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The audience was in awe of the remarkable performance of "Puffs" that Oakwood Middle School students put on. Tasked with owning the entire production, students directed, created sets and costumes, staged, and acted in the show. The result was an incredible performance that was enjoyed by everyone in attendance.

Last week Oakwood Middle School students from the Storytelling through Movement and Dance and the Ukes and Tunes elective classes performed dances they choreographed and music and songs they learned and rehearsed at the Oakwood Middle School Performing Arts Showcase. The performances were received by audiences with great enthusiasm and have inspired other students to want to choose these electives for next year! Thank you to the teachers and students who worked so hard to create these beautiful performances.

Oakwood High School drama students put on an amazing show Saturday evening. The talented cast performed a wide range of monologues, including both humorous and dramatic selections. In addition to the monologues, they acted in several small scenes that they directed themselves. The audience laughed and cried throughout the night. It was a pleasure to see how much enthusiasm and creativity the high school drama students brought to their performances! Thank you to everyone who came out in support of these students!

Last Friday, April 22, the Oakwood High School 1st and 3rd Jazz Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble, Guitar Performance Class, and Songwriting Club/Class held their Spring Concert and Songwriters Showcase. All the groups did a stellar job. High School Music teacher Mr. Sam Sotelo comments, "I would like to thank Michelle Helvey, Colleen Blanchard, and Mark Newton for their continuous support and all the behind-the-scenes folks that made the concert a success. It was a fun evening of great music."

The Oakwood High School Performing Arts musical production of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" was nothing short of magical. The show tells the story of a baker and his wife who, with help from a witch, venture into the woods to find ingredients that will break a curse set upon them by the witch. Along their journey, they encounter many famous fairy tale characters, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. Directed by Mrs. Colleen Blanchard, the cast and crew did an incredible job bringing this beloved story to life. Audience members were transported into a world of fairytale characters and enchanted forests from the moment they entered the theater. Amidst swirling pinks and purples, audiences were transported as they watched characters sing their way through difficult dilemmas, all in stunning costumes. In addition to the actors on stage, many student and adult volunteers were working behind the scenes to help create a truly immersive experience for both performers and audience members alike.

The Middle School Performing Arts production of Moana Jr. was an overwhelming success. The actors passionately sang and danced their way through this beautiful tale of adventure, family conflict, and love. Each performance took the audience on an incredible journey. We would like to thank the director Colleen Blanchard for bringing this exciting play to the stage, the student cast and crew for their hard work and dedication to the performance, and the volunteers that made this project possible.

Oakwood School fourth-grade students wowed audiences in their recent musical production, Beat by Beat's BOTS!, directed by lower-school drama teacher, Ms. Kris McDonald. The story is about a robotics competition where teams and their (singing and dancing) robots are vying for the top prize! Amidst the coding, building, and fierce competition, two rival team members befriended one another, which threw everything off-balance. Their collaborative spirit allows both teams to succeed and learn the valuable lesson of helping others. This STEM musical invites humans and robots alike to discover the power of technology and teamwork. Special thanks to Lisa Titi, Shaneen Monaco, Sandra Berisha, middle school drama tech, and fourth-grade students for putting on a fantastic show!

Oakwood School celebrates high school student Noah Chin for earning a perfect score on a college-level Advanced Placement® (AP®) Exam in spring 2021. Noah was one of only one of 46 students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP 3-D Art and Design Exam. "AP courses and exams are college-level, requiring great focus and persistence among participating students," said Trevor Packer, head of the Advanced Placement Program. Noah is an incredibly talented and passionate student, and we are proud of his incredible accomplishment.

Oakwood School families and friends recently enjoyed a wonderful evening of live music performed by the High School Vocal Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Guitar Performance classes under the direction of Mr. Sotelo at Oakwood School's Winter Concert. A variety of musical genres were represented from artists like Sting, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and the Beatles.

