Get documents about "Oakland School
Document Sample
Branches The Oakland School Newsletter Spring 2011
A Letter from Our Director
Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends,
Sometimes it seems that in a blink of an eye, a whole year goes by!
In just the few short months since our fall edition of Branches, we Another area of excitement for us is the expansion of our garden.
have seen tremendous gains in our students and happy changes for Last year, we enjoyed fresh tomatoes in the Dining Room. This
some of our staff and families. Amanda Baber, Admissions Director, year, we’re adding more vegetables and fruits. The strawberries and
gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Peyton. Donna Darden, Assistant asparagus are already coming up! We’re looking into buying and
Director, welcomed grandson Eli. The Somers Family introduced raising a few chickens, although various regulations will prevent us
their fourth child, Marlin. It has from using our own eggs. And by
been a fantastic and blessed mid-summer, with the assistance
year for the Oakland Family. of the Adamy family, it looks
like we’ll harvest our own
As the days get warmer and honey!
warmer, we know summer
camp can’t be far behind! The summers at Oakland are
We look forward to the full of life-long memories and
traditional activities and this summer will be no different.
events and are excited to However, this summer we will
re-introduce some activities be starting what may become
that haven’t been seen for a new tradition – an Oakland
awhile. This year, we’ll Reunion! The first ever Reunion
return to our “old-fashioned” will be held on June 11th, 2011.
4th of July festivities with All graduates are welcome.
a theme of patriotism and The day will feature a slide
citizenship throughout the day, show, a picnic lunch, tours,
a Plantation Dinner behind Carol and student, Elizabeth Preston remembrances, popsicle break,
the Big House, and an evening and more. Look for more details in
of races, relays, ice cream making and more. We’ll focus more on this issue and also on the Oakland Reunion 2011 facebook page.
nature this summer and hope to have lots of campouts, cookouts, and
creek activities. There’s a new camp class being offered – Wilderness Hoping to see many of you soon!
Carol
Skills. And, of course, there’ll be cedar sanding – we might even
make a few plaques for the Dining Room! (We still have vacancies in
the summer program, so tell your friends!)
Oakland School
Helping Children with Learning Differences Succeed Since 1950
Boyd Tavern • Keswick, VA 22947 • 434-293-9059 • Information@OaklandSchool.net • www.OaklandSchool.net
Oakland School Branches Page 1
2010 – 2011 STuDenT ASSembLieS
O akland student assemblies have covered a variety of topics from bees to bullying and the kids have
learned a lot and truly enjoy each of them. In addition to these featured assemblies, the students have
benefitted from assemblies on nutrition, black history and Thanksgiving.
Our first assembly featured David Hannah from the organization Wild Virginia. Their mission is to protect
the wild forest ecosystems in Virginia’s National Forests. The
presentation was full of facts, specimens, beautiful pictures,
and maps. The kids asked inquisitive and engaging questions
that showed they were paying close attention and thinking
outside the box.
Oakland School and guests from Little Keswick School thoroughly enjoyed a fabulous
performance of “Aladdin!” by the Hampstead Players of New Hampshire. Even some of
the students and staff participated in the play. What a great treat!
A favorite assembly was on Apiology - the
study of bees, presented by current parent
Sean Adamy and his assistant, student Ryelee Adamy. The kids learned about different
types of bees and wasps, lifecycles, beekeeping, and the honey industry. The presentation
included a complete bee hive display, tools for making honey, and Ryelee in a white bee
suit! The students asked question after question and were very engaged in the topic. The
assembly ended with a blueberry honey stick for everyone to enjoy! The Adamy Family
has two of their bee hives on the back property of Oakland and plan to donate some of the
resulting honey to the school. Yum!!!
branches newsletter is now online!
www.oaklandschool.net
The big reAD!
W hat was happening in the Oakland Room during February and March? Why were
students and staff wearing fedoras and staring at a statuette of a bird? This year Oakland
School joined other schools and organizations across the country to participate in The Big Read,
a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum
and Library Services and Arts Midwest. Students met during lunch for a reading of Dashiell
Hammett’s novel, The Maltese Falcon. They discussed the characters, period, and plot of the
novel with staff members and viewed the Humphrey Bogart version of the film. Participants in
the program volunteered to attend every session. They even filmed a YouTube commercial for a
video contest associated with The Big Read. It was a great opportunity for staff and students to
meet outside of the classroom to participate in a nation-wide cultural event.
