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Happenings
January 2012
College Acceptances!
Oakley’s 2011/2012 seniors are well on their way submitting college applications. Many of our seniors applied early action or rolling application deadlines. We also have a handful of seniors that will be enrolling in college this January. Although many of our seniors will be submitting the majority of their applications in January and February, we have already heard back from a number of schools. So far our seniors have been accepted to:
- Loyola Marymount University
- Colorado State University
- College of Charleston
- Washington State University
- Montana State University
- Northeastern University
- Oregon State University
- University of Rhode Island
- Loyola University of New Orleans
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- St. Edward’s University
- University of Indiana
- University of Colorado
- Eastern Washington University
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Tennessee
- Ft. Lewis College
Our seniors have also been awarded scholarships at the following schools:
- Guilford College
- Westminster College
- Regis University
- Iona College
- Alaska Pacific University
- Miami University
We look forward to the rest of the year and hearing back from many more colleges and universities!
December 2011
Choir Visits Local Senior Community
The Oakley School Choir went to the Senior Citizen's Center in Kamas in December. The Senior Citizen's Center is the "club house" for seniors in the valley. They get together to have lunch and socialize every Monday and Thursday. The choir performed and was their entertainment for the day on Thursday, December 15th. The choir sang holiday songs and did a fantastic job!!! The highlight for the seniors' is when the students introduce themselves and tell them where they are from. It's fascinating for the seniors to here that the students are from all over the country. The choir group stopped for pizza on the way back to campus and had a fantastic experience!
November 2011
Girls Volleyball Ends Season on a High Note!
The girls' Volleyball team met last Friday evening for the end of the year gathering. They had dinner at Coach Kay's house, where each girl received an award for her contributions to the team-most were humorous. The girls voted on a few awards, and recognized most spirited player, most improved player, and most valuable player. After dinner the team drove down to the University of Utah to watch the Utes play.
In a letter from Coach Kay to the parents she noted; "Let me start by saying thank you for letting me work with your daughters. They are amazing young ladies. Every one of them progressed so much this season and were truly a joy to work with. They were very coachable which will take them far and they had a great work ethic. The team you saw play over parent's weekend was NOT the same team that played the end of October. They came together as a team and improved individually. This group of girls was great to work with as they all wanted to improve and become a stronger team.
October 2011
Musical Opportunities at the Oakley School
This year, we are proud to offer an Instrumental / Music Appreciation /Theory class for our students!
This course is designed for students who seek the opportunity to extend their musical understanding, heighten music listening skills, increase their ability to respond more fully to music, and understand music theory. Experiences include opportunities to experiment with sounds and singing/playing/reading music, individual and group performances of instruments/voice, development of analytical and evaluative skills in music listening, analysis of famous compositions, and the study of famous composers who are representative of most genres and styles of music. Students explore music theory through units designed to bring them through basic to more advanced theory and will end in the student’s written composition of a musical piece.
September 2011
New Academic Staff
We are pleased to announce four new Academic Staff to the Oakley school.
Shannon Murray is our new math teacher. Before coming to Oakley, Shannon was a National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellow and taught science to all ages. She is also a graduate student working toward a Ph.D. in Geophysics.
Ashley Mott is teaching English. Ashley is originally from western Wyoming, but has called Utah home for the last five years. Prior to coming to Oakley, she taught at Utah Valley University and the Salt Lake Community College.
Lisa Hardman is our new library services coordinator. Lisa has been working in the Park City ski industry for the past eight years. She loves to ski and, given the seasonal nature of the industry, was able to take several six-month sabbaticals to be an English teacher in Japan, Russia and China.
Scott Hendrickson is Oakley’s learning specialist. Scott was a substitute teacher at Oakley for the past year, and is excited to be continuing his work at Oakley. Scott was previously a high school history teacher for many years in Massachusetts and Seattle, and an academic counselor in Vienna, Austria.
