A Discussion With Matthew Gould, Head of School at Community School, Part II

The is the second and concluding part of the interview with Matthew Gould, head of school since 2004 at Community School in Ladue.

Ladue-Frontenac Patch: Woodworking and practical arts seem to be very popular here at Community School.

Matthew Gould: This has been that way for 100 years. When alumni come back to visit and I tour them around, even if its from 1931, the first thing they want to do is go back to that woodshop. There’s something totally sensory about going back—the sawdust, the place smells good. They can still remember the project they worked on when they were a student here. They can still remember the Viking ship or the picture frame they made for their parents. Woodworking is a great way to integrate math. For measuring and building, this is a very helpful program.

Patch: I know you have a lot of great families here. What is your method to keep them engaged and involved?

Gould: We are lucky to have a number of great families involved. Our retention rate for students is 96 percent. Parents are involved at the classroom level, especially in our early childhood center. Parents might read a story to the children. They might be involved with a cooking project.

Parents are in and out of that little building, interacting with the children all the time.

Teachers are always very accommodating. It is healthy and helpful to have the parents involved with their children. The children figured out which class will graduate in the 100th year. It's our fourth grade, and you can feel the energy already.

Patch: Family-style dining is a big activity here. Why so?

Gould: Family-style lunches is a hallmark of Community School. Before lunch, a subset of each class comes five minutes before the meal to set the tables with napkins and silverware and set out the meal of the day on the tables. Even the youngest children do this, too.

Then the rest of the school comes, they sing a grace before the meal, then seven or eight students will sit at round tables with a teacher. We find this a very civilized, respectful way to have a meal together each day. We create a family-type atmosphere while away from home.

This is a great way for teachers to talk to children about nonacademic things in their lives. They tell about their sports and those kinds of things. Our children feel appreciated and loved, and sitting down today and having a family meal together is old-fashioned but it teaches good manners and respect, and we can emphasize a healthy luncheon. We serve no sugar desserts. We believe a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.

Seats are assigned, so there’s no pressure about where to sit, or trying to sit with a friend. By the end of the year, all students will have sat next to all other students in their grade level. It's all very democratic.

Sometimes, our sixth-graders will lead a table and relieve the teacher of having to supervise the table. We emphasize leadership development, and this is a very good opportunity for them to do that.

Patch: How prepared are your graduating students when they go onto secondary level private schools?

Gould: We hear often they are very prepared. We track our graduates, and we find most of our graduates are going into high tracks. Academic leaders at local schools love to have our kids and tell us they are both academically and socially prepared for the challenges of their schools.

They (students) generally find their way into leadership positions, whether it's math and science, the arts or athletics. Our placement record into the secondary schools is very high. Nearly 90 percent of our students get their first choices of schools, and we are very proud of that.

Patch: Does Community embrace a diverse student population?

Gould: Diversity is very much a strategic goal of the school, and my personal goal, and of the board and trustees. It is at all levels whether it be ethically, or racially, or socioeconomically.

We believe our elementary students should be exposed to a human range of diversity. The board has allocated a good budget for financial aid. About 20 percent of our student body receives some sort of financial aid—one in five and 21 percent of our students are non white which includes African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos, and multiracial. This is something we are very proud of.

Patch: What is it like to be an independent school in this community?

Gould: I find independent schools in St. Louis to be second to none. I find the richness of this school to be thrilling. There are so many great schools in town. We have a very collegial base where we can bounce ideas off of other educators and find the quality of education in St. Louis to be much higher than in most markets in the country.

There are so many good schools, it has forced each of them to be a little bit better. Most schools are true to their missions and push themselves to be so. We really have to be true to ourselves. We have very vigorous academics on one hand and on the other hand, this is a very supportive, nurturing environment.

Our beautiful 16-acre campus is very advantageous to us. We use our pond for environmental projects, we have all kinds of hiking trails and gardens for growing, and we even sled on the hills in the winter.

Patch: What is the favorite part of working for Community School?

Gould: To be with the children. I am so fortunate to be in an environment where I am surrounded by children all day. I feel lucky to have this job. I greet every child every morning. I shake hand with the children as they arrive at school and that’s the highlight of my day.