Oakland School Branches Page 2
gO buLLDOgS!
CLASSrOOm/DOrm WiSh LiST
•
•
•
•
deductible donation!
Development office, 434-293-9059, ext. 223 or development@oaklandschool.net We will arrange for pick-up of your tax
If you have any of the following items and wish to find a good home for them, please contact Leah Burger in the
(fitness room)
Free Weight workout bench
Library books
A new video projector
Piano, guitar, keyboard
T he Oakland sports program ran at full speed this year. The fall and
spring soccer teams had a lot of talent with 20 kids executing passes,
shots and driving goals.
Nine students on the cross country team ran five races ranging from 1.5
miles to a 5K. Oakland hosted the last race of the season and outran six
other schools to win the race! A new trophy sits in the Big House!
basketball, always popular, once again
• Microwave
• Patio furniture and umbrellas
• Computer software
• Gardening help
for the pool
had two teams, the younger kids in green
and the older kids in gold. The green
team worked on their skills and did well in their games. They even had a
game against the RI’s and Hunter Smith and beat them hands down! The
staff guarantees victory next year! The gold
team demonstrated amazing skill and spirit
throughout the season. Oakland held its first
tournament in three years for the gold team
and lost a heart-breaker by a few points in
the semi-finals.
• Color printers for World
• TV/DVD players for
Lab
History class and Mathematics
classrooms
The road-racing team, 14 runners in all, competed in two 5K races. The
Pi Miler at UVA, which benefited cancer research, was the most fun and
exciting for the team and a few Oakland runners won their age group. Way to
go Bulldogs!
ChiLDren, YOuTh AnD FAmiLY
ServiCeS AWArD nOminATiOn
• Medicine ball
• Assembly funding
• Golf Cart
room)
(for the fitness
O akland School and Director, Carol Williams,
were nominated for the Mitch Van Yahres
Family-Friendly Employer Award. This award is
given by Children, Youth and Family Services of
Charlottesville to an employer whose practices instill
a family-friendly work culture. Although another
nominee won the award, the Oakland staff is proud to
have Carol as our Director!
Oakland School Branches Page 3
virginiA FeSTivAL OF The bOOk
T he Virginia Festival of the Book is a five
day festival in Charlottesville that honors
book culture and promotes reading and literacy.
Oakland has been involved with this important
event for many years. In March, many Oakland
students submitted entries and three were chosen
to receive recognition. These students were
invited to read their works in front of a live
audience at the Omni Hotel. Tristan Stenzel
wrote and read a wonderful poem about love.
Andrew Cantrell wrote and read an acrostic
poem about skipping rocks. Leah Merone wrote
and read a short story with a mythology theme.
Congratulations to Oakland’s aspiring writers!
meeT neW bOArD member,
Dr. gerry Wallace
G erald Wallace is a professor emeritus from George Mason
University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia where he served as
the Director of the PhD Program in Education for 10 years. Prior to
Dr. Wallace is the author of nine books and many journal articles
concerned with learning disabilities. He is the co-author of the
Comprehensive Expressive and Receptive Vocabulary Test (CREVT).
his affiliation with GMU, Dr. Wallace served on the faculty of the The first two editions of the CREVT have been administered to over
University of Virginia for 20 years. He served in a variety of roles 4 million individuals throughout the United States. Standardization
at UVa, including Director of Doctoral Studies in Special Education data for the third edition is currently being collected in various states.
and also as Associate Dean for Faculty Development and External Oakland students were among those administered the new edition of
Relations. He has been informally associated with Oakland School the test.
for over 40 years. Margaret Sheperd and Joanne and Pep Dondero
were close personal friends of Dr. Wallace’s for many years. In fact, Dr. Wallace currently resides in Virginia Beach. His son, Chris,
he served as Mrs. Dondero’s advisor during her master’s degree work is a sports publisher/writer for Rivals.com and a resident of
at UVa. He has also served as a professor to a number of current Charlottesville. His son, TJ, is a radiation oncologist in Richmond. He
Oakland teachers and psychologists during his tenure at UVa. is also the grandfather of three children.
AlwAys smiles At oAklAnd!
Oakland School Branches Page 4
hOrSe ShOW AnD SiLenT AuCTiOn:
A big SuCCeSS!