September 2011
Diversity amongst Oakley Students, Staff and Faculty
9/13/11: At the Oakley School each staff member brings a unique perspective to their work borne out of his or her background, education and personal interactions.
Our faculty and Staff come to us with experiences borne out of living and studying in 30 plus different states around the country and abroad. Our student body hails from 26 States and 2 Foreign Countries and all come with varied familiarities and perspectives. The diversity of our faculty and staff allows us to effectively work with each student and their family. Students learn from the experiences of their peers while also providing the sensitivity and support of knowing that someone else comes from their part of the county. Oakley students and families create lifelong connections and relationships that are often maintained long beyond graduation ceremonies and moving out of the dorms. It is comforting for our students to know that they can have a support system in their backyard when they head home or off to college.
June 2011
Congratulations Oakley Class of 2011!!'''
We are proud to announce the graduation of 24 of our seniors. Last week we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day in which to celebrate with our seniors and wish them well in the next step of their journey.
Our seniors will be going on to the following schools in the fall:
Furman University
Colorado State College
St. Edward’s University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Marist College
Westminster College
Ohio Northern University
Southern Methodist University
Arizona State University
DePaul University
Regis University
Sonoma State University
Wheaton College
University of Tennessee
Colorado HeliOps
School Biola University
April, 2011
Oakley Boys Soccer Team are recognized in Park City Newspaper
www.parkrecord.com/summit_county-sports/
March, 2011
Debate Team Competes in State Finals
“Effective communication” is at the top of the Oakley School’s list of DRSL’s (Desired Results for Student Learning) and one activity that has helped anchor these skills among students is the Oakley Speech and Debate team. This year’s team capped its best season ever with its best team performance ever at the Utah 1-A state championship this past weekend in St. George.
Led by a state championship performance from Simon and Joana in the two-person Public Forum event, the team finished in fifth place, by far its best finish ever in this activity. Simon and Joana become Oakley’s first state debate champions since 2004. The two won a split decision against the same strong team from Intermountain Christian they had defeated two weeks before in the Region 17 final.
Besides Joana and Simon’s triumph, other medal winners included Logan, who finished third in Lincoln Douglas event and Conrad, who finished third in Extemporaneous speaking. In the third round, Logan met another Intermountain Christian archrival, but lost in a 50-50 decision decided by the judge in IMC’s favor. In the Lincoln Douglas event, 50 points is the highest possible score. In Extemporaneous Speech, students are given 30 minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech on a randomly chosen topic.
Conrad’s gave four such speeches, all judged either excellent or superior to win third place in the event. Conrad also finished 3-1 in Spontaneous Argument, which combined with Ben’s 2-2 in the same event and Logan’s 5th place in Impromptu to add significant points towards Oakley’s team score. Also contributing was Simon’s fourth place finish in Congress and Ryan’s tenth place finish in the same event. Maria Nerness also participated in Congress, as well as Joana in Original Oratory. Thanks to all those who helped with this strong season. Each year the program continues to grow and much of the credit goes to the support of the entire Oakley community.
February 2011
Oakley Swim Team Makes a Splash at State Meet
The Oakley School Swim Team wrapped up its best season in school history with it's strongest showing ever at the 3A State Swim Meet February 4-5 at BYU in Provo. The team finished 7th overall in the State in the 3A classification, placed higher than every other 1A and 2A school, had it's first ever individual State Champion, and broke 9 school records this season! First, congrats to Ben B., the new 3A State swimming Champion in the 200 IM with a 2:04.71! He is the first Oakley swimmer ever to achieve that honor. Ben also dropped 4 seconds in the 100 back and moved up 3 spots to finish 3rd; both of his times were new school records. Sam S. was seeded 16th in the 50 free but finished 10th, and also moved up from 20th to 17th in 100 breaststroke. His leadoff 50 free split of 23.41 was a new school record and placed him 6th overall in the State. Our relays excelled at the meet too - the 200 medley relay of Ben, Sam, Ryan H., and Kenny P. was seeded 9th but finished 7th, while the 200 free relay (same boys) dropped 6 seconds and moved up from 11th to 6th (highest ever State finish for an Oakley relay)! Our 400 free relay of Travis M., Kenny, Conrad H., and Ryan had a great swim as well, dropping 14 seconds and finishing 16th. Each of them swam a personal best time. Our success was even more impressive given that we are a "1A" school with only 70 students competing against 2A and 3A schools with up to 1,000 students! Special thanks go to assistant coach Richard Noel and to the swimmers themselves, as they were not only the most talented but also by far the most dedicated and hard working swim team we've ever had at Oakley!
