North Cross School
  • WHO WE ARE
    • Vision & Values
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Building Character
    • Student & Parent Handbook
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Administration
    • Head of School Search
    • Head of School's Blog
    • Campus Map
    • In the News
    • NOW@NORTHCROSS
  • ACADEMICS
    • Lower School >
      • Early Childhood Program
      • First through Third Grades
      • Fourth and Fifth Grades
      • Sixth and Seventh Grades
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Upper School >
      • Eighth through Twelfth Grades >
        • Global Studies Distinction
        • STEM Distinction
        • Fine Arts Distinction
        • Internship Program
      • Course Catalog
      • College Counseling
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Hancock Library
    • CrossWalk for Learning Differences >
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Distance Learning
  • ARTS
    • Band
    • Chorus
    • Studio Art & Graphic Design
    • Theater
    • Friends of the Arts
  • ATHLETICS
    • Athletics Calendar
    • Teams & Schedules
    • Championships & Awards
    • Forms
    • Facilities >
      • Carter Athletic Center (CAC)
    • Meet Our Athletics Staff
    • Athletic Boosters
    • In the News
  • STUDENT LIFE
    • Dress Code
    • Extracurriculars
    • International Students
    • Boarding at North Cross
    • After-School Opportunities
    • Summer Programs
  • COMMUNITY
    • Log in to FACTS
    • School Calendar
    • Parent Resources >
      • Back-to-School
      • Student & Parent Handbook
      • Contact Us
    • Alumni >
      • Awards
      • Athletic Hall of Fame
      • In the News
      • Class Notes
      • In Memoriam
    • Spirit Stores >
      • Apparel
      • Gifts & Accessories
      • RaiderGear Athletic Wear
    • Faculty and Staff Links
    • Employment Opportunities
  • ADMISSIONS
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • What is an independent school?
    • Inquire & Tour
    • How to Apply
    • Tuition and Fees
    • International Student FAQs
    • Meet Our Team
  • SUPPORT
    • Give to North Cross
    • The Legacy Campaign
    • Meet Our Team

January 24th, 2020

1/24/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Dr. Caroline Light ’87 speaks with Upper School students this morning in Willis Hall.
Recently, we approached a “donor with capacity” to ask him for a gift to the capital campaign.  This gentleman had been generous in the past but before he made this gift, he wanted us to send him a report describing the success we are having at North Cross School.  He is a pretty data-driven kind of guy, so we gathered up the standard statistics that measure student achievement; SAT scores, AP success rates, number of AP scholars, admission numbers for certain selective universities, and the like. Fortunately for us, we stack up very nicely against public and independent schools and I like to think we will get a nice gift.
However, the report read hollow to me because it did not tell the real story of North Cross School. The reality is that we take smart, average students and produce Governor School style results. Our student population reflects the Valley in that slightly more than a third of our students receive need-based tuition assistance and our classrooms are the most diverse in the County. We have long since stopped planning for our future by looking at what other local schools are doing.  We know that the only way to become better is to look to aspirational schools found in the Virginia independent school world and around the globe.  

A data-driven report does not tell the tale of Colin Chandel, a quiet ninth grader emerging from his scholarly pursuits to make his theatre debut as Mr. Green of Clue fame.  Or, of Brian Bao and Michael Habib, seniors with no prior experience on the boards, stepping out as Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum.  

No numbers can demonstrate how excited I was to watch our varsity basketball team defeat a much larger and very talented team from Virginia Episcopal School.  Watching Nelson Etuk go 14 and 11, and toss in four blocks was joyful. It was the first time in my nine years we have beaten VES. Watching us play smart, patient, team basketball reminds me that athletics will always play a crucial role in the development of North Cross students.  The data-driven report does not reveal the fact that our students are asked to participate athletically so that they learn the values of teamwork and hard work.

Just today, we had an award-winning, Harvard professor on campus speaking to our students about her research on gender and religious identity, stand your ground laws, and equally important for our students, her development while a student at North Cross.  Dr. Caroline Light, North Cross Class of 1987, was named this year’s Distinguished Alumna and her presentations brought out the great North Cross teachers of yore, Gates Dehart, Doc Maycock, Richard Cook, Peter Wonson, and Margaret Grayson. Statistics won’t show how North Cross students are regularly exposed to presentations that would never see the light at large public institutions.  Nor do they speak to the benefit that our students receive by belonging to an intellectual community that includes Harvard Teachers of the Year, MacArthur Genius Grant winners, and Canons in the Episcopal Church.  

