Historical letter by Daniel Schesch. Criticisms and interpretations are the writer’s opinion; source quotations and notes are preserved.
Dear Editor, The content of the effusive article in the November issue on Crossroads School newly arrived on DeBaliviere is a bit much for me.
Until late 1970 Art and Carol Lieber lived next door to me at 6032 McPherson. Things (crime and pessimism) were getting pretty bad in the neighborhood.
They moved that fall. I talked to them about staying in the neighborhood, but they wanted to be near the school they were starting, not here, but in Laclede Town, then considered urban chic.
They didn’t “want to be part of the growth of this neighborhood and offer their resources” at that risky time like those residents who stayed, as well as St. Roch’s School and the Neighborhood School. Perhaps a measure of our success is that we created growth and have resources they can now use to Crossroads’ advantage.
But it is the high sounding phrases like “we can strengthen the fiber of the community”1, that ring false. “A hardy, hearty band of intellectual adventurers” is not what Crossroads appears to be.
It looks like a private school which skims off the cream of the “curious and motivated kids, with average intelligence or above”2, to work with students that any competent teacher or administrator drools at the thought of having in a classroom or school.
Well, welcome back anyway. Is there such a thing as a prodigal school? Daniel Schesch
1. Crossroads solicitation letter, August 6, 1980
2. Quote of the Liebers, the Paper, November, 1980
Unattributed descriptive quotes, The Paper, November 1980
Originally published in The Paper, February 1981.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1981_02.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
