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Oak Knoll School Blog

Exciting Surprises to Turbocharge Summer Passions at Your Local Library

Posted by Chris Starr on Jun 10, 2024 10:29:52 AM

Oak Knoll’s Hope Memorial Library in the Upper School and the Bonaventura Hall Library in the Lower School offer a spectacular selection of reading and resources for students. Upper School Librarian Elinor Takenaga and Lower School Librarian Betty Castello are experts at pointing students toward age-appropriate casual reading and material that supports classroom projects. In addition to tens of thousands of books, online academic research databases, magazines, and newspapers ensure our students can turbo-charge their passion for learning and their pure enjoyment of the written word.

Just a few weeks before the close of school, Takenaga spearheaded a series of field trips to the local Summit library so that students could receive their public library card and tour the facility to investigate its resources. They discovered that many local libraries now go way beyond offering written resources that students and their families can use over the summer for recreation, college planning, passion projects, and much more. Open the doors to your local library, and you may discover some quirky and welcome surprises.

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Topics: reading, summit new jersey, Summit NJ, activities with kids, student advice, tips, things to do, family, Community

Top Reading Picks for Black History Month from an Oak Knoll Junior

Posted by Cora Laborde '25 on Feb 15, 2024 9:12:27 AM

Oak Knoll student Cora Laborde ’25 said, “I think books are knowledge, but also vessels of personal experience and culture that can invoke empathy, which is crucial when embracing diversity and inclusion.” With that in mind, she has curated a short list of great books celebrating Black History Month.

Here are Laborde’s top five picks and her own words on why they were most appealing.

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Topics: history, student advice, diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, Black History Month

Why I Chose Oak Knoll

Posted by Zahra Jones '23 on May 31, 2023 12:17:50 PM
 
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. 
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Topics: all-girls, high school, athletics, private school, student advice, building confidence

Top Reads for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Posted by Chris Starr on May 6, 2023 3:38:59 PM

Considered the mother of multicultural literature for her groundbreaking research, Rudine Sims Bishop has said that young people need books that are mirrors (that allow them to see themselves and their own experiences), windows (that they can look through to see other worlds), and sliding glass doors (that allow them to enter other worlds.) With that in mind, Oak Knoll sophomore Amelia Pace ’25 is celebrating her Asian American roots and inviting others to see and enter into her world with a selection of books she curated to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Amelia’s maternal grandparents emigrated to the United States from Japan after World War II. Later, her father, Italian American, and her mother, Japanese American, met in Tokyo, married, and settled in New Jersey. Both cultures are honored in their home, where English and Japanese are commonly communicated. 

“I’ve been a member of the Asian American Pacific Islander Society at school since seventh grade, and it’s nice to have that sort of community,” said Pace. “Recently, I was offered the opportunity to take on a leadership role, and I just thought that it’s so important to share my culture — not just for people who have similar backgrounds to me, but also for the wider community here — whether through recommending reading or making presentations when possible. Asian literature is just so fascinating, the style of writing, and I feel that it’s so important for people not of that background to be able to glimpse into the lives of these characters.”

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Topics: reading, student advice, things to do, diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage

Lessons We Can Learn from Simone Biles and the Olympics

Posted by Laura Perillo on Jul 29, 2021 2:14:39 PM

The country was rocked on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, when U.S. gymnastics Olympian Simone Biles – the most decorated American gymnast with 30 Olympic and World Championship medals – withdrew from the Olympic gymnastics final. Since, she has also withdrawn from the individual and all-around gymnastic competitions – decisions Biles said were to protect her mental well-being, breaking open oftentimes the hidden stigma of mental health issues in our professional athletes.

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Topics: athletics, health, student advice, mental health

3 Quirky Classes to Take at Oak Knoll

Posted by Jodie De Jesus ’21 on Jul 19, 2021 11:08:08 AM

Oak Knoll’s Upper School offers a wide variety of classes for grades 7-12. From Darkroom Photography to HO Psychology, AP Latin to HO Engineering, the opportunities are limitless. As a student, I’ve enjoyed getting to explore these options and challenge myself academically. However, some of my most memorable experiences have been taking those OKS courses that are on the rather quirky side.

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Topics: high school, classroom, middle school, student advice, academics

What My 10 Years at Oak Knoll Have Taught Me

Posted by Jodie De Jesus ’21 on Jun 22, 2021 12:54:21 PM

Entering a new school in second grade was nerve-wracking an experience that I’m sure a lot of new students can relate to. How long would I last here? Who would I make friends with? Little did I know that, at Oak Knoll, these questions would be the least of my worries and I’d actually be preparing myself for some amazing memories. As I now write this as a graduating senior, I want to share some of the lessons I learned along the way. Here are some of my biggest takeaways from the best 10 years of my life.

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Topics: high school, elementary school, middle school, student advice

How Super Bowl LV Highlights Social Responsibility

Posted by Laura Perillo on Feb 9, 2021 3:15:07 PM

If one thing is for sure, it’s that this past year has shined a spotlight on what it truly means to rally. We’ve rallied together in the face of a global pandemic; we’ve rallied in the face of injustice and we’ve rallied to make progress as a society when we otherwise could have rolled over and called it a day on the year 2020.

Where else have we seen a rally recently?

On Sunday, February 7, 2021, the world tuned in to watch the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. While watching the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs 31-9, it was clear — through subtle and not-so-subtle messages — the game quickly became the perfect metaphor for an unprecedented year that shines a light on social responsibility.

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Topics: athletics, student advice

How To Manage Getting A 'Bad' Grade

Posted by Laura Perillo on Nov 7, 2020 10:07:04 AM

With the rising pressure to succeed felt amongst students today, it’s no wonder that receiving a lower grade than expected may leave many students feeling anxious and defeated.  

It’s not the end of the world, however, when the grade on top of your quiz or test isn’t what you had hoped for. There are several different strategies and steps to follow that may help you navigate the process after earning an undesirable grade.

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Topics: high school, learners, middle school, student advice, social and emotional learning

How to Stop 'COVID Shaming' and Why It Matters

Posted by Laura Perillo on Oct 30, 2020 11:00:00 AM

While social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding gatherings weakens the spread of COVID-19, something else is growing stronger among communities at an alarming rate.

COVID shaming – or the act of publicly embarrassing someone who either has COVID-19 or is quarantining as a precautionary measure while they wait for test results after possible exposure – is real and now weaving its way through the gossip circles in neighborhoods and on school campuses. It is especially on the rise on social media. 

While many schools in our state and throughout the country are seeing upticks of COVID-19 cases heading into the winter months, it is important to remind ourselves about keeping the shame at bay. 

Here are some helpful tips:

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Topics: parenting, student advice, social and emotional learning, mental health, COVID-19

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