The ats
Apple
s&O
Oakland
W hat a wonderful Parents’ Weekend! The Horse Show featured many of our
students showcasing their trotting, cantering and jumping skills. It was a flawless
performance and we are so proud of our riders! Thank you to Sarah Bailey for her expert
School riding instruction, to Robin Durkin for judging the event, and to student Jack Rios-Brooks
Auction for his eloquent announcing of the show.
The Silent Auction was a successful and fun event, raising over $16,000 for the Annual
Fund. This is so important considering it will fund at least two partial scholarships for
students who truly need an Oakland education. Thank you to all who participated – our
By: Oakland Student, Megan Kimpel
parents, staff, and friends who donated to the auction, our community partners who
sponsored the auction, and those who bid (at times, right down to the last second!) and
hopefully brought home some fabulous items.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Annual Fund.
Parents, alumni, alumni families, friends and 100% of the staff and
Board of Directors have given generously to meet our $100,000
goal. We are close! We’ve raised $78,000 with three months to
go! If Oakland School has benefitted someone in your life, please
consider making a gift to the Annual Fund. With your gift, we can
provide scholarships and improve our educational programs to help
our students succeed. every gift makes a difference!
Thank you to our auction sponsors
for their support of Oakland School:
Bailey Printing
Oakland School Branches Page 5
A LeTTer FrOm breTT LeSLie
OAkLAnD ALumnuS 1993
Dear Oakland, I made some great friends, awesome
memories, and I still have some crazy
When I tell friends that I went to a boarding school they almost stories to remember Oakland by today.
inevitably reply with the same question, “Did you like it?” I reply the Oakland saved me from what would
same way every time, “I cried when my parents dropped me off, but I have been a very frustrating life,
cried when I left too.” plagued with academic and personality
challenges. After three summers and
I started in a public elementary school and went to a private school in the two winters, graduation came and a
second grade, only to continue to fall further behind due to my dyslexia return to public school followed.
and attention deficit disorder. By the summer of 1990, Oakland had a
long history of helping students but the rest of the world was just starting After graduating from Russell
to learn about dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. High School, I received an athletic
scholarship to Elon University in North Carolina. I graduated from Elon
As a ten year-old, I was told I was going to yet another summer in four years while making the Dean’s List all eight semesters. Currently,
academic program, although this one was going to be six weeks long I will graduate with my MBA from Middle Tennessee State University in
and 330 miles away from my home in Flatwoods, KY. Summer Parent’s December.
Weekend came and went with a great visit that Saturday. The following
Monday my mother had a conversation with Mrs. Dondero but didn’t tell I’ve worked as an EMT on an ambulance, for the Boy Scouts of America
me of their decision because they couldn’t stomach the idea of telling and for the sports marketing firm IMG. I later went on to get my flight
me I would be staying for the winter. My parents’ decision was so hard instructors and commercial pilot’s license and began flying for an
on them so instead of telling me, I was handed a letter written from airline. In 2009 I married a beautiful wife and began working with the
my father explaining their decision. Needless to say, I was not a happy Department of Veteran Affairs where I am today in Nashville, TN.
camper that night.
I can’t say thank you enough to my parents, teachers and counselors who
I later learned one of mom’s biggest fears was that I would hate her made Oakland a true success story.
for sending me away to boarding school at such a young age. Today, I
cannot thank her enough for making the right decision about what was Thanks Oakland!
probably the hardest parenting decision she ever made. Brett Leslie, Class of 1993
Do you have a car of minivan in working condition
you’ve been wanting to get rid of? Consider donating it to
Oakland School! it’s tax deductible and we can really use
it for student transportation, town runs, and navigating
the 450 acres of Oakland Farm!
neWS FrOm The kiTChen
bY CheF mike iOAkimeDeS
W ho doesn’t love spring? All our senses are heightened with the
color of green, the blossoms, the smell of fresh cut grass. The
birds seem louder, insects start crawling and some of us start craving
One of my favorite things
about cooking and food,
in general, is discovering,
foods of spring like greens, peas and asparagus. Asparagus is one of preparing or just plain eating
the vegetables that you can buy year round now. It’s twice the price something I’ve never had
in the off season, but you can find it at most stores. In my haste to or heard of before. We were
serve and eat that particular vegetable, a favorite of mine, I recently recently treated to a new dish
purchased a case for school only to find out that it came from Peru. by Youssef, our boarding
This made me think about the “carbon footprint” of a product like student from Egypt. It’s a dish called Koshary, which his mother
that. From the men who had to get to the asparagus field in vehicles, e-mailed a recipe for and we prepared it (with his help) for the
to the loaded trucks that took it to the processing plant, to the crates boarders last month. It’s a carb heavy, stick to your ribs sort of dish,
(where did THAT come from?) used for transport, and then the but very tasty and satisfying. The students and staff loved it. Email me
transportation around the world. You get the idea. Granted they were at dining@oaklandschool.net for the recipe. Until next time, enjoy the
good, but at what cost? We decided to expand our garden and grow activity in your kitchen and the human interactions that always follow.
