There is no question that school is one of the biggest influences in children’s lives—second only to parents and family. Elementary education is fundamental to academic, social and emotional development. Rossman School is dedicated to laying a strong foundation for academic exploration and engagement, so students are inspired to become lifelong learners. The independent elementary school offers a challenging curriculum rooted in academics, arts and character growth. “The two most important things we provide students are wings and roots,” head of school Elizabeth Zurlinden says. “We are committed to creating an environment where children feel safe to take risks, explore and wonder.”
While instilling students with both roots and wings may seem counterintuitive, Zurlinden notes that they are two sides of the same coin. “There needs to be balance in the learning process,” she explains. “By providing support for our students, we also encourage autonomy. At Rossman, education is about celebrating childhood and kids’ natural curiosity—that’s what pushes them to problem solve and achieve. We educate both their hearts and minds. It shapes who they become.”
Rossman encourages children to take control of their own education and explore academic topics that interest them. Zurlinden recalls one example where a class was working on painting boats to learn about perspective in art class. One boy was very proud of his and expressed an interest in finding a way to bring it off the paper. The teacher encouraged him to come up with a way to do so and then pivoted her lessons to include the student’s plan to build boats. “It ended up being an amazing project,” she says. “It was student-imagined, -designed and -implemented. The most effective learning is rooted in making room for children’s ideas and interests.”
Even the youngest students at Rossman are encouraged to participate in the school’s hands-on approach to education. Starting in junior kindergarten, they become part of a Rossman Family—a group including a student from every grade level that is led by a faculty member. The program is designed to build connections across the entire school, and time is set aside every month for Rossman Families to meet and engage with one another. “It’s a very sweet part of our students’ experience,” Zurlinden says. “Junior kindergarteners have big brothers and sisters in every grade to support them, and family meetings are a place where a lot of character education takes place. It is just another way we help our students take root in a nurturing environment.”
The success of Rossman’s approach to education is evident in its alumni and how they have flourished in the school’s 105-year history. Every five years, the school honors former students at its Distinguished Alumni Awards. “It’s fun to learn what our alums are doing and see them reflect back on their experiences at Rossman,” Zurlinden notes. “When I interview former students, I always ask them to complete this sentence: Rossman is blank. The No. 1 answer is home. It tells me a lot about the environment we’ve created to nurture and support young learners. Kids feel comfortable here because it is like family.”
Located on 20 acres in St. Louis County, Rossman School serves children in junior kindergarten through grade six. The independent elementary school offers a challenging curriculum in academics, arts and character growth. Pictured on the cover: Junior kindergarten students learn about butterflies with teacher Julie Renne. For more information, call 314.434.5877 or visit rossmanschool.org.
Cover design by Julie Streiler
Cover photo by Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography
Pictured at top: Rossman students experience joy in learning and friendship
Photo courtesy of Rossman School
