond between Crossroads ‘lifers.’ Having the same education and teachers from kindergarten through high school inevitably brought us all together. Crossroads affected my entire way of living, including my career path as an interior designer and art consultant. I think it’s because of Crossroads that I have an insatiable desire to do things differently. My teachers and peers always encouraged me to cultivate my own creativity. Everyone has a story, and Crossroads taught me to seek those stories.” —Catherine Nakajima ’08
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Gathering
by Deborah Dragon
Top: At Joanie Martin’s 2016 retirement party, Bob Friedman (foreground) announces that the Community Room has been named in her honor. Bottom: Elementary School students gather in the Community Room in 2020.
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On the Norton Campus, above the gym, sits one of Crossroads’ most versatile spaces. The Community Room has hosted countless School traditions: Friday Gatherings, Monday Morning Meetings, Fifth Grade Shakespeare, Moving Up ceremonies, Parent Councils and potlucks, Middle and Upper School music and dance performances, employee appreciation lunches, Equity & Justice Institute speaker events and much more. It’s one of the few spaces on either campus that can accommodate large numbers of our K-12 community members at once. So of course, it makes sense that this special room is named for a beloved member of the Crossroads community. Joanie Martin served as the director of the Elementary School for nearly three decades before retiring in 2016. Around that time, then-Board Chair Bob Friedman and his wife, Diana, made a capital campaign gift to the School that offered naming rights to the Community Room. All three of their children had gone through the Elementary School with Joanie at the helm, and they chose to name the room after her. “Joanie led the Elementary School for 29 years with her warmth, good heart and deep expertise in early childhood education,” Bob says. “Diana and I were thrilled to name the Community Room in honor of Joanie’s years of devotion to her students and the School.” Joanie’s longtime colleagues echo his sentiments. “Joanie Martin will always embody the heart and soul of Crossroads Elementary School,” says the division’s assistant head, Catherine Ramos, who worked with Joanie for 24 years. “The Community Room is where we begin each week with Monday Morning Meetings as a K-5 community and end each week all together at Friday Gatherings. The Joanie Martin Community Room honors Joanie’s commitment to the whole child, the whole family, the whole community.”
Deborah Dragon has been a Crossroads parent since 2010. She has served as the Elementary School Parent Association president and held most of its other jobs at one time or another. She has the distinction of being the last PA president to serve during Joanie’s tenure. Deborah is married to Justin Goldstein ’90 and is the parent of Jordana Goldstein ’23 and Austin Goldstein ’26.
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“After graduating from Crossroads, I completed my undergraduate studies at Morehouse College. I returned to work at the school that raised me for what I thought would be just a short pit stop as I completed law school on my way to an illustrious career in entertainment law. Well, plans changed. And 15 years later, I’m so proud to still be here. I often get asked why I came back and what keeps me coming back to this place. It’s not the easiest conversation to have with your parents after graduating from law school! But my answer came about easily: I had fallen in love. Crossroads played a critical role in giving me the confidence to question answers and to value my mental and physical health, as well as a sense of responsibility to my greater community. I’m at Crossroads because I get to play a role in shaping the lives of students who will bring change to the world. That’s my why.” —Anthony Locke ’01, Head of Upper School
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Rooms With a View
Students and teachers have always found ways to make the Crossroads campus their own. These are a few of the more memorable spaces from over the years.
Davida’s Office Wall Walking into the small, windowless office of Davida Wills Hurwin, you immediately feel the love. The walls are covered in scribbled notes of appreciation and thanks, testimonials from just a fraction of the students whose lives have been touched by the Drama Department chair during her 41 years at Crossroads. There are also posters, programs and countless photos from productions across decades. The space, set in the back of the theater building, is alive with the energy that Davida and her students bring to their work and reveals the lasting bonds between them.
