We had the good fortune of connecting with Barb Bulthuis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barb, how does your business help the community?
Crossroads School is designed to help students who aren’t making it in traditional schools. These are kids who believe they are stupid or bad, and are on track to drop out. But we believe these students are smart, creative, interesting kids who just don’t fit the traditional model. “If they don’t learn the way we teach, then we will teach the way they learn.” We use an individualized program with no more than 8-10 students in each class and a highly-relational, mastery-based approach. We also focus on the future, helping students find their passion and plan for a career that fits them, which gives them hope as they overcome their histories.

In the end, we help students avoid a life of jail time and social services, and instead become successful, contributing members of our community and our world!

Two women working together on a construction project outdoors, with wood planks and tools nearby, under a clear sky.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education, and worked in a variety of roles (teacher, dorm parent, athletic director, coach, administrator, consultant). Along the way, my husband and I adopted a 9-year-old with a history of trauma that made school hard. I became more and more frustrated that our traditional educational system didn’t meet my daughter’s needs–and also didn’t meet the needs of many other students and families I met. When Connie Nourse and I started sharing about our frustration with traditional education, we developed a plan to build something different–and Crossroads School was born in 2010. Then in 2013, we formalized our career planning support in the Crossroads Workforce Readiness Program, a separate 501(c)3 that provides career planning and career experiences for high school students from our school and from the broader community.

Every student takes Future Planning 101, as well as classes like Landscape and Gardening, Carpentry, Automotive, Culinary Arts, and Welding as they explore career paths. They take personal enrichment and skill-building classes like Spanish, Public Speaking, Health and Wellness, and Financial
Literacy. They also participate in a variety of job shadows in the community, followed by internships, work study, or concurrent enrollment in local community colleges to delve more deeply into a particular career path. They gain valuable experience and earn credits and certifications before they graduate.

Once they finish their high school
academic requirements, they have the option to move into our new Career Pathways Program, which provides crucial mentoring, accountability, and support as they figure out next steps, whether that means starting a business, applying and interviewing for jobs, creating a budget, enlisting in the military, or finding an apartment. Our one-on-one meetings, cohort connections, and returns to campus to share with younger students all help these young adults stay supported and connected and moving in a positive direction.

The thing I’m most proud of is the pathway to success we are able to provide for students from hard places–not just academically, but in so many other ways. The thing I’m the most excited about is providing that opportunity for more students in our community!

Woman wearing gloves handling raw ground meat on a black tray in a kitchen. Various kitchen items are visible.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Connie Nourse is my co-founder and the originator of the idea for Crossroads School. Her history as an educator in inner-city St. Petersburg, Florida, and as an adoptive mom, convinced her that her calling was to serve kids from hard places. She and I met while working at a traditional private school, where she told me multiple times that she appreciated the job, but these weren’t “her” kids–they didn’t really need her, because they had so many resources. And then one day, she said, “We should just start our own school for the kids who don’t fit in the traditional schools.” I agreed–so we did!

Two children sit at a wooden table outdoors, eating food and drinking from bottles, with other people and playground equipment in background.

Website: https://www.crossroadswrp.org/

Group of six people standing behind a table with food in a kitchen, preparing for a meal or event.

Person with curly hair writing on paper at outdoor wooden table with plants and a drink, sunny day, trees in background.

Image Credits
Linda Danley
Barb Bulthuis

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