Oakwood is an incredibly loving and caring environment, a priceless attribute for our family much more important than just academics. Oakwood seems like a family, where all our teachers know our kids well and genuinely care about their well-being. We are always amazed to see my kids interacting joyfully with friends from different grades, be it from cross-grade drama production or Barn Bunch. Our family is entering our 10th year with Oakwood.
The most memorable moment at Oakwood was Kazumi’s 8th grade promotion ceremony. It took an entire Oakwood village to make this happen. What particularly impressed us was a speech by Ms. Hare chronicling her family’s plight through the Great Depression, only to be redeemed by the support of the Gonzaga community. The speech resonated with our own experience at Oakwood, where the close-knit community offers similar love and support. Our family has had many favorite moments with the drama viewing, concert performance, and grandparents’ day—there are too many to list!
As most parents know, the school tuition does not fully cover the cost of attendance for students, which is typical of any independent school. This is also the business model with private colleges. At the same time, we are also constantly, pleasantly surprised by how much Oakwood provides for the community. It is only natural for us to show appreciation by giving.
Oakwood is able to offer such a great education and service to our community at a reasonable cost primarily due to the active participation of many volunteers. We have seen many involved parent volunteers throughout the years and they are vital to making the variety of school-wide events possible. Volunteering is also a very enjoyable opportunity for us to connect with other parents and learn from their parenting experience.
Mrs. Helvey was the only CEO of any enterprise that I know of who directed traffic and opened car doors, aka, served at the front line with her staff and students day in and day out. Whatever the weather, we could count on her unwavering presence on campus to solve problems on the spot. We truly wish that every American company is run this way. Her dedication and enthusiasm are paramount pillars of the school.
Oakwood feels like a big family where we belong. We don’t just see our schoolmates and classmates merely as people populating the school our kids attend. We see our children becoming lifelong friends with the children of Oakwood. Why won’t we donate our time and resources to our lifelong family and friends?
Kazumi started in Kindergarten as a very shy child, barely able to draw legibly. During elementary school, her early teachers cared so much about her social development that they gave her special attention during lunchtime to entice her to converse and offered her extra air time in class. As she progressed to middle school, her teachers took extra time to make sure she was able to communicate her needs and vouch for herself. Now she is confident on stage and ready to take on bigger roles in music production. We could have never imagined her progress today when she first arrived at Oakwood.
All teachers and staff we interacted with know our children by name and their little quirks. They are not merely known as students, but individuals with aspirations and self-doubt, strengths and weaknesses, and extroversion sprinkled with moments of introversion. Regardless, they are embraced at Oakwood with love and admiration.
Ryoji and Lily Watanabe P ’28, ’34
