Despite living in the area and being a seasoned St. Louis broadcaster at KSDK for over 25 years, she knew very little about Principia School. But when Monica Adams (@TheRealMonicaAdams) first visited the 360-acre campus this past fall, unfamiliarity became discovery—a diamond in her own backyard she’d never truly seen.
Monica arrived on campus and felt the energy of Principia—students eager to share what makes life meaningful here, and faculty and staff who embody the School’s vision of academic innovation and experiential learning. Her response? “I want to go back to school!”
While touring the School and the state-of-the-art Simon Field House, Monica was moved by the sheer breadth of programs offered—from character education and a clear theme of love and community to next-generation learning spaces, theater and sustainability programs, athletics, global travel, monarch gardens, and even chicken coops. Monica said, “We had nothing like that when I went to school. What kid would not want to wake up and go to this school?”
Monica also sat down to interview Head of School, Terry Grigsby (US’97, C’01), who shared Principia’s “whole-child” approach to education—nurturing children academically, ethically, athletically, and morally to thrive in a changing world.
Grigsby emphasized Principia’s focus on seeing every child as limitless, noting, “We want to cultivate a child’s intellectual, spiritual, and ethical capacity,” he continued, “Principia changed my life, and it has changed lives for 127 years.”
What surprised Monica most wasn’t the impressive facilities, or the beautiful campus—it was the sense of deep connection she felt among students and faculty. “Community, camaraderie, family and overall, love. It’s all about love and feeling connection,” she said—a simple statement that captured the spirit of Principia where relationships are just as important as grades, and students feel supported and known.