On the last day of school, Friday, May 28th, the Oakwood High School Class of 2021 wore their caps and gowns to participate in Oakwood School's Third Annual Senior Walk. Students, faculty, and staff enthusiastically cheered on our seniors in-person while families showed their support watching the event live over Zoom. It was a special experience not only for the graduating seniors but also for the younger students who look up to them. We are proud to celebrate our Senior Class's great accomplishment with this Oakwood tradition.

A love of reading opens the world up to the imagination and a lifetime of possibilities. Ms. Broch and Mrs. Pappa's second-grade classes attended Camp Read-A-Lot, Friday, May 21. The students dressed in camping attire and snuggled up with their favorite reading book, a pillow, and a stuffed animal for the day. When on-campus studnets arrived in their classrooms, they discovered their desks transformed into tents. During the day, the campers heard stories from our "Reading Rangers," Mrs. Shales, Mrs. Helvey, and a few parent volunteers via Zoom, all while snacking on camp treats. It was a fun day filled with many reading-based activities for these campers.

The Senior Soiree took place Saturday, May 15. It was a magical night for the Class of 2021. The students arrived to see the high school quad transformed into the nights' Caribbean theme with strung lights, tropical flowers, fruits, and decor. The enchanting music of a steel drum filled the air. During the evening, the high school faculty shared words of wisdom and congratulations with the seniors, and the students played a festive game of Kahoots. Then Mr. and Mrs. Helvey spoke about their excitement for the seniors and all of the possibilities for their next five years and a short video presentation showcased the students. The festivities concluded with dancing and sparklers. The event was a wonderful display of the faculty and staff showing the seniors appreciation for their efforts and achievements. Cheers to the soon-to-be graduates!

At Oakwood, we are dedicated to providing an environment in which students explore and research ideas and develop higher-level thinking skills.
In March of 2020, Oakwood moved to remote learning, and as a result, the 2nd-grade students were unable to participate in the annual 2nd-grade Fossil Dig Lab last year. Therefore, the current third-grade students are ending this year with an opportunity to participate in the lab they missed. They began the lesson with a brief review of Paleontology, discussing how fossils form and how Paleontologists use fossils to improve our knowledge of extinct creatures/plants from long ago. After the review, they participated in the fossil dig. They each received a dig site excavation box as members of the Official Paleontologist Research Team for Oakwood School. The class reviewed the use of each tool within their pack, created their observation notes, entered the dig site, collected their fossil specimens, and drew conclusions about their fossils. It was an exciting and educational activity for the students to practice their analyzing and evaluation skills.

At Oakwood we want our students to be as excited about learning at sixty as they are at 6, 7, 8, 9, etc. That's why our teachers present curriculum through their own inventive ways. Our fourth-grade on-campus and remote students have been hard at work learning all about owls. They began with a discussion of characteristics that make owls members of the birds of prey. Next, they researched various types of owls and used the reading to identify unique features and structures of owls. Then, the students discussed what an owl pellet is and how they form. To get experience with owl pellets, the students participated in an owl pellet dissection. They made observations of the owl pellets during this lab and used a bone identification chart to sort the bones. After sorting bones and keeping a tally, the students used their findings to decide what creatures their owl had eaten.

Andrew Herrera, Class of 2018, Oakwood School alum and current George Mason University student, has been awarded the Charles and Polly Webber History Award. He stated, "Any academic achievement that comes my way is in part thanks to Oakwood and the amazing faculty and people that have pushed me and been with me ever since I was a child. In short, my achievements are your achievements! I never would've been able to get here or reach these milestones had it not been for the sturdy foundation that Oakwood gave me." We want to congratulate Andrew on his prestigious accomplishment! Visit the Family Portal for details!

The Hawks were in fine form Wednesday, April 28, as each team played and won against the Gilroy High School Mustangs. There are more games ahead for both teams, and some of the games will be live-streamed by Nor Cal Sports TV. Watch our social media pages for links to future games!

For the past 52 years, the Junior League of San Jose has recognized outstanding volunteers at non-profits in the Bay Area. A few weeks ago, we learned that two of our High School students, Carolyn Burback and Allie Purtell, had received the Crystal Ball Award, placing them in the top 10 nominees and earning a $500 stipend for Oakwood. Carolyn and Allie were recognized for creating Stigma Magazine, Oakwood's student magazine focusing on destigmatizing mental health and dedicated to an inclusive and supportive campus culture. At the Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon, held virtually on Friday, April 23, the judges announced they had awarded Carolyn and Allie with the highest honor, the Volunteerism at its Best Award, which includes an additional $1,000 stipend for the school. Carolyn and Allie have asked that the funds be used to purchase a mini-library of books about mental health awareness to be located for student access in the Student Center. Please help us celebrate this fantastic honor for Carolyn and Allie and recognize their impact on the Oakwood community. Visit the Family Portal for details.

Oakwood School was thrilled to be chosen for our students to talk with Astronaut Dr. Shaoon Walker on the International Space Station via Amateur Radio on March 22, 2021. This activity was part of the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) Program, which promotes learning opportunities as part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Math) initiative.

On Friday, February 5 fifteen Oakwood Mathletes participated in the Coyote Valley Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition. Ishan M. and Avi S. have now qualified to compete in the State Competition on March 25!! Congratulations to all of the Oakwood Mathletes who represented Oakwood!

Congratulations to Oakwood High School senior Cerys Holter! The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill recognized Cerys last month for Outstanding Student Achievement. The faculty and administrators choose the honorees at each school. Madame Debree commented, "Cerys is elegant in her thoughts and her actions. We admire her for her open heart and open mind. Her standard for excellence, both personal and academic, never waivers. She demands the best from herself, and that brings out the best in all around her."

On February 23rd, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) hosted their annual Speech Trek Contest via Zoom. The topic was "Has social media helped or hindered the breaking down of barriers for women and girls?" Congratulations to the winners! Oakwood Senior Lily Jaquet took first place, Oakwood Freshman Jaquet Powell took second, and Oakwood Sophomore Jillian Bogosian took third place. Oakwood Sophomores Sophie Lord and Reena Panikar also participated. Each of the students gave poignant speeches on the topic and should be proud of their performances. Lily will now have a chance to compete at the state level.

Students in Mrs. Wilmot's Introduction to Virtual Reality class have been creating VR worlds using HTML and the A-Frame JavaScript library. They learned how to create animations with 3D shapes like boxes, cones, cylinders, toruses and how to introduce both click-based and gaze-based interaction to their animations. They are also able to use 360 degree images in their animations. Students can view their VR creations on their computers, phones, or through an Oculus Rift. This was a challenging course for our middle school students, who learned to work with advanced frameworks more appropriate for high school, and we are proud of all that they have learned.

The 37th annual Morgan Hill Rotary, Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest, was held last week via Zoom. Oakwood High School students: Seniors Lili Jacquet and Madina Turaeva, Sophomores Jillian Bogosian, Sophie Lord, & Reena Panikar, and Freshman Mikaela Minoza, represented us very well. Madina Turaeva garnered the first place award, second place went to Jillian Bogosian, and third place went to Lili Jacquet.