Oakwood's 2nd-grade students learned that the journey to enter American for many immigrants was very historically very difficult. The children were taught about Ellis Island and immigration as part of their history unit. As the unit came to an end, students selected a country of origin from their ancestry and participated in an Ellis Island immigration simulation. Many of the students came to school wearing clothes that represented the country they were emigrating from and brought a small treasure that would help remind them of their old country to bring in their luggage. The interactive experience began with learning how crowded the ships were and also the poor quality of food for most passengers. After their simulated boat ride, they had to wait in long lines for questioning, and examinations which landed some in the infirmary and even the detention center. Students were welcomed to America, by Legal Inspector Shales. Once they had passed all of the necessary tasks, a great cheer was given as they were granted entry into the country. The students then celebrated with an international feast. Students were struck by the difficulty of the process and were touched by the differences in first class and steerage travel. All involved recognize the blessings in being here in America, and in being here at Oakwood.

Oakwood 4th grade students visited Monterey State Historic Park Association today and expanded upon what they have learned as part of their history unit of the time period when California was a part of Mexico. They broke into small groups and rotated between 4 engaging stations: cooking, branding, embroidery, and games. As a group they twisted twine into rope, enjoyed lunch in the garden and visited the historic Custom House. The tour guides commented several times on how well informed and polite our students were. Great job 4th grade!

Oakwood High School students traveled over Spring Break to the beautiful country of Spain. They toured Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, Sevilla, and Granada, visiting many places of historical significance and learning about the heritage of the different regions. As they toured the country they were able to soak in Spain's natural beauty, practice their Spanish and enjoy traditional cuisine. The trip was a tremendous opportunity to learn about Spain, submerge themselves into the Spanish culture, and delve into life in this incredible country. The students came home very happy and full of stories of their adventures.

After several weeks of training, the Oakwood Mini Mermaid Running Club ran the Run. Sweat. Love. 5K on Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. The Mini Mermaid Running Club is a six-week program of self-discovery, confidence-building, and goal-setting, where through movement, journaling, and group activities girls learn how to stand up for themselves and others, ask for help, offer help, and set steps to reach their goals. Great job mermaids!

The second grade class walked in the shoes of pioneer children. They came to school dressed like pioneers and experienced a day filled with pioneer activities that helped them learn about life in the 1800s. Mrs. Pappa shared some family history of her pioneer ancestors who relocated to California. She even brought in a full-sized wagon wheel that was from that time.

Congratulations to Nikola for being named the Most Valuable Player at The Central Coast All Star game. The game was played at Cabrillo College on March 17th, and it had many of the very best players from throughout the entire Monterey Bay Area. Nikola played a great game and represented Oakwood extremely well! Click "Read More" for details.

High School Senior Nikhita Gopisetty has been honored for her exemplary volunteer service with the President's Volunteer Service Award, granted by Prudential Financial, in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). The award recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country. Volunteer activities were judged on criteria including initiative, effort, impact and person growth. Nikhita has logged over a thousand hours of volunteering locally, nationally and internationally. Click "Read More" for details!

Monday, February 25th Junior and Senior Advisory classes journeyed to the Monterey Bay Conference Center to attend the Leon Panetta Student Lecture Series. This year's theme Checks and Balances – Will Our Democracy Survive? provided the topic of our lecture The Mueller Investigation, the Law and the Presidency. This annual event has become a highly anticipated tradition at Oakwood and one that delivers enduring memories for all involved. The experience serves as a catalyst for deep conversation and in turn generates new perspectives. Click "Read More" for details.

The Oakwood gym was filled with song and dance today during the Freedom Festival. Our Oakwood community enjoyed this school-wide celebration of patriotism. Students honored our country and our veterans with grade-level presentations, which included patriotic songs and videos produced by students. Veterans and members of the military had special VIP seating and were honored with a song sung especially for them by our 5th grade students, "American Heroes."

Congratulations to the Oakwood High School Girls' and Boys' Varsity Basketball teams, as they each captured their league championships and qualified for the CCS playoffs! Everyone on the teams played excellent basketball and contributed to these wins and championship. A huge thank you to all the faculty, families and students who came out in support!

A group of Oakwood Middle and High School performing arts students participated in the Junior Theater Festival (JTF), February 8-10, 2019 in Sacramento, taking home a trophy for Excellence in Dance. Sophomore Konark Vinod and 8th Grader Tegan Leong were also selected as all-stars for a special performance, in which Konark had a terrific solo. Click "Read more" below to here details about their experience at JTF.

Saturday, February 9th, Oakwood Mathletes participated in the Coyote Valley Chapter MATHCOUNTS competition. MATHCOUNTS is a national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of fun, in-person "bee" style contests. Middle school students Shrihan D., Justin D., Mateo J., Daniel L., Roman M., Josiah M., Aadjot S., Lee S., Ayana W., and Rohan W. outstandingly represented Oakwood. Extra congratulations to the Oakwood mathletes team of Shrihan, Daniel, Lee, and Ayana who qualified to move on to the Northern California State competition next month. This is a first for Oakwood!

On Saturday, February 2nd Jazz Ensemble students from Oakwood participated in the California Music Educators Association Bay Section Jazz Festival at Gunn High School in Palo Alto. They were awarded Universal Superior, which is the highest rating achievable! This event is designed to evaluate a group's overall performance quality and to motivate group and individual achievement. This was the first time an instrumental group from Oakwood has participated in a California Music Educators Festival. We are proud of our Oakwood students for a remarkable first performance at this festival!

Congratulations to the High School Varsity Boys Soccer team for being one of the CCS Scholastic Team Award Winners! This award is given to the five varsity teams in our division which have the highest collective GPA for the grading period. Other winners included: Crystal Springs, Harker School, Priory School and Sacred Heart Prep. Awards will be presented at the upcoming CCS Championships on February 22nd at 7:30 in the Stevens Stadium at Santa Clara University. We are proud of our students who balance academic and sports excellence!

Oakwood Students have been triumphant at local speech competitions, showing that we do truly foster a culture of jubilant self-expression, helping students blossom into dynamic, self-confident communicators. Junior Sofia Ruster won the AAUW Morgan Hill Branch Speech Trek Contest. The topic was: "How can we–students, parents, faculty, our communities, and organizations such as AAUW–eliminate violence aimed at our schools? What actions can we take to prevent another tragedy from taking place?" Sophomore Lili Jaquet took first place and Junior Shria Bulusu earned second place in the Morgan Hill Rotary Club Speech Competition. The topic was "He who serves best profits the most." Click "Read More" for the details of each contest.