Feature Story: Get to Know Mariama Richards

FEATURE STORY

GET TO KNOW MARIAMA RICHARDS GET TO KNOW MARIAMA RICHARDS

In July, Mariama Richards stepped into the role of interim head of school. The Board asked her to lead Crossroads back in February, after the person originally hired withdrew for personal reasons. As Board Chair Juan Carrillo explained, “When Bob first announced his upcoming retirement, many in our community had hoped that Mariama would throw her hat in the ring. However, at that time, overseeing the COVID-19 response for a school of Crossroads’ size and complexity remained a tremendous undertaking, and Mariama made the decision not to apply, prioritizing the well-being of the School.” Fortunately, the situation is no longer so dire, freeing Mariama to accept the Board’s request. “My number one response is always to say yes,” explained Mariama, who will serve as interim head for the next two years. “If my school needs me, I’m going to do it. And because I felt so embraced as associate head of school, I really felt like this was an opportunity for me to give back to Crossroads,

uly, Mariama Richards st knowing that I had earned the trust of le of interim head of our community over the last two years.” ked her to lead after th Mariama holds a B.A. in history from wf Spelman College and a master’s in Africana Studies from Cornell. She has served as an administrator at notable independent schools including Friends’ Central School outside Philadelphia, Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York and Georgetown Day School in her hometown of D.C. We asked Crossroads students what else they wanted to know about their new head:

Why did you choose to work in a school? Where does your passion stem from?

Jane Altschule, rising 10th grader Initially, I wanted to be a history professor. After graduate school, I thought it would be great to go back and work at my old middle school, give back for a few years. I taught Western hemisphere geography. I quickly realized just how hard teaching is, but I fell in love with creating something new for young people every day. I also had the opportunity to support some students who were like me as a kid—a little wonky, not fully actualized, still trying to figure out their voice. Whatever ideas I had about going back to grad school and doing something different with my life quickly fell apart, because I really only wanted to pursue this.

What will you do to improve the School?

Phoebe Paterson, rising third grader Oh, wow. That’s a tricky question. I feel my job is not so much to improve the School as it is to ensure that we do exactly what we say we do. I’m coming in after two very difficult years due to the pandemic. I want 2022-23 to be a year when we can all reset, and hopefully there won’t be any unanticipated upheaval. I want us to lower our shoulders a little bit and get back into the groove of just being, and to feel more connected and relaxed. I’d also love to continue to push our innovation. We have all of these great opportunities, whether it be in robotics or Solve for X, the new student-driven learning project for ninth and 10th graders. My goal is to continue to support 50 years of tradition while trying to look at the School with fresh eyes alongside our faculty and my colleagues in APC.

If there was really bad drama between students, how would you handle it?

Jess Blackstone, rising seventh grader There is a tradition in progressive education, and definitely here at Crossroads, that encourages us to sit in a room and have a conversation. That’s the reason why I champion affinity groups as well as individual and collective counseling. I think that’s why our Council process works so well. It gets us in the habit of listening to one another and considering another point of view. The way to address drama is through open and honest communication, and that’s something we do really well here.

How has your daughter influenced your ideas about education?

Lyric King, rising sixth grader That’s a great question. Ami is great at lots of things, but math is really her strong suit. It comes so easily to her. Whereas my brain is history, literature, humanities— how we talk about stories and context and all of that. I think something I’ve really learned from her is how to see my world from a point of view that is not my go-to. As I’ve served in different administrative roles over the years, I’ve learned new skills and approaches that didn’t come naturally, but that really helped me. So I think Ami reminds me that where I am immediately can’t be where I stay. There’s always room to grow. I hope that as lifelong learners, we would all embrace that. And she’s taught me a lot about patience, too!

Do you feel pressure coming in as Bob’s replacement?

Lukas Lin, rising seventh grader Absolutely. I don’t know that people quite understand what that pressure is, though. They probably envision that I feel like I’ve got these huge shoes to fill, but I think that’s actually the wrong way to approach it. I think if I tried to fill his shoes, I would fail. I’m not Bob; I don’t have the history he has. I think the real pressure is making sure the community understands that while I may do things differently, I may come in a different package, I may approach things in a different way, my goal is to continue to amplify the gifts and the history of this institution. I may try some new things, but I want us all to feel connected to my ultimate goal, which is to keep this beautiful institution running.

Mariama and Ami, a rising Crossroads kindergartner, at the School’s Black Family Alliance Beach Day