Retiring Employees

RETIRING EMPLOYEES

Trudy Cano

Twenty-four years ago, lured by longtime friends, Trudy Cano came to Crossroads as the secretary for Athletics. She had gone to grade school with Jim Untrauer, who worked in the Facilities Department. She knew Chuck Ice— for whom she and Cheryl Junod, then the Upper School administrative assistant, had worked when he was the athletics director at their high school, St. Monica Catholic. Chuck was the baseball coach and athletics director at Crossroads when Trudy applied. She’d loved working for him previously and was eager to return to work now that her children were in school full time.

Trudy’s job grew as the school grew. She became the administrative assistant not only for athletics but also for physical education. She secured the sites, procured the officials and booked the game schedules. More recently, Trudy became the person who organized all the seasonal athletic banquets. By the time she left, Trudy was managing 20 or so teams. She loved doing it all, but she feels that her greatest achievement was organizing the annual Sports Extravaganza, which was “bigger and better” every year. The Extravaganza started years ago with a parent named Linda Rambis, who arranged for an In-NOut Burger truck to be stationed outside the gym for the annual homecoming game against Brentwood. Now the Extravaganza has several In-N-Out trucks and many other vendors. Because the crowds cannot all fit into the gym, two huge outdoor screens show the action as it unfolds during basketball games. It’s a big deal.

While she is proud of her accomplishments, Trudy prides herself in watching all the students play and working with her colleagues both at Crossroads and at other schools.

Trudy retired in October 2020 and is as busy as ever walking her dog, gardening, reading and looking forward to travel. The distance between South Dakota and Santa Monica is long, but Crossroads is lucky that Jamie Meyer made the trip—and stayed for 31 years. While visiting his twin sister in California, Jamie learned about a Latin position at Crossroads. Knowing next to nothing about independent schools, he decided to go to an interview at the School, just for fun. Immediately after the interview, Jamie was asked to teach a lesson to an eighth-grade Latin class. The students, at first mildly appalled by Jamie’s formal suit, stood and applauded by the end of the lesson. They have been applauding ever since.

Jamie attributes his long tenure at the School to Crossroads’ inclusiveness. After feeling excluded and judged in former teaching positions, Jamie was comfort- able being openly gay during his very first year at Crossroads—a true blessing. He knew he had found his home at the School.

During the past 31 years, Jamie taught in the Middle School for five years and spent the remaining years in the Upper School teaching Greek (until the program was terminated), and Latin. He sponsored the Crossroads Junior Classical League Club as well as PRIDE for many years. Jamie also has numerous Cabaret appearances to his name, most notably his sketch “Student Eye for the Teacher Guy”—an award-worthy performance!

Jamie is proud of his undying passion for teaching. Now, as he retires, he wants to read voraciously; travel extensively; learn to speak conversational Latin, French and Spanish; and resume playing his grandmother’s baby grand piano. Jamie, you are loved and will be missed.

Jamie Meyer

Scott Weintraub

Capturing Scott Weintraub’s 37 years of teaching at Crossroads is no easy feat. Funny, clever, unique and innovative, Scott moved to Los Angeles in 1984 to pursue his acting career. Soon after, his former high school drama teacher, Jack Nakano—who was chair of Crossroads’ Drama Department—brought Scott in to teach in the Upper School.

In the years that followed, Scott began teaching in the Middle and Elementary Schools as well, becoming one of the few teachers to work with students in all three divisions. In every class, Scott encouraged his students to take creative risks, trust themselves and the material and strive to create magic. He never played it safe.

Memorable shows Scott directed include his steampunk “The Mikado”; the world premiere of “Freak the Mighty,” workshopped with the novel’s author, Rodman Philbrick; “Candide,” in which the actors memorably cavorted with the full orchestra onstage; an early gender-bending Middle School production of “1776”; and “Twelfth Night,” the first and only cue-script Shakespeare production attempted by an American high school. He directed, co-choreographed and costume designed a K-12 production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” boasting 139 performers and the Crossroads Chamber Orchestra. In hopes of sparking a lifelong love of Shakespeare, Scott also created An Evening of FifthGrade Shakespeare, which has become a Crossroads rite of passage.

Scott is known for inserting comic bits of business, contemporary references and additional characters into his productions—from John Muir foraging through the forest in a “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” to Maria from “West Side Story” trying to steal Romeo from Juliet. By double casting lead roles and adding lines to smaller ones, Scott ensured that every student was challenged and had a victory. “It’s been an incredible journey,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Barbara Whitney

Long before Barbara Whitney became the director of finance and operations at Crossroads, she knew about the School. A number of her colleagues and friends at the Getty Center, where she worked for 21 years, spoke highly of Crossroads. In 2004, when Barbara was ready for a change, she left a campus atop a mountain for one surrounding an alley. A month later, her daughter, Kate, entered kindergarten. Barbara planned to stay at Crossroads until Kate graduated from college—that bittersweet time has come.

A delightful surprise met Barbara upon her arrival at Crossroads. She already knew employees Lilian Mejia and Pedro Ruelas through St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, occasionally providing translation for them. Her ability to communicate, translate and mediate between people became emblematic of Barbara’s tenure at Crossroads. Fairminded, diplomatic and warm, Barbara earned everyone’s trust, helping faculty, staff, administrators, Trustees and parents understand and respect one another.

Barbara cherishes the many memories she made at Crossroads, especially those moments shared with her daughter. When Kate was in Middle School, Barbara’s office turned into a hangout for Kate and her friends. Whether stopping in for lunch money or to escape the Alley hubbub, they always brightened Barbara’s day. Watching the growth of Kate’s volleyball team—from their Middle School days through their ascent to the state championship finals in 2016—was another particularly exciting highlight for Barbara.

Barbara is extraordinarily grateful for the relationships she has made at the School and for all of her colleagues in the Business Office, Human Resources, Auxiliary Services and Facilities, who have worked so hard over the years. Thank you, Barbara, for 17 wonderful years at Crossroads.

RETIRING EMPLOYEES RETIRING EMPLOYEES

Hyacinth Young

One of seven siblings born in Jamaica, Hyacinth “Hya” Young moved to Montreal when she was 15. After college, she taught at a progressive school in Montreal, where the students didn’t wear uniforms and the parents didn’t necessarily agree with her literature choices. When she taught Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” one parent complained that the play was antisemitic and claimed that all the other parents agreed. Hya felt demoralized. But that night, an old colleague, Les Larsen, then-director of Crossroads’ Upper School, invited her to interview. Tempted by the warm weather and a new beginning, Hya decided to “take a year off” for the position.

Hya loved the autonomy she experienced at Crossroads. She could be fully herself, and the literature choices she made were always respected, even encouraged. She never left.

The myth is that Hya “doesn’t give A’s.” According to Hya, she tries to be fair and recognize students’ efforts. If students struggled, Hya would “invite” them to her (mandatory) study halls. She especially enjoyed the “lightbulb moments,” when they suddenly understood a concept or strategy. She always told those hard- working students that she was proud of them. Hya’s B+ or A- was a badge of honor.

Hya loved being a “surrogate mom” to the International House students—relationships that continue to this day. She also served as a faculty representative for more than 20 years. Hya was renowned for the social events in which she enthusiastically participated—McGinty happy hours, breakfast clubs, beach volleyball and the Sunshine Club. Hya’s famous jerk chicken delighted employees at nearly every event.

A Crossroads legend, Hya will never be forgotten.