The Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California is a prestigious private K-12 school. A large proportion of its students are commonly perceived to be children of important entertainment industry figures. Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica is a coastal city in western Los Angeles County, California, USA, by the Pacific Ocean, south of Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, and north of Venice. ...

The school was founded in 1971 by Paul Cummins and Dr. Rhoda Makoff as an effort in progressive private education. The school is known for its artistic curricula such as dance and film, as well as its upper school newspaper, Crossfire, consistently ranked among the top 20 high school newspapers in the country. Originally conceived as a school for the "Arts", Crossroads' academic curriculum is considered competitive with those of America's top private schools. Many students from Crossroads are accepted at Ivy League and other prestigious colleges. The Ivy League athletic conference, founded in 1954, consists of eight private institutions of higher education located in the eastern United States. ...

The school pioneers innovative teaching styles and curriculum changes. Since its founding, AP classes have been excluded from the curriculum, and students have been taught to address teachers by first name. Some question this untraditional approach, but many at Crossroads insist that this practice fosters friendship and trust between the authority figure and the pupil.

The 2004 book Hollywood Interrupted by Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner (ISBN 0471450510), depicted the school (and the celebrities who send their children there) in a negative, sensational way. A student of Crossfire responded to the article in a feature interview with the authors, winning recognition from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association as the 2004 High School Feature. Andrew Breitbart is best known as a former contributor for the popular U.S.-based Drudge Report website, one time author, and occasional guest commentator for political news programs. ...

Notable alumni

• Sean Astin
• Jack Black
• Gary Coleman
• Baron Davis
• Emily Deschanel
• Zooey Deschanel
• Kate Hudson
• Oliver Hudson
• Maya Rudolph
• Blake Schwarzenbach

Sean Astin with his wife Christine and his oldest daughter Alexandra in Wellington (New Zealand) for the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971 in Santa Monica, California) is a film actor, director, and producer. ... For other persons named Jack Black, see Jack Black (disambiguation). ... Gary Coleman Gary Wayne Coleman (born February 8, 1968, in Zion, Illinois) is an American actor. ... Baron Davis (born April 13, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) is a point guard with the Golden State Warriors. ... Emily Deschanel (born October 11, 1976 in Los Angeles, California, United States) is an American actress who made her big screen debut in the 1994 comedy It Could Happen to You. ... Publicity still of Zooey Deschanel as Trillian in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005) Zooey Claire Deschanel (born January 17, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress of French and Irish descent. ... Kate Hudson in the film Almost Famous Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress. ... http://img362. ... Maya Rudolph on SNL Opening Credits Maya Rudolph Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972 in Gainesville, Florida) is a cast member on Saturday Night Live and the daughter of the late soul singer Minnie Riperton. ... The Stub of this article. ...

External links

• http://www.xrds.org/