Events

 

Demystifying the Tuition Assistance Process for Independent Schools

October 12, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.

Due to the rising cost of K-12 education, The Oaks School hosts this seminar to provide information to families as they consider school choices.  This event is intended for and open to any parent or caregiver considering applying to any K-12 independent schools. Please note, this seminar is virtual and will meet over Zoom. 

 

Dawnland Screening & Panel

April 3, 2019

Dawnland Impact Producer Tracy Rector led student discussions for our fifth and sixth grade students as well as participated in a panel discussion for our faculty, staff, and families after a screening of the film. 

For most of the 20th century, government agents systematically forced Native American children from their homes and placed them with white families. As recently as the 1970’s, one in four Native children nationwide were living in non-Native foster care, adoptive homes, or boarding schools. Many children experienced devastating emotional and physical harm from adults who mistreated them and tried to erase their cultural identity.

Now, for the first time, they are being asked to share their stories.

In Maine, a historic investigation—the first government-sanctioned truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) in the United States—begins a bold journey. For over two years, Native and non-Native commissioners travel across Maine. They gather testimony and bear witness to the devastating impact of the state’s child welfare practices on families in Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribal communities. Collectively, these tribes make up the Wabanaki people

The feature-length documentary Dawnland follows the TRC to contemporary Wabanaki communities to witness intimate, sacred moments of truth-telling and healing. With exclusive access to this groundbreaking process and never-before-seen footage, the film reveals the untold narrative of Indigenous child removal in the United States.

 

Zinn Education Project Educator Workshop

February 15, 2019

The Zinn Education Project’s approach to history starts with the premise that the lives of ordinary people matter — that history ought to focus on those who too often receive only token attention (People of Color, workers, women), and also on how people’s actions, individually and collectively, shaped our society.

Zinn Education Project’s writer and organizer Ursula Wolfe-Rocca joined us to host a workshop for teachers around the L.A. area interested in building a more inclusive curriculum based upon primary sources. 

 

Barbara Carrasco Visit & Presentation

November 7, 2018

Chicana activist and artist Barbara Carrasco joined us for a discussion on her life and work. Her mural “L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective,” was on display at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History (it has since been permanently acquired by the institution) and Oaks students had taken a field trip to the site to study her work. Originally created to celebrate the bicentennial of Los Angeles, the mural was banned due to its portrayal of ‘unpleasant’ chapters in the history of the city. 

Barbara Carrasco worked with all of the students during her visit, from leading an art class to talking through and explaining some of the panels. In the evening she led a presentation for faculty, staff, and families. This was an opportunity for our whole community to be dedicated ongoing learners and hear some often untold history of Los Angeles.