Kirk Day School

Mr. Clement and Mrs. Massey sit down with the new Pastor of Community Life at the Kirk of the Hills church, Chad Townsley. Chad, a father of three KDS students, talks about how his family ended up in St. Louis and his hope to encourage and bring together the community not only at the church, but at Kirk Day School too.  

Mr. Clement and Mrs. Massey discuss “cancel culture." While this is a phrase we hear often in today’s world, knowing how to respond as Christians can be complicated. They explore the intricacies of what it means to be “cancelled” and look at what scripture says about this.

On this week's podcast, Mrs. Massey and Mr. Clement interview Chris Pitts, the Kirk Day School Athletic Director. Pitts talks about his childhood from growing up in New York City to attending KDS in St. Louis. The group also discusses race relations and how to build a better future for our students.

On our third podcast of the series, Mr. Clement and Mrs. Massey talk to Rossi Summers. Summers is the Chief Operating Officer at the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition and a current KDS parent. She describes her experience growing up as a black woman in East St. Louis and shares stories about how racism has impacted her family. She also focuses on the importance of having intentional conversations about race with others and the hope we have for the generation of kids that we are teaching and raising.

Mr. Clement and Mrs. Massey have a conversation with Anthony Lucas, football coach at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. Lucas shares his story, talks about how God has used athletics in his life and gives some personal insight on race relations.

We are kicking off a new series titled, “Un-polarizing Polarizing Conversation,” where Mr. Clement & Mrs. Massey sit down to talk with members of the black community who are friends of Kirk Day School.

The purpose of these conversations is to honor diverse Christian voices, offer listeners an opportunity to hear a worldview that may be different from their own and confront topics that can feel difficult to talk about.

This week, Mr. Clement chats with Kenneth Griffin, Principal at Yeatman Middle School in North St. Louis City, who shares his life story, highlighting specific challenges that arose throughout his life. From a difficult upbringing to a successful career, Griffin's life reveals some of the systematic problems the black community faces in St. Louis City. He then goes on to explain a few tangible actions he has taken to support members of the community surrounding Yeatman.

In our first podcast of 2021, Mr. Clement and Mrs. Massey sit down to discuss the school’s recent health days and what the COVID situation is like at KDS as well as things to look forward to this semester and where the podcast is headed.

For most of us, this Christmas will look different from past years. In this week's podcast, Mr. Clement and Mrs. Massey focus on the Christmas season and talk about a few ways to still find joy and hope amidst the challenges and burdens we are experiencing.

This week, Mr. Clement and Mrs. Massey give an update on COVID-19’s impact at KDS. They review the protocols the staff and faculty are following and discuss how these precautions have continued to prevent transmission on campus. In addition, they discuss the recent restrictions and policy changes from St. Louis County as well as the state of Missouri.