The Bruce Family

Class of 2032

“All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” ~ J.W. Gardner

As individuals, we can seemingly make a decision without hesitation. When life unfolds, we can choose what career we want for ourselves, where we want to live, and who we want to share our hopes and dreams with. However, one of the most critical decisions a parent can make involves the education of their child.

In 2018, we had to make a decision of where to send our son, Cameron to school. Both of us view education as the fundamental key to a positive, productive and successful development of a child. After considering a few other schools in 2018, there was one that stood out: Oakwood School.

During our tour in January 2018, we had the pleasure of meeting the Early Childhood Educators. We were very impressed with Oakwood School’s educational philosophy: “A more intentional education that shapes the growth of confident, vivid, thoughtful, high-achieving young people…” It didn’t hurt that Cameron immediately took to the classroom and said Oakwood is where he wanted to be. There was an overwhelming sense Oakwood School would be the school where we wanted Cameron to begin his educational journey.

Six years later, Cameron is Oakwood’s philosophy in action. Cameron has been surrounded by a core group of friends with positive attitudes, as well as supportive and nurturing educators. He is meeting the challenges of the advanced level of education for his age. Cameron continues to grow in confidence, and he accurately reflects the core personal values Oakwood School expects of their students.

As Oakwood parents, we too have been drawn into the diverse Oakwood Community. We have established friendships with fellow Oakwood parents, and have enjoyed the various volunteer opportunities this community has to offer. We can honestly admit sharing our time with Cameron, his classmates, and the Oakwood community as a whole has been (and forever will be) some of the greatest memories of our lives! This has been an unexpected and invaluable reward of this decision we made six years ago.

We are grateful beyond expression for what Oakwood School has meant to our family, especially Cameron. All of the seeds he has planted at Oakwood are beginning to mature into the kind, responsible, talented, intelligent, and lovable boy he is.

The Tom Family

GP ’24, ’32
As our granddaughter finishes her Senior year we can look back with the knowledge that she has received the best possible education these past six years, and we can anticipate even more exciting opportunities for our grandson as he continues his growth at Oakwood.”​

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The Zhao/Chen Family

P ’19, ’24
“Oakwood teachers and staff have done so much in providing a safe and nurturing environment for our children to explore, grow, and flourish, both academically and in extracurricular activities.”

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The Bruce Family

P ’32
“Cameron continues to grow in confidence, and he accurately reflects the core personal values Oakwood School expects of their students.”

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The Saffarian Family

P ’30, ’33, ’35
“Respect, mindfulness, and kindness are embedded into the Oakwood culture, and those are a few of the most valuable aspects for our family.”

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Nisanti Wilmot

P ’23, ’25, ’28, ’31
“The school campus, with its natural beauty, never ceases to inspire me, and I deeply appreciate the autonomy I have when it comes to designing and delivering my classes.”​

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Jeff Ruster, Jr.

’18
“Although my career here is young, it’s unmistakably clear: every aspect of my growth, from being a student to evolving as an individual, my choice of college, and eventually transitioning into an educational career, all owe their beginnings to a singular moment—the pivotal decision of Oakwood’s admissions department to take a chance on me back in 2013.”

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Kelli Frazer

P ’21
“The support, camaraderie, generosity, spirit, and connections that I have because of Oakwood are invaluable to me both personally and professionally.”​

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Oakwood School Book of Gratitude