February 2011 - EE Olympics
On Friday we had an all school activity put on by the Experiential Education staff. We spent the morning listening to a presentation from the Utah Avalanche Center called “Know Before You Go.” We do not take students in the back country, but it was a great intro look into the other aspects of skiing and snowboarding and how to be safe and prepared. The students were engaged and asked good questions. After lunch we had the EE Olympics. Each EE staff member set up a 15 minute event and graded groups on participation, leadership, group communication, quality and time. Students were broken into their caseload groups and along with academic, therapy and house staff each group competed from event to event. The events we had were a camp set up initiative, a bike assembly and race, a one footed snowboard obstacle course, print making, a sled race, a blind folded knot tying activity and a photo scavenger hunt. It was a fun day!
January, 2011
The wrestling season has officially wrapped up. Each year Oakley teams begin from scratch, with the hope that some of the Athletes on the team have previous experience in the sport they are playing. This year the Oakley Wrestling Team accomplished new heights. The team recently competed the season placing 7th in State in Utah 1A division. With three individual state placers, including two state runner-up wrestlers. Each of the wrestlers on the team won at least one match this year. Many who have never seen a wrestling match in there life. Congratulations to the wrestling team for the hard work and accomplishments they achieved.
Oakley School Welcomes Spanish Exchange Students
This year our students and some staff members shared their lives for a week with 25 exchange students from Spain. Each Oakley student was paired with an exchange student mentee. Everyone had a great time brushing up on their Spanish skills while interacting with our guest students. Thanks to the graciousness of staff members and community members all exchange students and chaperones expereinced American life while living with 25 different local families.
The visit ended on a high note with a formal dinner and dance presentation by the Spanish students. We look forward to having them back next year!
2010 Empty Bowls Fundraiser
Students participated in our annual Empty Bowls Fundraising event held at the Oakley School. The Ceramic students, along with Clay Arts Utah, created bowls throughout the year and hosted a fundraiser dinner to help fight hunger. This is an amazing project that the whole school community gets involved in. This year we raised almost $2,000 for Food Bank Utah. Our art classes also donated art work for a silent auction that raised over $1,300 on top of the $2000 raised by the bowls. The silent auction money was split amongst three organizations we frequently work with, Mountain Trails, Wildlife Protection Society and Friends of Animals.
The students, staff and community members enjoyed a night of art and great soup all in the spirit of service.
Students get some fresh air during Advisee Group
Our students meet with their Academic Adviser once a week during advisee group. Their Adviser takes that time support and encourage each student while getting a realist view into their academic work. Below is a sample from Jay Williams, our Biology teacher, of something his advisees fill out each week.
On scrap paper, write a ½ page reflection sharing:
- what is going well academically
- what could you be doing better
- what could I (adviser) be doing better to support you
Executive Functioning Seminar
Oakley staff gathered for a seminar on Executive Functioning and strategies to improve students' success. The seminar covered a wide variety of topics in the realm of executive functioning. What executive functioning deficits may look like in the classroom and beyond was a one area addressed that was able to speak to every department. The staff gained valuable new strategies to use in order to help our students achieve success in all areas of our school.
Please click here to download a copy of the Executive Functioning Senior presentation.