The Lizard Lounge In the early 1980s, students surreptitiously turned unused space on the top floor of the Lichter Building into a hangout. The run-down warehouse/classroom building, located at what was then the southeast corner of the 21st Street Campus, underwent a major redesign in 1989 to become the Boxenbaum Arts Education Centre. But remnants of the lounge remain: The spraypainted sign is still visible from the elevator, when its doors are open but its car is lowered from the second to the first floor.
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Mike’s Science Classroom When the W. M. Keck Science Center opened in 1986, Michael Sommers began teaching in its narrowest lab, Muir. To make the space cozier, he brought in discarded upholstered office chairs. To pique students’ curiosity, he decorated with personal memorabilia, including his ponytail from 1995 and a dolphin skull. This eclectic, whimsical atmosphere engaged students in learning. Occasionally, for extra credit, he challenged students to spot the newest addition to the room as an exercise in observation—an essential skill for any scientist. In 2013, Mike retired after 29 years.
Tom’s History Classroom The classroom of Upper School history teacher Tom Laichas was a space where past and present converged. Every inch of his room, in what was then known as the Nat Trives Administration Building, was occupied by tangible reminders of history and current events: campaign posters, medieval illustrations, maps and flags, Eastern art, propaganda stickers and cardboard cutouts of American politicians of all stripes. The items adorning the walls and strung from the ceiling brought his subjects to vivid, colorful life. Tom retired in 2017 after 34 years of developing and teaching courses such as World Civilization, U.S. History and the Other Side of History.
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Boo!
A
s a holiday with infinite possibilities for creativity and self-expression— not to mention thrift shopping and a little chaos—Halloween holds a special place in the heart of the Crossroads community. Elementary School students, families, faculty and staff strut their stuff through the gym in the Halloween Parade. Middle Schoolers party on the basketball court, and Upper Schoolers hold a high-energy costume contest, complete with runway, in a celebration known as Alleyween. Not to be outdone, staff and faculty arrive on campus in full regalia. Every year, in every grade, whether scary, cute, wacky or just weird, we go all out!
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“For Halloween, I’ve always tried to have different costumes. There was the Big Sad Wolf, Count Dork-ULa, Captain Book … and then I had the idea of being Mr. Roast Chicken Head. We had a table with a hole cut in it and a whole platter of garnish, and I made these big drumsticks that I could control. My poor son, who was in first grade, was holding a bowl of breadcrumbs an hour before everyone got there, so I could wash my face with egg and then drench my head in the breadcrumbs. So, I was Mr. Roast Chicken Head, much to everyone’s delight and my humiliation.” —Scott Weintraub P’04 GP’26, retired K-12 drama teacher
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Friday Socks
Roger Weaver, 2009 Artwork by Robert Sturman ’88
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I
t sounds like a mnemonic device: My Headmaster Wears Pink Socks on Fridays. But for many years at Crossroads, it was just a statement of fact. Roger Weaver wore pink socks every Friday. Why? The socks were a gift from students at his previous school, and they requested he wear them every Friday. Most people at Crossroads didn’t know that. They just knew it was his thing. It made us smile. They weren’t a big deal, those pink socks, but they represented something important: permission. Crossroads has always had an open-minded dress code. The School generally doesn’t dictate what students can wear on campus, allowing people to find their own style and to experiment a little. Today’s student handbook prohibits “styles of dress that interfere with safety or denigrate the values of the School.” Beyond that, students are free to express themselves as they see fit. To figure out what you want to wear is to begin to understand who you are and how you want the world to see you. It sometimes requires courage, but Crossroads has long empowered students to be brave in their choices, in matters both big and small. So, it isn’t a mnemonic device—My Headmaster Wears Pink Socks on Fridays—but Roger’s simple act of individual expression may have inspired generations of students to make their own idiosyncratic choices, in fashion and in life.