I am like everyone else.  Some days, it is easier to get up in the morning and go to work.  On others, rolling over and going back to sleep seems like a very attractive option.  My depths of winter, rainy day words of wisdom for you: don’t roll over and go back to sleep, because there has never been a better time to be at North Cross.​
1 Comment
Frank Ellett
1/24/2020 09:05:00 pm

Chris,
Very well said and very true!
Best
Frank

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Christian J. Proctor, PhD

    Dr. Proctor is the ninth Head of School at North Cross and has served as such since 2011. He has more than 30 years of experience in education. He has served as headmaster at Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina, St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, Louisiana, Grace Episcopal School in Monroe, Louisiana, and as Interim Headmaster at Wesley Academy in Houston, Texas. In each location, Dr. Proctor’s tenure was marked by creativity, innovation, and school growth. 

    Dr. Proctor earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from Colgate University, a Master’s Degree in Geology from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A native of Chapel Hill, NC, Dr. Proctor and his wife, Ellie, have two children, Katherine and Andrew ’14.

    He can be reached at cproctor@northcross.org.

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017

    Categories

    All
    Academics
    Alumni
    AP Scholars
    Arts
    Athletics
    Back To School
    Board Of Trustees
    Campus
    Capital Campaign
    Carpool
    Character
    China
    College Placement
    Commencement
    Community
    Construction
    COVID-19
    Development
    Distance Learning
    Dyslexia Awareness
    Education Reform
    Extracurricular
    Faculty
    Global Studies
    Literacy
    Lower School
    Nanchang
    Public Speaking
    School Closings
    State Of The School
    Statistics
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Vertical Divider

4254 Colonial Avenue
Roanoke, Virginia 24018
540-989-6641 • (540) 989-7299 (FAX)

HOURS: M-F; 8AM-4PM

North Cross Shanghai
North Cross School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school founded in 1944 and governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees.

All contact information listed on this website is for official North Cross School business only. North Cross School does not accept unsolicited advertisements sent to school email addresses, phone numbers, or fax numbers listed on this site.

North Cross School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status in the administration of its educational, admission, financial aid or employment policies, or any other programs administered by the School. For more information, read our Inclusivity Statement.

​Accreditation
North Cross is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. North Cross School's Junior Kindergarten is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools who is recognized by the Board of Education pursuant to §22.1-19 of the Code of Virginia authorizes the Virginia Council for Private Education to accredit private nursery, preschool, elementary and secondary schools in Virginia
.

Memberships
North Cross is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, National Association for College Admission Counseling, and Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling, The Cum Laude Society and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

​
Privacy Policy
  • WHO WE ARE
    • Vision & Values
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Building Character
    • Student & Parent Handbook
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Administration
    • Head of School Search
    • Head of School's Blog
    • Campus Map
    • In the News
    • NOW@NORTHCROSS
  • ACADEMICS
    • Lower School >
      • Early Childhood Program
      • First through Third Grades
      • Fourth and Fifth Grades
      • Sixth and Seventh Grades
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Upper School >
      • Eighth through Twelfth Grades >
        • Global Studies Distinction
        • STEM Distinction
        • Fine Arts Distinction
        • Internship Program
      • Course Catalog
      • College Counseling
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Hancock Library
    • CrossWalk for Learning Differences >
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Distance Learning
  • ARTS
    • Band
    • Chorus
    • Studio Art & Graphic Design
    • Theater
    • Friends of the Arts
  • ATHLETICS
    • Athletics Calendar
    • Teams & Schedules
    • Championships & Awards
    • Forms
    • Facilities >
      • Carter Athletic Center (CAC)
    • Meet Our Athletics Staff
    • Athletic Boosters
    • In the News
  • STUDENT LIFE
    • Dress Code
    • Extracurriculars
    • International Students
    • Boarding at North Cross
    • After-School Opportunities
    • Summer Programs
  • COMMUNITY
    • Log in to FACTS
    • School Calendar
    • Parent Resources >
      • Back-to-School
      • Student & Parent Handbook
      • Contact Us
    • Alumni >
      • Awards
      • Athletic Hall of Fame
      • In the News
      • Class Notes
      • In Memoriam
    • Spirit Stores >
      • Apparel
      • Gifts & Accessories
      • RaiderGear Athletic Wear
    • Faculty and Staff Links
    • Employment Opportunities
  • ADMISSIONS
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • What is an independent school?
    • Inquire & Tour
    • How to Apply
    • Tuition and Fees
    • International Student FAQs
    • Meet Our Team
  • SUPPORT
    • Give to North Cross
    • The Legacy Campaign
    • Meet Our Team