Jewish Day school gave Elad Gross the skills to thrive in competitive academic environments, Hebrew competency and an extraordinary sense of responsibility to affect social change. Today, at age 27, Elad spends his days as an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri, and most other waking moments running the Education Exchange Corps (EEC), an organization he founded seven years ago while a college student at Duke. “I had been working for a summer enrichment program in Clayton, and it occurred to me that all children deserve access to programs that prevent summer skillset loss,” Elad says. He made a cold call to St. Louis Public schools and applied for a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. EEC was born.

The Exchange, which started as an enrichment extension to the city’s summer school, has evolved to include weekend leadership training that integrates academic skill development. Last year, when Ferguson schools shut down in August, Elad’s organization partnered with the Ferguson Library and other organizations to offer alternative school lessons.
“I know my day school school education made me a more critical and collaborative thinker, and gave me the knowledge to draw upon the rich history and teachings of Judaism,” Elad says.

“To this day, I find myself drawing upon those Jewish teachings, usually subconsciously. I don’t have to think about it. It’s part of who I am.”

My experience at Solomon Schechter shaped who I am today in many ways. I always loved school and learning, and some of the excellent teachers I had at SSDS inspired me to become a teacher. In addition, I built very strong friendships with people that I am still close to today. I feel incredibly fortunate to get to teach the love of learning to my students. I also love teaching my students to be kind, giving, and grateful people. I love helping my students create bright futures for themselves. I am excited every day to go to work and make a difference in the lives of my students.

I am so thrilled to have the career I have in ballet! I get to live out my life long dream every day by honing my art and sharing it with my community. I think art has the capability to impact peoples lives in a very deep way. Whether it's igniting a passion for dance in a young child or getting someone to forget about their troubles and enjoy the beauty of dance. We all have the power to make the world a little brighter and that's what I hope to bring about through my dancing. Schechter always incorporated the arts into our curriculum which gave me the confidence to know that I could pursue my passion. Inquisitiveness and creativity were always encouraged and I believe that has played a huge part in the person and artist I am today.