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Parents Rock
by Karey Kirkpatrick
I can remember when my son Sami was in kindergarten—this was 2003— and I went to a Friday Morning Gathering and saw a small group of people onstage, playing guitars and singing. They were led by Susanna Hoffs P’13 P’17 and Paul Bushnell P’13 P’21 P’23, professional musicians who thought it would be nice to share what they did for a living with the kids and the community. And I thought to myself, “I have got to be a part of this.” So, I somewhat pathetically hung around Paul and Susanna, casually mentioning that I was a musician and a singer. And they very kindly took the bait and said, “Oh, you should join us!” I feigned surprise and said, “Oh, really? Yeah, maybe I can fit that into my schedule.” The next year, I joined what would affectionately become known as The Parent Band, and we performed the first Friday of every January. Over the years, the band grew and grew, until at one point, there were 21 people onstage. But the rule was, once your kid graduated from the Elementary School, you had to leave the band and make room for the next wave of musical parents. The tradition continues to this day. I think all who participate would agree that there’s nothing as heartwarming and gratifying as sharing something we love—music—with those we love even more—our kids, our families and the Crossroads community. Hands down, they are the warmest and most receptive audience any of us has ever had the privilege to play for.
Karey Kirkpatrick is a screenwriter, film director and Broadway librettist, lyricist and composer, and the parent of Sami Kirkpatrick ’16, Maia Kirkpatrick ’18 and Finn Kirkpatrick ’21.
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Top: Paul Bushnell, Susanna Hoffs and Karey Kirkpatrick perform “Eternal Flame” for the virtual 2020 Parent Association Spring Event Fundraiser, Couchella. Bottom: The Parent Band performs at a 2011 fundraiser for the Crossroads Community Outreach Foundation.
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Giving Back
Above: As some students provide manicures to residents of the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row, others mop dormitories and sort bins of donated items, 2019
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by Carol Halperin
“Not only do we have a tremendous number of Crossroads student-volunteer counselors at Camp Harmony, but the way in which they stay connected to our program even after they graduate is truly amazing. Their desire to give back year after year makes them a very special group of people.” Lindsay Schwartz, Executive Director, United in Harmony
Being part of the Community Service program for 25 years was a dream job. I enjoyed making connections in the community at large and connecting Upper School students with organizations meeting diverse local needs. Crossroads was the first independent school in the Los Angeles area to make community service hours a graduation requirement. I got involved with the program in 1981, when I volunteered my time as a parent. The following academic year I became a part-time faculty member, and the rest is history. Over the years, students increasingly chose projects that were especially meaningful to them. My greatest satisfaction was helping students find opportunities they were passionate about, then watching them give back to the community. Many wonderful relationships were developed between Crossroads School and nonprofit social service agencies. Some of the favorites were One Voice, Teen Line, Camp Harmony, Head Start, Children Helping Poor and Homeless People and Peer Education Program of Los Angeles. Many students have carried their community commitment into their professional lives. For example, Cecily Asher Lerner ’88, now a nonprofit consultant and grant writer, has dedicated her career to supporting organizations that make a social impact. “My passion for community service was ignited while at Crossroads School through community-service programming under the leadership of Carol Halperin. Thank you, Crossroads. More than 30 years later, I am still serving our community and I love my work!”
Carol Halperin served as Crossroads’ service coordinator from 1981 to 2007. Now retired, Carol volunteers with many organizations, including serving as vice president of programming for the Friends of the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. She is the parent of Michael Halperin ’82 and David Halperin ’86.
