Oakcrest School: Recent Episodes
Oakcrest School
Welcome to the official podcast of Oakcrest School, an independent school for girls in grades 6-12, located in Northern Virginia.
Listen to this powerful and inspiring conversation recorded live at Oakcrest School. In this special episode, you’ll hear from Ester Munt-Brooks and Dr. Arthur Brooks as they share their talk titled “Happiness Happens.”
To guide us in learning how to live that joy here and now, Oakcrest welcomed two incredible speakers, a husband and wife duo: Dr. Arthur Brooks—a Harvard professor, Ph.D., bestselling author, and renowned social scientist—and Mrs. Ester Munt Brooks—a Catholic educator and speaker with a passion for helping people deepen their faith and live it intentionally.
Together, they explore the different aspects of happiness and how we can create it in our everyday lives. This talk is inspired by a famous insight from St. Josemaría Escriva, who wrote, “I am every day more convinced that happiness in heaven is for those who know how to be happy on earth.”
Learning Specialist Maggie Musacchio shares her insight on how to approach the formation and development of executive functioning skills aligned with virtue. She provides practical tips for overcoming procrastination.
In this podcast, Head of School Christie Keuchel is joined by the Upper School Director of Mentoring, Mary Ann Messenger, and the Middle School Director of Mentoring, Jeannie Herrick. They discuss the Oakcrest mentoring program, which is the cornerstone of an Oakcrest education.
Learning Specialist Maggie Musacchio shares her tips and tricks for how to approach final exams. She provides study strategies and offers encouragement for both students and parents.
Local painter Henry Wingate shares the ins and outs of classical art training, all while showing how artists can impart their profound impact on culture and society. This talk was delivered as the 9th annual O’Donovan Humanities Lecture, which aims to instill a deeper appreciation of the importance of the humanities in everyday life.
Laura O’Neill, Oakcrest Class of 1996 and psychotherapist at the Alpha Omega Clinic, discusses ways to foster well-being and growth in helping young girls thrive. In particular, she explores the current generation of children and offers tangible tips on how parents can support their child’s development.
In this podcast, Margaret Sweatman, Director of Middle School Athletics, discusses the role that physical fitness plays in the formation of young women.
In this podcast, Oakcrest dad and author Austin Ruse shares his insights on how to confront an often daunting cultural environment with joy and optimism for the benefit of our daughters, our families, and our community. Mr. Ruse is the author of Under Siege: No Finer Time to be Catholic which he discusses in this talk.
In this podcast, Alexandre Havard, the founder of the Virtuous Leadership Institute and author of several books on virtuous leadership, shares his insights about temperament and character, while also discussing the harmony of the heart, the will, and the mind.
Theology teacher Holly Salls shares her insights about helping parents guide their daughters to navigate and thrive in our current culture. She provides practical tips to help parents cultivate peace and joy alongside the skills that are necessary for their daughters to stand strong.
In this podcast, English teacher Stephanie Passero shares her insights about the importance of guiding young people toward good literature while providing practical tips on how to do so within your own family.
Laura O’Neill '96 discusses how to help your daughters form healthy friendships. She explains the role that parents can play in guiding their daughters to learn how to develop healthy friendships that will help her along the road of virtue. Laura is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Alpha Omega Clinic in Virginia.
Oakcrest art teacher Elisa Torres presents “What is Beauty? Encountering God in Art.” She shares how she has encountered beauty in her own life as an artist both studying in Italy and at The Catholic University of America, and how people can intentionally incorporate beauty into their own lives.
Dr. Taryn Okuma, an associate English professor at The Catholic University of America, shares her reflections on the popularity of memoir writing and what it is about memoir as a genre that makes it appealing to readers. This lecture was held as the 8th annual O’Donovan Humanities Lecture.
Dr. Ana Samuel, academic director of the pro-marriage organization CanaVox, speaks about talking to our kids about identity. She provides insights into some key parenting principles to uplift family life and explores how to form our children in their identity and help our children have a true sense of self-worth.
