A letter from Patty Sargent to George Hoeppner, chair of the Stillwater board.
Dear Chairman Hoeppner,
I am writing in regards to the proposed grade expansion of Crosswinds School and to urge the board and the superintendent of Stillwater Schools to support this proposal to its fullest.
I am the parent of a 9th grade son and three sons in 7th grade. We moved to Woodbury and into the Stillwater school district just over a year ago, from St Paul. We loved our neighborhood in St Paul which was culturally diverse and convenient to the amenities of a large city. Unfortunately we discovered that while the boys continued to grow the house did not and relocation was a necessity. As we faced selling and buying in the worst market in history we kept in the forefront of our minds that were doing the right thing for our sons. As we looked for suitable homes we were very cognizant of locations that would allow our sons to continue to attend Crosswinds following the move. We were pleased to locate our current home and know that we would be in Stillwater School District, a quality district in its own right, and a member district of EMID.
When we made the choice of school for our oldest son as he entered kindergarten, we were very aware that with open enrollment and the lottery system in St Paul we were making a choice not only for James but for his three younger brothers as well. While St Paul schools have much to offer and is a district rich in a variety of open enrollment options, we were drawn to, what was then Tri-District, now Harambee for a multitude of reasons. The multiage grade structure allowed gifted children to excel, but remain closely connected with their home community. The year round school calendar, while a challenge at times, provides continuous educational opportunities throughout the year with no loss of skills and little need for re-teaching of skills so additional curricular content can be presented. Finally, these students are immersed in an authentic, multicultural environment that prepares them to excel as knowledgeable and sensitive world citizens. When the time came for our oldest son to move on to middle school, there was no question that he would continue with EMID and attend Crosswinds, even knowing that he would be unable to complete high school in this setting without significant changes. As his younger brothers entered 6th grade they too went on to Crosswinds. We have never regretted this difficult decision.
Crosswinds is a truly unique educational setting and like all positive choice options it is not a school for every child. Stillwater high school has made dramatic efforts to structure itself to have the feel of a small community based school, but has not compromised its award winning athletic, music and performing arts programs, kudos to the administration of Stillwater High School for their efforts. However Crosswinds, by its very nature is already a small, highly supportive and integrated community. Teachers and students know one another for years rather than weeks. The International Baccalaureate program insures that students receive a well rounded education. In addition to reading, writing and math; they learn how to learn and to be responsible world citizens in an ever changing and more technologically dependent world. The arts and music programs, while small, are outstanding. What Crosswinds lacks; an athletic department, proms, large school dances, homecoming bonfires and almost endless electives; is not missed by Crosswinds students. Crosswinds students have developed their own unique culture with their own traditions. These students do not feel they have lost out on anything, but do believe strongly that they have gained much.
There is one tradition that Crosswinds students do miss and would like to claim and make their own, that is the right the walk at graduation and collect a diploma in their home from the hands of their school family. Please do not dim the dreams of these students and deny them this opportunity. I urge you to recognize that Crosswinds is another quality option that is offered under Stillwater schools and like all such options should feed the dreams of its students to be all they can be and more because they were nurtured to flight in a place where they belonged.
Sincerely yours.
Patricia Sargent