Every December since 1917, the auditorium at Rossman School has become a sea of red as the school’s 200-plus students don capes, passed down for generations, and perform holiday songs. At the end of the program, alumni are invited to join in a custom rendition of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. David Kantrovitz participated as a student in the early 1980s, and now enjoys sharing the experience with his daughters, Katie and Emily. “It’s a neat camaraderie for the kids to be together and give this performance for their families,” he says. “I remember enjoying it as a kid, and now it’s fun to be on the other side of it, getting to sing with my girls.”
Rossman is an independent school in Creve Coeur committed to helping students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade reach their full p
otential. “The culture here is based on our motto of kindness, honesty, respect and responsibility,” says director of admissions Katharine Durham. “Traditions foster our longstanding commitment to both strong academics and character development.”
The annual holiday program is one of many Rossman traditions. Among the others, Durham says, is having only one class per grade. Every student at each grade level has a team of teachers, which gives all students the same foundation, she explains. Those teachers meet with the next grade-level teachers at the end of the year to discuss each child’s unique needs, she says. “Every adult at the school knows the name of every child,” Durham says, which creates a strong sense of community. “We are committed to making sure every child feels like they are known and loved.”
Those entering the school for the first time are placed in a ‘family’ that includes ‘siblings’ (one student from each grade level) and a ‘parent’ (a teacher or administrator). “The older children take the new student on a tour of the school, introduce them to their teachers and show them their desks,” Durham says. “Those families meet monthly and stay together year after year.”
Other traditions include whole-school gatherings every Monday morning, and the daily family-style lunch for students and faculty, which “allows for very different conversations than just 10 minutes in the classroom,” Durham says. Each spring, high school seniors who attended Rossman are invited back to participate in a Spirit Day basketball game with the school’s fifth- and sixth-graders. Rossman also hosts an annual soccer tournament on the campus’ two fields, a Grandparents’ Day that allows the older generation to participate in their grandchildren’s classes, and a field day featuring games facilitated by parents.
The year ends with graduation ceremonies for kindergarteners and sixth-graders. David Kantrovitz is looking forward to Emily’s graduation this spring but also is sad to see the sixth-grader’s time at Rossman come to an end. “It’s a special place, and traditions are a big part of that,” he says. “The traditions have survived so long because they create a culture that’s so incredibly positive and beneficial for kids this age.”
[Rossman School, for students from junior kindergarten through sixth grade, is located at 12660 Conway Road in Creve Coeur. A junior kindergarten observation will be held at 9 a.m., Nov. 12, and an open house will take place 8:30 to 11 a.m., Dec. 16. For more information, call 314.434.5877 or visit rossmanschool.org.]
Featured image: The annual Rossman School holiday program in 1937
Pictured on the cover: A group of Rossman students sing in the annual holiday program.
Cover design by Jon Fogel | Cover photo by Tim Parker Photography
