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Above: The classic sundial — part of an interdisciplinary science unit in 3rd grade.
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Don't want to receive these emails any longer? Scroll to the bottom of this email to remove yourself.
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From the Head of School
Is it Sacred?
Often, people visit Oak Grove School for the first time and share a feeling of peacefulness, of oneness, of familiarity. Some describe this feeling as sacred – immeasurable. I have.
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Certainly, this is a place where the human-made buildings look as though they have grown out of the ground, “so as not to be an imposition to the land.” Certainly, this is a place where the children are seen and known, a place where adults and children ask meaningful questions together and individually without the limits of an answer. Certainly, this is a place where functional knowledge is celebrated and delved into deeply, while simultaneously, knowledge of oneself, the knowledge within, is explored. But is this place sacred?
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This place has conflict, conflict between students, between students and teachers, between parents and teachers, administrators, and all of the above. There are times when the campus has been dried by the scorching sun and overrun with weeds; when the campus has been surrounded by black smoke, the deafening sound of roaring flames jumbled with screeching sirens and covered in toxic ash. During high school finals, students often look tired and stressed. Sometimes there is an expulsion, a trauma, or a death within the community, when entropy casts a heavy blanket of grief, loss, and confusion among us. Is this place sacred?
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Is it a trick of awareness to see or feel this, or another place, as sacred or not sacred?
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On a clear, blue-skied, temperate day, the sound of children laughing, surrounded by whole-hearted and devoted adults, a soaring red-tailed hawk above our heads, the majestic oaks standing confidently amongst us, one might feel as if this place is sacred.
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Can a place be sacred? Yes. No. Neither. Both.
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Basketball @OGS
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ABOVE: A short highlights clip from game 1 in the CIF Playoffs
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The Oak Grove boys basketball team took first place in the Condor League, finishing its regular season 5-1 in league and 7-1 overall.
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“The Oak Grove players worked extremely well together, playing unselfish basketball and learning a ton.” — Head Coach Aaron Gardner.
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After winning the first game in the CIF, the Oak Grove team went into the second game with enthusiasm and heart but ultimately lost, as written in this newspaper article.
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Freedom of Expression
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Art teacher Brian Thornhill presented this project to the middle schoolers as an outlet to express themselves in a way that is often seen as “not allowed” (graffiti). Middle schoolers are at an age of exploring boundaries, identity, and individualizing. In Brian's class, they talked about the power of street art and how just one word can say so much. Brain commented, "They have taken this project in each of their own directions, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch them create their own unique pieces."
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For context of scale, the above pieces are about 8 inches high.
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Volunteers Prep the Shrek Set
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Parent and staff volunteers spent the day building and assembling the theater set for Shrek in preparation for four shows, playing March 9-12.
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Check out the adjacent YouTube Short!
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Launched! – Day of Reading
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Our Day of Reading student-led fundraiser was formally launched last week with a raucous and fun school-wide parade. This brief video below gives a taste of the morning's event.
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K Quote
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"The idea is more important to us than the fact; the concept of what one should be has more significance than what one is. The future is always more alluring than the present. The image, the symbol, is of greater worth than the actual; and on the actual we try to superimpose the idea, the pattern. So we create a contradiction between what is and what should be. What should be is the idea, the fiction, and so there is a conflict between the actual and the illusion – not in themselves, but in us. We like the illusion better than the actual; the idea is more appealing, more satisfying, and so we cling to it. Thus the illusion becomes the real and the actual becomes the false, and in this conflict between the so-called real and the so-called false we are caught."
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Socially Speaking
A recent Instagram post —
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A student from the high school ceramics class in action.
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