Center for Civic Engagement

 

The Oaks School’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) has been the vision of Ted Hamory since he accepted his appointment as Head of School in 2010. The broad goal of the CCE is to build meaningful connections and exchanges with the communities that surround the school and beyond. These connections and exchanges will allow students to have deeper learning experiences that prepare them for success in a complex, diverse, and multicultural world. In 2015, The Oaks Board of Trustees adopted a new long-range plan that approved the following goals for the CCE:

The Oaks School Long Range Plan 2015 – 2020

CITIZENSHIP

The Oaks believes that the doorway to understanding the world at large begins with an awareness of and participation in the community that surrounds us. Our location in the heart of Hollywood affords us the unique opportunity to be part of a thriving and eclectic neighborhood.

Goal

• Establish The Oaks Center for Civic Engagement.

Strategies

• Further define the mission of the CCE.

• Expand our relationship with the surrounding communities by actively seeking opportunities or collaborative events.

• Evolve a curricular plan where students learn about how community is formed through shared values and sense of purpose. Students have the opportunity to engage in service learning experiences through partnership and community purpose.

• Seek out sponsors and grants to support the CCE program.

• Cultivate the CCE as a resource for current families as well as families from the surrounding schools and neighborhoods.

 

FORWARD PROGRESS

In line with The Oaks philosophy of change from the inside out, diversity, equity, and inclusion training has been at the forefront of staff and faculty professional development. In these trainings, Guidelines for Inclusivity were adopted to facilitate conversation. The current K-6 curriculum teaches students through multiple perspectives across the grade levels.

In 2017 the position of Director of Admissions and Civic Engagement was approved by the Board of Trustees and filled.  As a result, The Oaks School has enhanced its dedication to the school’s philosophy, added bandwidth to the administrative team, and is moving the community through the next phases of its mission-driven work.  With Tanynya Hekymara on the team The Oaks has expanded its connections to the education community in meaningful ways. These include conference presentations and participation, increased community visibility, and the development of collaborative relationships with mission-aligned organizations. The CCE continues to collaborate with schools as they work toward creating communities that are inclusive and welcoming for all families by offering consulting and professional development services. Concurrently, Tanynya’s work has fostered opportunities for experiential student learning. The school has grown from a community-service model to one of student leadership and service learning at all grade levels.

The entire school has worked diligently to lay a strong foundation for a forward-thinking community that models multiculturalism, inclusivity, and equity.  Although this important work is never done, the recruitment, engagement, and training of employees, Board members, and families continue to support our community’s ongoing growth and development.

 

What’s Next 

• Cultivate additional collaborative relationships with mission-aligned non-profits, schools, and service organizations.

• Cultivate new relationships with area preschools that are not currently served by independent schools.

• Host community events that are geared toward families and other adults in the areas of school choice, parent/guardian education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Offer professional development programs in the areas of diversity, inclusion, and social justice education to educators in Los Angeles and beyond.

• Secure additional funding for CCE and our community partners to expand our service learning and community engagement projects.