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.

Three of our incredible High School Seniors: Shayan Daijavad, Kate Jackson, and Konark Vinod, are National Merit Scholar Finalists. They each received a Certificate of Merit and will now be considered for the Merit Scholarship awards.

This week Oakwood High School celebrated the current Oakwood 8th-grade middle school students accepted into the Oakwood High School for the 2021-2022 school year! The event began when Oakwood's mascot, Thunder, lead the students from the middle school quad to the high school quad, where high school students and faculty cheered their arrival. High School Student Council President Lili Jaquet and Upper School Head & Principal Mark Newton shared words of encouragement with the students. We are excited these bright students have chosen Oakwood High School! Welcome future Oakwood class of 2025!

Oakwood Freshman Melanie Chipman had an idea to connect the Oakwood high school community. She was inspired by a play she had watched about Sadako Sasaki, a radiation victim from the Hiroshima bombing. Sadako was diagnosed with cancer and decided to fold 1,000 paper cranes (or orizuru, as they're called in Japanese) to wish for world peace. Melanie's thought was, "...with all that has been happening in the world with the virus and political unrest, it might be neat if we as a school folded 1,000 paper cranes.

Dr. Sean Wilmot, Oakwood Science Department Chair, gave a presentation at the High School Assembly on January 22 to discuss the science behind the new RNA vaccine technology being implemented by Pfizer and Moderna versus SARS-COV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. Dr. Wilmot also provided historical context on the development of vaccines and the enormous health benefits they provide. The intention of the talk was to delve deeper, celebrating the Science, and encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated as early as possible so that we can all do our part to protect our community. To see the presentation click here.

It was a pleasure to honor High School Senior Lydia Sattler class of 2021 as she signed her National Letter of Intent and committed to Stephen F. Austin State University as a 2021 Women's Soccer Team Goalkeeper. Lydia has been an exemplary Oakwood Hawk during her time at our school, and we look forward to following her journey and all that she accomplishes in the coming years at SFA. We enjoyed being able to celebrate with our in-person high school students today in the Oakwood Athletic Center Gym, while the rest of our upper school joined via Zoom for this momentous occasion. Congratulations to Lydia on this wonderful achievement! Click here to read The Morgan Hill Times article.