Bound Together

In early April, the JBS Alumni Association hosted its first Bound Together book club, inspired by the Class of 1975 which formed a virtual book club to keep in touch during the height of the pandemic. For this inaugural event, the class recommended Vivian Gibson's "The Last Children of Mill Creek", a memoir about growing up in a segregated St. Louis community – her neighborhood – that was razed in 1959 to build a highway, displaced in the name of "urban renewal." 

Over the course of two days on campus,

·       Gibson engaged in an evening program (in-person and virtual) with alums, parents and friends. She shared stories, photographs and sociological evidence about Mill Creek, and Dr. Ellie DesPrez (English) and Dr. Sara Jay (History) explained how they have incorporated Gibson’s book in their English and social studies discussions about urban geography and housing equity. 

·       During assembly the next morning, Gibson read an excerpt from “The Last Children of Mill Creek” and shared some photos and highlights from the book.

·       After assembly, she also joined 7th grade English and social studies classes to answer questions about her life and her book.