For more than a decade, Rowhea Elmesky, an associate professor of education in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has worked with educators and students in University City School High School to create a culture of trust, respect and shared responsibility. The result: a positive learning environment where suspensions are down, attendance and engagement are up and students say they feel heard and valued.
“Honoring the heart — that is what we’re talking about here,” Elmesky said. “And that is not what we hear about very often in education. We hear about test scores. We hear about all of the things related to academics. But we forget that academics are connected to the emotional. So when students are feeling valued and cared about, they are going to learn better.”
Elmesky was honored at the 2024 Confluence Symposium April 10 at the .ZACK Theatre. She received the William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award, which recognizes researchers and community partners who work together to address regional challenges. Jack Kirkland, an associate professor and a 54-year veteran of the Brown School, also was honored with a lifetime achievement award for his long-standing work in East St. Louis, Ill., and his current project in Cahokia Heights, Ill.
“In academia, our focus is often on external funding awards, publication acceptances and journal impact factors. These are important and, with this award, we have an opportunity to also focus on community impact,” Provost Beverly Wendland said. “Purposeful and intentional engagement with the community around us, paired with innovative and exceptional academic research, can create real, tangible change in people’s lives.”