Oak Knoll is an environment that nurtures each child's growth, not just academically but in all facets of life. We firmly believe in the idea of "actions, not words," a philosophy that encourages students to embrace new experiences, venture out of their comfort zones, and not fear failure.

Topics: all-girls, coeducation, admissions, independent catholic school summit nj, private school, building confidence

 

After my first year of middle school, I knew I needed a change. I had been feeling a variety of emotions I couldn’t put into words, but I knew I needed to switch academic environments. I was a kid who always loved to learn and was eager to enter the classroom. I wanted to be surrounded by people who felt the same way, so I asked my parents if I could look at private schools. I attended a summer camp at a private school the previous summer and really enjoyed it, especially the campus and the schedule each day, and I wanted that to become my daily routine. I looked at many private schools in surrounding towns, but my path led me to Oak Knoll. If you had told me when I was applying to private school that I would end up at Oak Knoll, I wouldn’t have believed you, but it was always meant to be my destination, and for that I am truly grateful. 

Topics: all-girls, high school, athletics, private school, student advice, building confidence

In the Spring of 2023, our 4x800 track and field relay team was proactively invited to compete in the historic Penn Relays — the country’s oldest and largest track and field competition. The invitation was a historic moment and further affirmation for our fleet-footed athletes. Whether it is cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, or track and field in the Spring, Oak Knoll is making its presence known. In this short podcast (5:12 mins), Coach Mickey Cassu and our Senior Team Captains share thoughts on why our teams are doing so well. 

Topics: all-girls, athletics, building confidence, fitness, podcast, sports

On Thursday night, April 20th at 7:00 pm a truly newsworthy event will take place in the Tisdall Hall gymnasium at Oak Knoll. In this short podcast, Kelly Childs, 7-year Oak Knoll Athletic Director, former Assistant Commissioner at the Big East Conference, and former Athletic Director for Marketing at Seton Hall University, tells us about the upcoming powerhouse women in sports panel entitled “Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX at Oak Knoll.” Register here.

Topics: all-girls, athletics, health, wellness, fitness, podcast, sports, student athlete

It seems that school’s have been teaching the sciences in a certain order dating back to the launching of Sputnik and the cold war period, but Oak Knoll has decided to re-order that sequence in a way that makes more sense for students of today. We sat down with Upper School science teacher Jeff Yuhas to learn the rationale behind this decision. Mr. Yuhas also explains the benefits of teaching science in an all-girls school.

Topics: teaching, education, all-girls, STEM, science, building confidence, academics, podcast

There are a variety of strategies a single-sex school can employ to capitalize on an all-girls environment and provide an array of opportunities for students to grow in confidence and hone their leadership skills. Running for office on a student-council may seem an obvious choice, but not all students have that comfort level. Oak Knoll deploys the following strategies to ensure that all students can explore leadership (whether with a lower case “l” or an upper case “L”) throughout their Middle and Upper School years.

Topics: education, all-girls, high school, independent catholic school summit nj, middle school, success skills, building confidence, leadership

October 11, 2022, marks the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl (IDG). The United Nations General Assembly declared IDG as a day dedicated to recognizing and highlighting the rights and challenges of girls around the world. The theme for this year is “Our time is now - our rights, our future.”

Topics: education, all-girls, building confidence

While every election season brings us hot-button issues, the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election specifically focused on the economy, health care, the global COVID-19 pandemic, race and ethnic inequality, Supreme Court appointments and more. While it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and social media craze, it’s essential that families take a deep breath, step back and find the silver linings from election 2020 to help our children understand the significance.

Perhaps one of the most important silver linings is that there are many lessons that girls can learn about from these last few months from Election Day 2020 through this week’s Inauguration Day. 

Topics: election, all-girls, high school, middle school, history

When you hear the name Taylor Swift, what comes to mind? Pop music, blond hair, little miss perfect? Or, if you’re like me, you think all of those things but with a little more country twang. Wait, it isn’t 2006 anymore and I am sad.

Topics: all-girls, students, building confidence

We recently caught up with Megan Murphy, the Executive Director of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools after she visited the Oak Knoll School campus earlier this fall. Here, she talks about issues facing girls’ schools, her hope for empowering girls’ voices and girls' school misconceptions.

Topics: education, all-girls, high school, students, independent catholic school summit nj, private school, middle school, building confidence