more vegetables on the Oakland Farm.
Oakland School Branches Page 6
ALumni neWS!
SEND US YOUR UPDATES AND LET US KNOW WHAT’S
NEW! DEVELOPMENT@OAKLANDSCHOOL.NET
1978 michael S. Williams sent us a long letter about the
impact Oakland had on his life. He praised the staff for
turning his life around. He especially remembers Barbara
Weaver, Mrs. Shepherd and Mrs. Dondero. He is now
HVAC Supervisor at the Department of State for Emcor
Government Services in Washington, DC.
1979 mark C. Chapman lives in Maryland and has worked
for Pitney Bowes for almost twenty years. His hobbies
CALLing ALL ALumni!
include mountain biking and skiing. Mark plans to attend
Join us for our first Oakland School Reunion
June 11, 2011 the Oakland Reunion on June 11th and hopes to see many
10:00 – 3:30 alumni back at the Farm! He said “it will be like a long lost
Follow updates on our facebook page: family reunion.”
Oakland School Reunion 2011
Please respond (and let us know # guests) by may 27th: 1998 Joe marx returned to Oakland for a visit in March and
Email: development@oaklandschool.net briefly spoke to the students about his Oakland experience
Phone: 434-293-9059 and encouraged them to stay focused and work hard. He
facebook: click RSVP on the “events” tab said his Oakland experience really helped him and he is now
Tickets: $10 per Alumni (includes guests) a corporate chef in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Tickets can be purchased by mailing a check to:
Oakland School 2001 emma reed is in her senior year at VCU in Art
Boyd Tavern History. She’ll graduate in December and then onto the most
Keswick, VA 22947
adventurous job she can find!
(We will mail your tickets prior to the event)
Continued on page 8
LOOking FOrWArD TO Seeing everYOne!
Oakland’s Director,
Carol Williams, will be inducted We’ve updated our website!
into the DeLTA kAppA gAmmA www.oaklandschool.net
Society For key Woman educators • You can now read Branches online.
• We have a new Events page that
May, 2011 details upcoming activities.
Congratulations, Carol! • You can donate to Oakland online –
it’s safe, quick and easy!
Oakland School Branches Page 7
Non Profit Org.
Oakland School US Postage
Boyd Tavern • Keswick, VA 22947 pA i D
434-293-905 Mailed From
Zip 30304
Permit # 6849
If you’d prefer to receive Branches by
email, please send your e-mail address to:
development@oaklandschool.net.
If you no longer wish to receive Branches,
please unsubscribe by mailing:
development@oaklandschool.net.
ALumni neWS! (Continued)
2005 molly harris is in the tenth grade at Grier School in 2006 raleigh knight graduated from Virginia Episcopal
Pennsylvania. She is doing very well academically and her School in May, 2010 and is a freshman at Miami University
extra-curricular activities include modern dance, hip-hop, in Oxford, Ohio.
chorus, and horseback riding. She is hoping to be on the
varsity riding team next year. 2007 katherine Sandor will be graduating from Grier
School in May and will attend the prestigious Savannah
2006 richard pasztory continued his education at Miller College of Art and Design in Georgia this fall.
School and is currently at the University of St. Andrews in
Scotland. St. Andrews is the alma mater of Prince William 2008 nora beard is a junior at Eagle Hill school in
of England. Hardwick, MA and is actively involved in the theater. She
has been on the honor roll every year since leaving Oakland.
2006 bowen raetz will be a Residential Instructor at She hopes to attend the Massachusetts College of Liberal
Oakland this summer. Arts and minor in theater. Nora wants to eventually start her
own non profit geared towards kids with dyslexia, autism,
and children with speech impediments.
Oakland School Branches Page 8