Over the past 50 years, Crossroads students from all three divisions have volunteered with countless local, national and international organizations. Here’s just a snapshot: Adopt-a-Family American Red Cross Belmont Village Senior Living Boys & Girls Clubs Camp Harmony Children Helping Poor and Homeless People Chords2Cure Head Start Heal the Bay Meals on Wheels Neighborhood Youth Association No-Kill Los Angeles One Voice Peer Education Program of Los Angeles People Assisting the Homeless The People Concern PS Science Safe Place for Youth Shane’s Inspiration/Aidan’s Place Silvercrest Senior Residence Sole Brothers St. Joseph Early Learning Center St. Jude Children’s Hospital Surfrider Foundation Teen Line The People Concern Union Rescue Mission Upward Bound House Virginia Avenue Park Westside Food Bank Wise Readers to Leaders
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XRDS SNAP SHOT
“That teacher with those two-toned, thick-framed glasses. The one who zips and flutters through the arts building—almost floating— filling the echoey halls with ecstatic (potentially asthmatic) fits of laughter. That sound. Like a moose getting waxed. It was Jim Hosney. That teacher, who—to quote so many of his students— forever changed my life. A kind of bohemian shaman guiding our newly unwrapped teenage minds through the various canons of great books and film, introducing us to the works of Proust, Woolf, Dostoevsky, Fellini, Godard, to name a few. Jim gave us the tools to find our own voice by way of deconstructing theirs, and he would do so in fiery, sermon-esque soliloquies, a visceral tremble of jouissance making its way to the edge of his fingertips and nearly compelling him to climb over desks in the process. He lived these books, these films, and relived them in each class, all while maintaining a voracious curiosity about our point of view. A teacher who came to school to learn. Jim gave us permission to be confident, to be daring, to use the word ‘jouissance’ in a sentence. And he nurtured and instilled in us the most invaluable gift for any artist—I would argue for any human, really, in all avenues of life: the art of critical thinking.” —SIMON HELBERG ’98 129
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The Alley
These views, from 1991 and 2017, reveal some of the ways the Alley has evolved. Two of the biggest changes were the gradual shift of parking to other locations and the removal of telephone poles when the lines were buried in 1992.
Graduations were held in the Alley, The Alley is the nerve center of the as were less official events, such as the 21st Street Campus. Every day, students, Halloween parade featuring 10-foot-tall teachers, staff and visitors pass through, puppets and the short-lived annual senior hang out, converse, collaborate, study and water fight (quashed when some Middle eat lunch there. You might see student Schoolers were caught in the crossfire). bands performing on the cement stage, Serious activism has taken place in the friends playing four square, clubs vying Alley, such as a teachers’ rally against the for new members or teams of students Iraq War and a student vigil against police investigating a “crime scene” for a forensics brutality. The Alley has also been the science unit. It’s the space on campus that site of epic pranks, like the time seniors is the least narrowly defined and the most hauled in 10 tons of actual snow to create alive—the place where everything happens. a winter wonderland. The street was even When Crossroads moved to 21st Street in 1972, the Alley was a gritty thoroughfare, transformed into a wild animal park for a drive-through Alley Party during the home to Lance’s Body Shop, Broadway COVID-19 pandemic. No doubt some of Sheet Metal and other small businesses, the Alley’s best stories are secrets known as well as a few residential buildings. only to those who lived them. Students and teachers parked alongside Despite the expansion of campus over tow trucks and lined up with local workers the years, the Alley retains its fundamental when the catering truck made its daily rawness and malleability. For decades, stop. As the school occupied more students have embraced this unconventional buildings along 20th and 21st streets, the “town square” as a place to live out the Alley began to feel more like part of the values that Crossroads has always held campus: Students hung out at lunchtime dear—connection, civic engagement and on the hoods of their parked cars, murals creativity—making it not only the School’s cropped up and eventually a few trees nerve center, but also its heart. were planted.
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The Art of Play
By Daryl Roper
It’s so important for kids to be active. The Physical Education Department is all about promoting healthy habits by helping kids find sports or fitness activities that they enjoy. What do you like and where are you starting from? And let’s build from there. There’s no pressure to be an athlete or even to be particularly “good” at anything. If they are moving and engaged, they will improve their skill set and fitness level. We set the parameters and let them do what they do. When you come to Crossroads, particularly if you’re outside, there is a certain level of noise. You don’t even have to see our students; you hear them. There are days that I’m sitting there and I’m tired and I hear them, and I lock in on the happiness they’re experiencing just by playing. As a teacher, that’s what gets me going every day, when students have that kind of fun. Children have a natural joyfulness when they’re active; it’s really the art of play. I get pumped up when they have fun, and I sort of become their cheerleader. And that’s really what’s kept me in this game for this long.