Dean's List & Academic Honors
At the end of the first Block of the 2010- 2011 Academic year, we are excited to announce that 27% of our student body qualified for the Dean’s List! To qualify for the Dean’s List a student must maintain a grade point average of 3.50 or higher, and may not have any grades lower than a C+. An additional 28% of our student body qualified for the Academic Honors List which equates to a grade point average between 3.0 and 3.49 with no grades lower than a C-. 55% of our students are maintaining a 3.0 grade point average or higher! We are very proud of our students and the hard work they are putting in.
Fall Science Lab Outings
Fall 2010
This fall, Jay Williams and his Honor' Environmental Science class got out of the classroom and into the great outdoors as much as possible.
This picture was taken during a great day of collecting small, river-dwelling insect larvae and related critters off the bottom of rocks and logs in the Weber River, just 10 minutes from school. It was a beautiful morning to enjoy a hands-on lab in the river, which by the end had numbed all of our feet. Students worked by collecting data on which types of invertebrates they collected and then put the data into a developed equation to determine the overall water-quality of the Weber River. We then discussed factors that might affect the water quality and how this relates to tolerance of pollutants and other chemicals that might seep into the river. A great day with a great group of kids!
The Oakley School’s modified block schedule allows for 90 minute class sessions on Tuesday and Wednesdays, creating opportunities to step outside of the classroom and outside of the box in our approach to working with students.
We are excited to announce the latest addition to the Oakley team!
September 20th, 2010
Dallas Gines is our new Learning Specialist. Mrs. Gines is available to meet with students during study halls throughout the school day as well as one evening study hall each week. She has a graduate degree in special education and has experience working with students in the classroom and in athletics. Dallas focuses on helping students with their organizational skills, class content development, various study skills, specific learning challenges, and motivational techniques. Please contact Dallas Gines directly via-email if you would like to discuss the benefits of her working with your son or daughter.
Dallas' love for teaching began when shortly after high school she became a coach. This inspired Dallas to return to school to receive her Masters Degree in Special Education. She began her teaching career at Midway Elementary School, where she was a resource teacher. She enjoys the challenge of helping students who struggle and also the reward that comes from the success of overcoming those challenges. She feels that every student has something great to offer, some just need a little push in finding it.
Dallas loves to play all sports, but her favorite is Volleyball. You can usually find her with her four girls competing with one of them. She resides on a small farm where together with her family they haul hay, raise pigs and chickens, and compete in barrel racing and pole bending. In her free time, which is not much, she enjoys reading, camping, yard work, riding four-wheelers, and spending time with friends and family.
Increased AP Offerings at the Oakley School!
September 16th, 2010
We have always offered an array of Honors Level classes at the Oakley School and have encouraged each student in these courses to sit for the corresponding College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exam in May to aim for success and the equating college credit that is possible with a high score on these exams. This past July, four members of the Oakley School faculty traveled to Sacramento California for a week-long institute on the teaching of Advanced Placement courses. Kay Katchuk (Calculus), Steve Young (Spanish), Jay Williams (Environmental Science) and Tim Campbell (English Language & Literature), enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate and study with colleagues from countless schools in California and even Guam. After a week immersed in academia, hot temperatures, dry humor, and exploring the offerings of Sacramento, the Oakley Team emerged with greater qualification and preparation to teach advanced students at The Oakley School. In addition to AP US History, the school is now formally offering five courses to improve student knowledge and performance on the Advanced Placement Exam. These courses include AP English 12, AP Spanish, AP Calculus, AP Statistics and AP Environmental Science.
August 2010
Oakley students help the Park City community
A group of Oakley students spent the day volunteering with the Wildlife Protection Society, Mountain Trails Foundation and the Park City Sports Club. The group dismantled a half mile of rancher fencing and barbed wire in the Round Valley Trail area. The Round Valley Trail land was purchased by taxpayer money as open space and these organizations have been working for the past 5 years to remove all the fencing and barbed wire. Thanks to the help of all the volunteers, two full trailers worth of fencing was taken down and recycled! The students were recognized in the Local Newspaper for their efforts on this project!