Oakwood School middle school students in the Harmonettes and Harmonics performing groups lit up the stage on November 11 and 12. The night included an energetic set of songs and dances. Under the musical direction of Mr. Sotelo and Mrs. Blanchard, the students sang solos and songs in two-part harmony. Some of the lively dances were choreographed by High School sophomore Mikaela Minoza and Mrs. Carrillo, and members of the two groups collaborated on them. The Harmonettes and Harmonics put on an outstanding performance that left the audience singing all the way home.

Students in the digital arts class, an elective at Oakwood High School, were assigned to tell stories as photojournalists. Their themes were "Shadows" and "October Rain." The students took photos around the Oakwood campus, then selected their best four images and edited them using different techniques. They could use color, composition, point of view, framing, and other techniques to showcase what they learned in the unit.

Click here to see the projects: "Shadow" and "October Rain"

Oakwood School buzzed with excitement for the first High School production of the year, "Fools." There was excitement in the hallways, excitement in classrooms, and most importantly-excitement backstage!

Oakwood 5th-grade students were the first class to perform for an audience in the Gwendolyn Riches Liberal Arts Theatre this school year! In their productions of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," the students brought to life brief vignettes spanning Valentine's Day to Beethoven Day. Both casts did an excellent job putting their personalities on display, making each one a special treat! Families and friends were delighted to see them perform live! Special thanks to Sandra Perryman, Anna Gorski, Emily Shem-Tov, Julie Singh, Mai Nguyen, William Kabelac, Matthew Morgan, Mahesh and Kamala, April Verbeek, and Karen Aldada for volunteering to help students; thank you so much for helping our show be a total success!

Congratulations to Oakwood High School Junior Kacie Hwang. She entered the 2021 American Cancer Society Youth Health Media contest and won both the Special Design Award and Popular Vote Winner. We are proud of Kacie and her accomplishment!

Oakwood School's third-grade students have had a great time creating a virtual musical this fall, "Super Happy Awesome News!" These students have so much to be proud of, and we want to congratulate them on their abilities to adapt and thrive! The students have now had a chance to watch their show, and soon it will be shared with their friends and families to enjoy!

Oakwood High School Senior Chloe Borsody's original song "Icarus" was selected as an Honorable Mention in the National Association for Music Education 2020 Songwriters Competition (NAfME). The association is among the world's largest arts education organizations and is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. Congratulations to Chloe for her accomplishment in this prestigious national competition! Click here to hear her song "Icarus"

As the school year comes to an end, some of the annual events we were looking fondly towards are not on the calendar due to the shelter in place order. One of these events is the "A Little Song and Dance" performance. However, Mr. Potter has a little surprise to share with his amazing students and the entire Oakwood community. He has created an incredible video of his students performing "Tuxedo Junction."

At Oakwood, we believe that balance is essential. While we engage in remote learning, students enjoy spending time in their online classes, but it is also vital for them to learn and create offline as well. In art class this week, Oakwood Elementary students were given the assignment of creating a color wheel by using found objects around their homes. The outer ring was to showcase primary and secondary colors, while the center objects represented neutral colors. We think they did a fantastically colorful job!

Oakwood's beautiful new Gwendolyn Riches Liberal Arts Center Theatre had its debut performance on October 25th and 26th with the high school comedy "Here Comes the Judge." The rapid comedic dialogue, superb acting, and zany characters in this play held the audience's attention. Thank you to everyone who came out to support Oakwood's Performing Arts Program and the cast, tech crew, creative staff, and parent volunteers and supporters for their time, talent, and hard work putting the show together.

Actress Cecelia Ticktin, the current Elphaba Standby in the National Broadway Tour of Wicked, graciously came to speak to Oakwood's Performing Arts Students on Wednesday. Ticktin recounted that at the age of ten, during a Broadway performance of Les Miserables, after feeling a connection with the lead actor, she decided to pursue a career as a Broadway actor. While speaking to the students, Ms. Ticktin relayed it was her willingness to work much harder than others, an enormous amount of perseverance, and a slight touch of delusion, that allowed her to pursue her lofty goals and finally achieve her dream role. Click "Read More" for details.