In this podcast, Oakcrest Chaplain Fr. Gerry Kolf speaks to fathers about how Dads can inspire faithful daughters through their own unity of life. He discusses the necessity of destroying negativity and pessimism as a step toward developing a relationship with God and also shares how a father’s spiritual life can influence that of his children.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz shares a recent message that she delivered both to faculty and parents. She discusses the school’s love for St. Joseph and his message about inspiring good work among men and women that ultimately allows for the development of one’s gifts and talents that are in turn used to serve God and others.
In this podcast, Head of School Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D. speaks about parent leadership. She draws upon authors and the wisdom of parents, encouraging parents as they become the leaders in their families, intentionally working to cultivate the good habits and virtues that leadership demands.
In this podcast, English teacher and eighth grade dean Mrs. Ines Gruschow shares how the eighth grade curriculum at Oakcrest uses literature and the imagination to inspire our students. She explores the characters that the students encounter in the classroom and discusses how imaginative fiction shapes our consciences.
In this podcast episode, three Oakcrest students, Madie '27, Mariana '23, and Rima '23 share their Oakcrest experiences.
In this podcast, Laura O’Neill, Oakcrest Class of 1996, speaks to parents about how to bolster their relationship with their daughters. She is passionate about the fact that parents matter now more than ever in raising their daughters to thrive as women in today’s culture.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz speaks about the value and virtue of friendship and its critical role in a life lived to its fullness.
In this podcast, Head of School, Dr. Mary T. Ortiz, shares insights on how to help your daughter grow in fortitude.
Upper School Director Christine Nussio shares her four tips for helping parents and students have a successful high school experience.
In this episode, Middle School Director Cecelia Escobar discusses how parents and Oakcrest can work together in mutual cooperation for the overall success of each student.
On today’s podcast, Dean of Students Meghan Hadley '06, continues the discussion of stewardship and Oakcrest’s partnership with parents in helping form their daughters.
In this podcast, Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz discusses the history of Oakcrest School, our stewardship, and parent partnership.
Mary Ann Messenger, Oakcrest Theology teacher and Assistant to Parent Support, meets with Laura O'Neill, Oakcrest Class of 1996, to discuss adolescents and social media, diving into understanding how the brain works with and against social media and exploring how to limit time spent scrolling this summer.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz shares the Oakcrest recipe, what makes an Oakcrest student and forms the Oakcrest community. She digs into the mission of Oakcrest and illustrates how it all comes together to serve young women well.
Leslie Kanuch, a science teacher at Oakcrest, presents Physics for Contemplation: finding pathways to God in unimagined places. In her discussion, she introduces both physicists and saints, explaining how their respective discoveries and insights reveal to us both God and the physical world.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz speaks about the importance of gratitude, how to practice it in our daily lives, and how to cultivate it in our daughters.
History teacher Ginny Boles speaks with Theology teacher Mary Ann Messenger and former Oakcrest Director of Mentoring Kate Hadley about how to cultivate resilience in our daughters. They chat about how parents can model resilience for their children, how to walk the fine line between empathy and helping your child put things in perspective, and much more.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz discusses the importance of making the most of the summer months and gives suggestions for how parents can help their daughters have a happy, fruitful, and fulfilling summer.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz, reflects on forgiveness—what it is, why it’s important, and how we can practice it in our everyday lives.
A pair of scholars, father and daughter, look at grief from two angles. The daughter, a classics scholar, takes up an ancient story of grief and anger from Homer’s Iliad. The father, a priest and theologian in the Episcopal church, ponders the loss of his wife at the end of a struggle with brain disease. Both find tension between absence and presence. Achilles undertakes many futile efforts to “restore” his broken life after he loses Patroklos, and the father finds another Presence precisely in the midst of his loss.
Attorney and policy expert Mary Rice Hasson talks about the rapid increase in the promotion of gender ideology in movies, social media, and even in the medical community. With a compassionate and realistic approach she shares the understanding of the truth about the human person and urges us to take up our responsibility as parents to study the issue so as to provide guidance to our children.
English teacher Stephanie Passero talks about why good literature is so crucial in forming our daughters’ hearts and minds and how to encourage in them a love for reading good books.
Dean of Students Meghan Hadley Oakcrest Class of 2006 shares how Grade Level Experiences form students throughout their journey from Middle School to graduation. Oakie dad Philip O’Beirne shares examples from his own experience of how to utilize elements of Oakcrest’s educational vision to promote curiosity, virtue, and wonder in the development of your daughters.