Daryl Roper is an Upper School P.E. teacher. He first joined Crossroads in 1982 and spent two years as an assistant varsity basketball coach and Elementary P.E. assistant. He left to play professional basketball in Europe and returned to Crossroads in 1989 as a varsity basketball coach and P.E. teacher. Daryl is the parent of Bree’An Roper ’07 and Lauren Roper ’16.
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50
We Celebrate Them All
by Morgan and Kristina Schwartz
Our School has relatively few traditions or customs as significant as the Commencement and Moving Up ceremonies. These events formally mark the culmination of a significant chapter of a student’s education as they prepare to transition into a new one, bringing the community together to acknowledge these important milestones. The work that goes into these ceremonies powerfully demonstrates the value our community places on education: Facilities staff construct and decorate stages and risers, setting up row upon row of audience seating; large numbers of family and friends gather; students, faculty and administrators give formal speeches; student musicians perform; and parents host receptions. The Elementary and Middle School divisions call their events “Moving Up ceremonies,” in which each student receives a certificate to acknowledge their promotion to the next division. The Upper School ceremony, called Commencement, is the only actual graduation. In all three divisions, students are not sorted by any measure other than the alphabet. Purposefully, there is no academic ranking or hierarchy, no dean’s list, no differentiation by performance. Crossroads celebrates the class as a whole, in keeping with the philosophy of the School. Benefiting from a smaller class size, each Elementary School student writes and memorizes a brief speech to share at the ceremony. At the Middle School Moving Up and at Commencement, students may volunteer to sing, dance or play an instrument, often delivering moving performances as the culmination of their artistic studies. All speakers are students and faculty members rather than invited guests from outside the School. Family and friends who deeply care for the students witness as the name of each one is called during the ceremonies, allowing the individual to be acknowledged for successes achieved, risks taken and failures overcome: in short, for the collective lessons learned in the classroom, art studio, theater, dance studio or athletic field, as well as in the Alley or on the play yard. Regardless of the division, the student moving up or graduating often experiences a surge of emotions regarding this passage. Certainly, there is excitement, as evidenced by the nearly universal sweaty handshakes at the podium! While some students can’t wait to face the next challenge and chapter of their education and others are sad to move on, all leave their mark on the School as contributing and valued members of a class—together we celebrate them all!
Morgan Schwartz came to Crossroads in 1986 to teach Upper School science classes. He went on to serve as the Middle School assistant director and director, Upper School acting director and assistant head of school before retiring in 2018. Kristina Schwartz was director of college guidance from 1985 to 2000. They met at Crossroads in 1986 and married in 1990. Since retiring, they have been traveling, bike riding and hiking.
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Upper School Commencement, 1982
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(The Next) 50 Years Forward
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“I’m thrilled to serve as Crossroads’ interim head of school for the 2022-23 school year. Crossroads’ remarkable 50-year history confirms our founders’ belief that a school should nurture both the mind and the spirit, and that ‘it is the School’s responsibility to foster [children’s] innate sense of the mystery and joy of life.’ Fifty years later, our students are still exploring life’s joys and mysteries in a learning environment that encourages individual expression and community connection. As we look to Crossroads’ future, we are indebted to the founders, teachers, administrators, staff members, alumni and families who built and have maintained our School’s unique and vibrant culture over the decades. I’m excited for today’s Crossroads community to write the next chapter in the School’s storied history and to see where this journey takes us. Cheers to the next 50 years!” —Mariama Richards P’35, Associate Head of School
Mariama and Middle School students, 2022
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What is your wish for Crossroads over the next 50 years?
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What is your wish for Crossroads over the next 50 years?
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