Historical April 1981 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Dear Editor, As a long time Skinker-DeBaliviere resident, a former Crossroads School teacher, a parent of two children who have attended Neighborhood School, St. Louis Public School and now with one child at Crossroads School, I would like to respond to Daniel Schesch’s letter in the February issue of The Paper.
By implying that phrases like “want to be part of the growth of this neighborhood” and “we can strengthen the fiber of the community” are false, because the Liebers moved to Laclede Town in 1970, Mr. Schesch, in my opinion, is failing to see the entire picture.
The neighborhood, particularly the DeBaliviere area, is still growing, and was largely vacant buildings with grand plans, when Crossroads committed themselves to extensive, expensive renovation.
The Liebers and Karen Techner, Principal of the middle school, see the community as the entire city.
They are using the area’s resources to teach students to be good citizens appreciating the diversity of the whole. School Board member Schesch’s statement that Crossroads “looks like a private school which skims off the cream” suggests that Crossroads School is an entity who seduces children and their parents away from righteous teachers and administrators.
Think about it. Why would any parent choose to pay even Crossroads tuition (substantially less than half the combined costs of educating a child in the public system and less than half the cost of a private school in the County)?
It isn’t that I have the money to throw away.
It can’t be the status of a school in a converted supermarket down the street from a boarded-up theater which once boasted “Evelyn West and her Treasure Chest”. I send one child to Crossroads, because Crossroads has dedicated teachers who offer exciting classes and the opportunity, encouragement and appreciation for students making the most of their individual gifts. My second child attends a Magnet School because there are also some excellent teachers in the Public Schools, in spite of its cumbersome bureaucracy and regulation. School Board members are to be congratulated when their combined efforts give all children access to quality education. I am sure that it is a difficult and often frustrating task.
But please, no sour grapes. Wherever, and however children receive that unique and elusive teaching, let us support it and rejoice. Sincerely, Libby Gilk
Originally published in The Paper, April 1981.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1981_04.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