2010 College News!
June 30th, 2010
Congratulations to the 2010 Oakley graduates! This academic year has been full of hard work from our seniors in college planning: beginning with list development, college essays, SAT/ACT preparation, application review, and finally submitting college applications. We had a smaller senior class which enabled Lauren Hansen, the college counselor, to give a more individualized approach to each student. Our seniors have done a lot of work academically, emotionally, and socially and we are so excited to send them off to college in the fall!
Acceptances this year included: St. Mary's College of California, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Eckerd College, Guilford College, University of Colorado, University of Arizona, Oregon State University, Columbia College of Chicago, Queens College of Charlotte, St. Michael's College, Cornell College, Drake University, Catholic University, Mount St. Mary's University, University of Miami, University of Texas, Whittier College, Marquette University, Pacific University, Colorado State University, McDaniel College, University of Denver, Hood College, John Carroll University, Florida Institute of Technology, Champlain College, and many more!
The Oakley staff wishes all of these graduates the best of luck and we have such confidence that these students will do great things in college and beyond!
Oakley School Announces Graduating Class of 2010
June 15, 2010
On June 11th, 2010, The Oakley School Community, along with the friends and families of our 20 Graduates celebrated a significance milestone. Through hard work and perseverance and with a supportive family system behind them, 20 Oakley School students earned their High School diplomas. On a day that was expected to be rainy, we cheered the graduates on under cloudy, but precipitation-free skies, in our traditional setting on the front lawn of the School. Earning recognition at the Graduation Ceremony in the form of the Oakley Award, the Enlightenment Award, The Kerachsky Award and the Explorer Award, were Hanna M, Eltron M and Conner B. Congratulations to the class of 2010!
Guest Speaker Presents at Oakely
Kristine from the Utah Avalanche Center came to campus to present about avalanche awareness in the backcountry. The presentation included a great video which can be seen here.
While Oakley ski and snowboard classes do not venture into the backcountry, many students will continue to ski and ride in the future, and will be tempted by the lure of untracked snow out of bounds and away from the ski resorts. Kristine’s presentation focused on avalanche danger in the mountains and the importance of adequate preparation, knowledge and equipment for backcountry skiing and riding.
October 30, 2009
Sudanese Artist Visits Oakley to Share the Story of His Journey as a “Lost Boy” of Sudan
Oakley students had the honor of working with a Sudanese clay artist, Dominic, on campus this week. Dominic shared his rich cultural history, tumultuous past as a boy in war-torn Sudan, and his life as a refugee after the long walk to Kenya as a seven year old boy. After speaking to the class and a Q&A session, Dominic walked the class through the steps of making Clay Cows. As a boy in Sudan, he would collect clay from the river, fashion toy cows with his friends, and let the clay forms bake in the sun before playing with them.
What an amazing experience to listen and learn from such a strong yet sensitive spirit! We were all truly moved by the day with Dominic. The discussion after the workshop focused on how our Oakley community can help him fulfill his dream of making a difference in the lives of Sudanese children in Dominic’s village.
Oakley students will continue making Clay Cows to donate for a fundraiser at Oakley’s next Parent Workshop in February. All proceeds from the Clay Cow auction will be donated to help educate Sudanese children as well as assist “Lost Boy” refugees in the U.S. to obtain high school and college degrees.
Fall 2009
An excerpt from a Community Service Course Weekend Review:
“On Saturday we had an early departure from school to help out the Mountain Trails Foundation in Park City. We arrived at the trail head at 8:30am, ate some bagels and got our directions. We helped the foundation remove about a half mile of barbed wire fence in the way of a major deer migration path. Students worked efficiently, and we were done by noon.”
See Oakley students recognized and learn more about the Mountain Trails project at website at http://www.mountaintrails.org/
Oakley School Ultimate Frisbee Team Wins Utah State Championship!
