EMPOWER STUDENTS TO TAKE ACTION

The Da Vinci Lab will support students’ creativity and entrepreneurial spirit from the youngest ages by providing Elementary Campus students with project-based and design-thinking learning experiences. Our plans include new construction to create a dedicated home for Da Vinci Lab programs and equipment. 

OUTCOMES
> Da Vinci Lab programming started Fall 2021
> Fully-realized Da Vinci Lab opening date to be determined

This three-story building planned for the corner of Magnolia Boulevard and Lemp Avenue will bring our arts facilities up to standards set by the boundless creativity and imagination of our students. Dramatically increasing the quality and size of our spaces for the visual and theater arts, including quadrupling our space for film and video and doubling the size of our theater facilities, the building will also include sustainability features such as solar panels, architecturally-integrated shading, natural ventilation pathways, and a rooftop garden. Our Board is now preparing to approve the project and determine the fundraising goal that will enable us to move this project forward.

OUTCOME
> Arts Building opening date to be determined

Oakwood’s signature Immersion program, during which secondary students step away from their usual classes to take a single mini-course that is hands-on, exploratory, and unrestricted by the boundaries of the classroom, is being re-focused. Beginning in 2022, the Immersion program will focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This will enable students to, in the words of our Statement of Philosophy, “foster a sense of responsibility and humility along with a habit of service and instill a lifelong commitment to social justice.” The program will also focus on the greater Los Angeles region as a context and resource in alignment with our goals of being a school whose walls are increasingly permeable and whose students are active in the communities around us.

OUTCOME
> Immersion program re-focused starting Spring 2022

We recognize we must take action to impede the negative effects of human activity on the planet. To this end, Oakwood has established the Sustainability Working Group. Made up of school administrators, students, parents and guardians, this team meets monthly and is charged with charting pathways for the school to commit to pledges around zero waste, carbon neutrality, and environmental justice education.

OUTCOME
> Sustainability Plan published Fall 2023

We are developing ways to integrate computer science and coding into the curriculum for every 7th and 8th grader. All students, not just those that already have an interest or choose to opt in, should be given these integral, 21st century skills.

OUTCOMES
> Enrichment programs added for Robotics in Fall 2021 and Game Design in Spring 2022
> Afterschool opportunity for Middle Schoolers in STEAM/computer science starting Fall 2022
> Middle School computer science and coding curriculum to be implemented Fall 2023