Mission: Strong Minds, Kind Hearts
Crossroads Academy is an independent, coeducational day school committed to academic excellence and moral integrity. Through the Core Knowledge and Core Virtues programs, we inspire our students to love learning, act honorably, and contribute actively to intellectual, cultural, and civic life.
Core Knowledge
As defined by E.D. Hirsch, Core Knowledge is a body of solid, shared, specific, and sequenced knowledge most essential for literacy in contemporary American society. Core Knowledge consists of the essential concepts and facts in history, literature, geography, mathematics, and science. At Crossroads Academy, the curriculum is enriched with music, visual and performing arts, physical education, and world languages. We animate this body of knowledge with creative teaching and engaging projects, and use this to produce a curriculum in which essential skills in reading, writing, and mathematics are taught to mastery through direct instruction and a low student/teacher ratio. Our program includes academic, cultural, religious, and civics literacy and prepares our students to contribute fully to intellectual, cultural, and democratic life.
Core Virtues
As defined by Mary Beth Klee, “Core Virtues” are those traits of character that define human moral goodness. Centered upon the four cardinal virtues of justice, wisdom, courage, and temperance as well as the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, this literature-based curriculum aims to capture the hearts and minds of our students. At Crossroads Academy, we strive to foster these character traits through discussions of the virtues, illustrations of virtues in literature and history, intentional reflection, community service, and through the ethos and tone of conduct in our school and playgrounds. Core Virtues are habits of the heart rather than a set of commandments, rules, or laws. The teaching of these universally admired virtues constitutes a unifying “crossroads” for our community and affirms our conviction that knowledge and virtue are cornerstones of a healthy republic.
Unity of Academic and Moral Virtues
We believe that virtues such as perseverance, intellectual honesty, and intellectual courage are both academic and moral virtues. This belief is reflected in the school motto “Scientia Virtusque” — ”Knowledge and Virtue.” At Crossroads Academy, the Core Virtues create an ethos of responsibility and caring that fosters a disciplined, passionate, and cooperative pursuit of our program. As students master the content and practice the virtues, they gain, over time, an appreciation of who they are and who they aspire to be.