The Oakley School Ultimate Frisbee Team returned from the Utah State Tournament with the ultimate prize; a championship. Battling fatigue, the weather and schools with more than fifteen times the enrollment, Oakley came out on top. A grueling five game schedule on Saturday May 30th ended with Oakley emerging victorious. The coed team was coached by Greg D’Eloia who remarked “they gave it their all; everything they had and more.” The team, nicknamed the “Swine Crew” (a play on the recent Swine Flu outbreak) was comprised of seventeen students.
The Oakley School is a therapeutic boarding school located in Oakley, Utah. By offering kids real world options and opportunities Oakley teaches kids to learn from their choices. Many of the kids on the team had never played the sport competitively, yet hoisted the trophy. “It is these types of experiences that make Oakley unique” said Executive Director James Meyer “our kids can do anything when given support, guidance and a chance.” Oakley employs an innovative approach to working with adolescents, one that focuses on structure not restriction, and relationships fostered through a multidisciplinary approach. To learn more please contact the Admissions Office at (435)-783-5001.
College News!
May 2, 2009
This year has been exciting for both the seniors at the Oakley school and the school’s college counselor, who couldn’t be more proud of the work the seniors have done with their college applications. 100% of the seniors that applied to a four-year college were accepted to one of their choice schools.
Acceptances this year ranged from Northwestern University, Fordham University, University of Denver, Westminster College, University of Colorado, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Clemson University, American University, College of Wooster, Goucher College, Penn State, Michigan State, and many more. We are excited to see what the Oakley Class of 2009 will do in college and beyond! Congratulations again to Oakley’s seniors and best of luck!
Support Services for Girls
Spring Update 2009
At Oakley School, we understand that teenage girls often face different pressures than teenage boys. That's why we offer a special "women's empowerment group" that meets once a week as part of the group therapy curriculum.
The women's group is a safe place for Oakley's female student body to discuss self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, body image, communication patterns, and other issues of special interest to them. In a nurturing, non-competitive environment that encourages openness and mutual respect, the students share personal experiences and struggles while offering one another feedback and support.
In addition to talk therapy, the Oakley girls' program incorporates art therapy as an alternative way for the girls to express themselves. Led by a master's level therapist who specializes in women's and family issues, the ladies draw self portraits and family portraits, discuss movies and books about women's issues, and analyze newspaper clippings and magazine articles to explore how women are portrayed in the media. Using a bit of creativity, the girls are able to open up a meaningful dialogue and work through some of the issues they face on a daily basis.
World Class Athletes Are Just "One Jump" away!
March, 2009
Snow sports are a way of life to many students and staff at the Oakley School. On any given winter Monday morning, you can overhear students sharing their experiences, from learning how to link turns on a snowboard to landing a 360 backside without falling and receiving cheers from the other students in the class.
The module program at Oakley allows students to learn or improve on existing skills in a supportive but structured environment. Seven-week programming of 8-hour classes 2 days a week allows the instructor the quality time to teach students about the sport in its entirety. Teaching the technique, volunteering for a local event, mentoring a beginning class, and learning to care for and maintain the equipment are just some of the many teachable examples the module program has to offer.
Students have an unparalleled opportunity to embrace a new skill at the Oakley School, as these classes delve deep into the culture and community that surrounds the sport. This rich experience provides not only a supportive environment to conquer fears or apprehension but also supports personal growth in the most beautiful environment. This teaches students ways to connect social and lifelong healing experiences with nature and the great outdoors we love so much at the Oakley School.
Students enrolled in all levels of skiing and snowboarding at the Oakley School are exposed to many forms of the sport. From the novice to professional competitions, students are introduced to the whole community and lifestyle of the sport. This world class half-pipe hosts some of the best riders and skiers in the world and our students are able to witness their skills up close and personal. From watching the FIS world freestyle ski events to the snowboard slopestyle and half-pipe events, our aspiring riders watch and are able to see first hand how focus, discipline, healthy lifestyle and determination help these athletes succeed in all they do.