Every Wednesday morning students voluntarily gather at the high school student center to talk about school affairs.  These meetings are not only for the high school council members but open to everyone in the school.  Anyone, staff, student, friend or parent is welcome to join and participate.  The Student council is run by high school students with the help of Jennifer Jesu-Anter, who coordinates this program.

The Student Council usually talks about plans for upcoming events, the economic situation of the Student Council, and issues that come up in school. The meetings are conducted in council fashion.  People sit in a circle and share their thoughts when it is their turn. When anyone feels intervention is needed they simply raise their hand.

The Student Council sets a goal for each semester.  This semester's goal was to raise $1000 for our sister schools in India which the seniors would take with them and present on their winter trip there.  The goal for this semester was achieved through such activities as movie night, selling tie dye t-shirts on Ojai Day and a yard sale. The Council is already hard at work for next semester's goal which is to raise money for the prom. 

Environmental Science

It was an eight-week project and the final presentations at the end included a poster board showing the process of their experiment and research along with an oral presentation explaining their hypothesis and results.  Most of their presentations were attended by other teachers and students in the High School and included a question and answer session at the end.  Sophia, who is in the 9^th grade, said, "I learned that science experiments have a very long process, you have to be really organized and know exactly what you're looking for."

Dia de los Muertos- Day of the Dead

The senior Spanish class started a new tradition on campus. They honored the dead by building a traditional altar where all members of oak Grove School's community could place pictures of deceased loved ones or deceased admired ones.   There were photos of grandparents, friends and even Michael Jackson.

This is a traditional holiday in México where friends and family gather to remember and pray for those who have passed away.  It is a combination of Indian and Catholic traditions celebrated over two days; November 1^st - Día de todos los Santos,  a celebration for the young children that have passed on; November 2^nd - Día de los Muertos, a celebration for all of the adults that have passed on. One of the traditions is to build altars decorated with sugar skulls, marigolds and the favorite foods and drinks of those who have departed.

 

The altar was on display in the main house for a week before being moved to the Spanish class sponsored "Cafe Chocolate" at the Oak Grove Secondary School tent during open house. Their altar was decorated with marigolds, Calaveras (sugar skulls), candles, glitter and sparkles.  The cafe featured homemade Mexican hot chocolate and Pan Muertos, a traditional food of the Day of the Dead.

One student wrote: "As I awoke from a state of deep relaxation, I felt as if I was born into a new being. My body was filled with emptiness yet fullness, my breathing was calm and slow, and my mind was free from all worries." Another felt that, "Meditation is a great way to empty my mind and become at peace with myself. It was also a very interesting experience, learning about a religion through what Buddhist monks and nuns do daily. I had an amazing experience and I think this was a very good way to learn not about Buddhism, but from Buddhism." Finally, another student wrote, "This experience has convinced me this road is worth looking into, and perhaps sometime in the future the old back muscles will be getting another workout."

At Oak Grove School we have a special physical education program called Fit for Life.  The intention of this course is to get students in shape and to help them maintain a healthy life. Students work on physical agility and stamina with stretching, running and other various workouts.  The core of this course is participation and fun while learning to stay fit for life.

                

The girls had a successful and engaging volleyball season with their coach, Jake Ainsworth.  They played with various schools and had lots of fun.  Currently they have shifted to soccer season with their coach, Troy Becker.  The boys have been preparing for soccer all semester and just kicked off the season with their coach, Bo Ainsworth.

Who Wants to Live Forever?

It was very well written and performed.  They played to a full house both nights. When asked if he had anything to say, Kyle Crooke in 8^th grade, one of the werewolves, said "I like plays," with a happy face.

My City State

For the sixth-grade city-state project we approached history from a number of different perspectives in addition to our textbook reading of the Sumerians and our reading of the story of Gilgamesh. Students studied pictures of artifacts and the layout of early cities, they read myths, and discussed conflicting histories in order to gain perspective on early civilizations.  Students planned blue-prints for their own city-states and then built models in order to better understand the challenges that early civilizations underwent. Furthermore, students were asked to develop each city-state's cultural identity and defining characteristics as they explained their culture's government systems, work force, social levels,  religion, laws and systems of trade.

               

One student provided the following details for his culture:

In the city of Cole, there are no rich people and poor people. Everybody is equal. The kids are taken care of by their parents and are home schooled. The elders help the government because they are older and wiser. Everybody must wash their hands before they eat. They must take their shoes off before walking into a house and they must be able to ride a surfboard. They also must be able to make a surfboard.
 

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The a,b,c's are as simple as 1,2,3 for the first graders since they have been reading their a,b,c  books. They said they were having "so much fun!" while reading these exciting stories. One of their favorite things to do is draw while listening to their teacher, Alanna, read books out loud. While we interviewed their class the majority of students raised their hands for reading time being their favorite thing to do. Each student had a book that they were reading on their own. It was impressive how much they love to read.

Process Art 
        

Preschoolers take off their shoes and paint with their feet.  Working on one very long canvas together, they discover the cool, smooth feel of paint underfoot, watch the colors mix and footprints cover each other.  They feel the slippery need for a helping hand and slosh their feet clean at the end.  This is "process" art, not working toward a finished product but exploring and enjoying what happens.  

 

In the Kitchen

 

Young children are natural scientists, born with a sense of wonder and a passionate drive to find out about their world.

Three-year-olds Paolo Thompson, Cruz Miller and Matson Bailey harvest seeds together from a giant sunflower, using home-made wooden tweezers.