A Message from Head of School Jodi Grass

In this shared endeavor, a common thread emerges each year – a theme from the teachings of our intent as a school that invites us to pause and reflect on our deepest purpose. This year, as we mark our 50th, we chose the theme The Art of Living and Learning. Krishnamurti said that true learning begins with direct observation of “what is,” free from judgment or distortion – a clear attention unclouded by fear, comparison, or the pressure to become.

In such observation, clarity itself becomes action. Rooted in relationship with ourselves, others, and nature, this way of seeing is both profoundly simple and, according to our founder, a place without conflict. And yet, if you’ve ever tried to get a preschooler into a car seat… or a teenager out of bed… you know how quickly conflict can arise in our daily lives.

It’s in precisely these moments that we may notice our own response – whether we react with frustration, resistance, or patience – and perhaps discover a different way to meet the moment. This is not about perfection. It’s about total presence – and that is true learning. This is the sacred conviction of Oak Grove: The art of learning is not separate from the art of living. It is found in the quiet moments of care, in the courage to inquire, in the joy of play, and in the relationships we nurture every day.

Our children are looking to us – and alongside them, we are also learning: how to listen more deeply, how to live with presence, and how to celebrate the wonder of life together. That includes how we, as adults, come together. If we can navigate conflict and differing ideas with compassion, patience, and an openness to transformation, we model something profound.

We show our children – and perhaps ourselves – that disagreement need not divide us, but can become the ground for understanding. In this way, our community becomes both a refuge and a model of what is possible in the wider world.

Oak Grove is more than a school – it is a living exploration. At its best, it is an ongoing awakening to what is already alive around us and within us. A smile offered freely, the radiance of a setting sun, the whisper of wind through the trees, the quiet warmth of a hand in yours. In these small, uncomplicated moments – when we are wholly present – life reveals its extraordinary beauty.

In our classrooms, on this land, this invitation unfolds daily – to live fully, to learn deeply, and to grow as whole human beings. The world our children are growing up in is often marked by division, dysfunction, and the rise of autocratic voices. It can feel noisy, chaotic, and unsettling. In the face of that, the work we do here at Oak Grove matters.

In a time when our larger society struggles with division and control, our community can be a model of something rare and essential: a place where learning and living are inseparable, where children see cooperation as not an abstraction but a daily practice of respect and dialogue.

This is the gift we give our children – and perhaps also, quietly, the world itself.