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Above: Middle School Honor Band performs at the Winter Assembly
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A Message from
The Head of School
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A few times a year, during our staff and faculty work meetings, we break into inquiry groups and explore a provocation from the teachings of our founder. This past Wednesday, we explored an excerpt titled “Simplicity of the Heart” (Commentaries on Living – Series I – Chapter 14, 1956).
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In it, there is a passage about a beautiful home surrounded by a garden. A bit further away there is a clear view of a “small shack in a dry field. Poverty, squalor, and toil, even at that distance, were visible.” He explains that the “ugliness and beauty were touching each other.”
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How is it possible to hold all these realities at the same time? Can we simultaneously hold our discomfort (even anger) and an extraordinary sense of love and beauty? How can we hold our grief around war, around inequity, around human suffering, while also holding a deep sense of gratitude for the abundance within our view?
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Perhaps this simplicity of the heart has something to do with seeing what is without judgment, without drawing a conclusion, with a sense of knowing it is okay. Here, in this place of completeness, we understand that it is in the ordinary moments that we find the extraordinary.
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This idea reminds me of what William Martin writes in “The Parents’ Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents.”
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“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples, and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.”
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May you enjoy the cozy nights of winter and may you have the gift of seeing all that is within view.
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Make a Difference with
A Year-End Gift to Oak Grove
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Please know that your support means more than dollars. It is a powerful indicator of your support for Oak Grove, our students who otherwise could not afford to attend, our teachers and staff to earn a livable wage, our campus to be maintained, and our philosophical approach to education.
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“To maintain a small school of the right kind is of course financially difficult; it can flourish only on self-sacrifice, not on a fat bank account. Money invariably corrupts unless there is love and understanding. But if it is really a worthwhile school, the necessary help will be found. When there is love of the child, all things are possible.”
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– Krishnamurti, Education and the Significance of Life
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Our Seniors Depart for
India!
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Each year, Krishnamurti schools in India graciously host seniors and chaperones for their final Oak Grove class trip together. We look forward to hearing about their experiences during February's India Sharing Night!
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Latest Edition
School Newspaper
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This 14th edition of our student newspaper includes high school articles about current events such as Ojai’s new mayor - Oak Grove faculty member Andy Gilman, the phenomenon of Oxnard’s Silver Strand sea lions, and local theater organization OYES, along with interviews and student musings. There’s also a selection of creative stories from middle school students, elementary school poetry, and student artwork. And don’t miss the back page, which is filled with fun games, riddles, and a crossword.
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Student Article
A Run for Mayor
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Written by Karthik Doddakashi, Class of 2026, for the Winter edition of the Oak Grove Inquirer, this article hones in on local Ojai news for the reader about the recent mayoral run. The article focuses on Andy Gilman's candidacy and key concerns that affect the Ojai Valley.
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High School Visual & Performing Arts
Winter Showcase
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This year's Showcase was presented in two parts. The Dance and Theater electives were performed off campus at Ojai Underground, and the music and visual arts were presented at the high school. View the videos and photo gallery of the events below.
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Santa Cruz Island
4th Grade Trip
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This December, our fourth-grade students embarked on their big field trip of the school year: an immersive experience on Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the Channel Islands.
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What are They Doing Now?
Alumni Profile
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Alum speaker at this year's Tea event.
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Eric Olsen - Class of 2012
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Eric Olsen graduated from Oak Grove School in 2012. After completing a degree in communication and political science at UC Davis, he moved to Washington, D.C., in 2017, where he worked as communications director and senior advisor for a Member of Congress on Capitol Hill.
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K Quote
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"It is the absolute responsibility of the teacher to cultivate the flowering of goodness in leisure. For this reason the schools exist. It is the responsibility of the teacher to create a new generation, to change the social structure from its total preoccupation with earning a livelihood. Then teaching becomes a holy act."
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Socially Speaking
A recent Instagram post —
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During a talk in 1976, Krishnamurti said, "When you are a light to yourself you are a light to the world, because the world is you, and you are the world."
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