Crossroads School (Santa Monica, California)

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences is a private/independent, college preparatory school in Santa Monica, California, United States. The school is a former member of the G30 Schools group.

History

The school was founded in 1971 as a secular institution affiliated with St. Augustine By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Santa Monica.<ref name=cool /> Although the founders, and many of the school's original students, came from the former St. Augustine By-the-Sea Episcopal Day School in Santa Monica, Crossroads School has always been a secular institution. Crossroads started with three rooms in a Baptist church offering grades seven and eight, and an initial enrollment of just over 30 students.<ref name=cool>Template:Cite news</ref> The name Crossroads was suggested by Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken", in which Frost writes:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.<ref>[1] Template:Webarchive</ref>

As St. Augustine's grew to junior and senior high school, the founders started Crossroads with a separate board of directors and separate campus, which eventually merged in the 1980s under the name Crossroads. Co-founder Paul Cummins became the first headmaster and served until 1995.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the media

The 2004 book Hollywood, Interrupted, by Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner, dedicated a large section to Crossroads; it depicted the school (and the celebrities who send their children there) in a negative light, focusing mainly on a handful of high-profile parents and "drug problems" stemming from the 1980s. The school was also featured in a May 2005 issue of Vanity Fair; like Breitbart's book, it also focused on the school's celebrity clientele.<ref name=cool />

In his 2023 biography, Elon Musk alleges that Crossroads teaches “full-on communism,” and blames his daughter's transition, alleged communist ideology, and decision to cut him out of her life on Crossroads.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Notable alumni

• J. A. Adande, sports journalist<ref name="Andrade" />
• Maude Apatow, actress
• Sean Astin, actor, director and producer<ref name="Andrade" />
• Henry Baum, writer, blogger and musician<ref name=cool />
• Michael Bay, film director and producer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Z Berg, musician<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Jack Black, actor, comedian, and musician<ref name=cool/><ref name=NYTimes2016 />
• Max Brooks, actor and author<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Gary Coleman, actor, comedian, and writer<ref name=cool/>
• Austin Croshere, NBA basketball player and TV broadcaster<ref name="Andrade">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Baron Davis, NBA basketball player and TV commentator<ref name="Andrade" />
• Emily Deschanel, actress, director and producer<ref name=alumniwhorock>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Zooey Deschanel, actress, model, and singer-songwriter<ref name=cool />
• Alden Ehrenreich, actor<ref name=NYTimes2016>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Maya Erskine, actress and TV writer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Zack Fleishman, professional tennis player<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Robert Francis, musician
• Nicole Gibbs, professional tennis player<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Lauren Greenfield, artist, photographer, and filmmaker<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Petra Haden, musician and singer<ref name=alumniwhorock />
• Rachel Haden, musician<ref name=alumniwhorock />
• Tanya Haden, artist, cellist, and singer<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Simon Helberg, actor, comedian and musician<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Jonah Hill, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian<ref name=NYTimes2016 /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Oliver Hudson, actor
• Kate Hudson, actress, author, and fashion entrepreneur<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Bronny James, basketball player<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Brody Jenner, television personality, disc jockey and model<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Jenni Konner, television writer, producer and director<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Alex Kurtzman, film and television writer, producer, and director<ref name=cool/>
• Alexandra Kyle, actress<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Zosia Mamet, actress and musician<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Milo Manheim, actor<ref name="Grant 2020">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Shareef O'Neal, basketball player<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Michael Ojo, basketball player<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Roberto Orci, film and television writer and producer<ref name=cool/>
• Gwyneth Paltrow, actress, businesswoman and author<ref name="Andrade"/>
• Amy Pascal, business executive and film producer<ref name=cool/>
• Austin Peralta, jazz musician<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Whitney Port, television personality and fashion designer
• Jack Quaid, actor<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Jason Ritter, actor and producer
• Maya Rudolph, actress, comedian, singer, and voice actress<ref name=cool/>
• Tamir Saban (born 1999), American-Israeli basketball player
• Blake Schwarzenbach, musician<ref name="Jawbreaker">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Evan Spiegel, businessman, co-founder of Snapchat<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Dayna Tortorici, writer<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Liv Tyler, actress and former model<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Andrew von Oeyen, classical musician
• Gillian Welch, musician<ref name=cool/>
• Vivian Wilson, daughter of Elon Musk<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Jessica Yellin, journalist<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Harley Viera-Newton, model and DJ

External links

• Template:Official website