Middle School Director Cecilia Escobar, Upper School Director Christine Nussio, and Director of Academic Advising Catherine Courtney speak about the beauty of an Oakcrest education. They take a look at the big picture of our rich liberal arts curriculum, explaining what we teach, why we teach it, and how it follows the stages of intellectual development.
Dr. Evelyn Birge Vitz, Professor Emerita of French Literature, Thought and Culture at NYU, takes listeners on an exciting journey through seven of her favorite works of medieval literature. She explores some of the fascinating history and themes in these great and appealing Catholic works from the Middle Ages.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz considers ways that families can finish the school year well, highlighting the important role of parent leadership along the way.
Oakcrest Director of Mentoring Jeannie Herrick talks about the importance of mentoring young women.
Head of School Mary T. Ortiz, Director of Parent Support Terri Collins and Director of Institutional Advancement and Oakcrest dad Michael Barvick discuss the importance of fathers to the Oakcrest mission. They offer insights and advice on how fathers can support, encourage and guide their daughters during these middle and high school years.
Oakcrest's Director of Academic Advising and Head Librarian Catherine Courtney describes how Oakcrest works with students and parents to provide the best educational experience possible and prepare them for college.
Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz looks ahead to the summer and discusses how it can be a fruitful time for students and their families.
Director of College Counseling Miranda Johnson dives into Oakcrest's College Counseling mission and describes how we assist students throughout the college application process.
Head of School Mary T. Ortiz offers some thoughts on making the best use of our time and gifts, especially during this season of Advent and Christmas.
Psychologist and family physician Dr. Leonard Sax discusses best parenting practices for raising daughters in the 21st century, especially with regards to social media and phone use.
Psychologist and family physician Dr. Leonard Sax draws upon his 26 years of clinical experience, as well as his visits to more than 400 schools over the past 17 years, to provide evidence-based answers to some of the most common questions about all-girls education, beginning with "The real world is coed; school should prepare kids for the real world; so shouldn't school also be coed?"
History teacher Ginny Boles delves into how the C&O Canal was a catalyst for bringing about the United States Constitution.
Dr. Mary T. Ortiz offers some thoughts on "raising heirloom flowers" and the Oakcrest mission, as well as positive COVID lessons she has learned that can help in the education of young women.
Head of School Mary T. Ortiz shares some reflections on the upcoming school year with parents in the first Coffee with the Head of the 2020 fall semester.
An Inconvenience Rightly Considered is a series produced by the Parent Partnership team to inspire and to provide practical advice for parents during quarantine. In this fifth and final episode, Director of Parent Support Terri Collins and Director of Mentoring Kate Hadley talk about the most important practical life skills to teach your children before they enter adulthood.
An Inconvenience Rightly Considered is a series produced by the Parent Partnership team to inspire and to provide practical advice for parents during quarantine. Director of Parent Support Terri Collins and Director of Mentoring Kate Hadley are back, this time with a discussion on important social skills that will serve your child well as she becomes an adult.
An Inconvenience Rightly Considered is a series produced by the Parent Partnership team to inspire and to provide practical advice for parents during quarantine. Director of Mentoring Kate Hadley and members of her family discuss the value of chores in family life and the best ones to teach your children.
An Inconvenience Rightly Considered is a series produced by the Parent Partnership team to inspire and to provide practical advice for parents during quarantine. Director of Parent Support Terri Collins talks with her daughters, who are Oakcrest alumnae, about the value of family dinner conversations and ways that families can make dinnertime conversations fun and meaningful.
An Inconvenience Rightly Considered is a series produced by the Parent Partnership team to inspire and to provide practical advice for parents during quarantine. In Episode 1, Director of Parent Support Terri Collins and Director of Mentoring Kate Hadley discuss fun and creative activities that friends and families can do when spending time together, whether in person or virtually.
Oakcrest science teacher Dr. Kat Hussmann takes listeners on an exploration of the history of viruses, what viruses are, what they do to our bodies, and the cutting-edge technology available to scientists.
Dr. Edwina Maksym continues this series with a look at moral action—the idea of right and wrong and how morality reflects God's love and mercy.
Dr. Edwina Maksym examines human rationality and how it sets us apart from the rest of creation in this second episode of a 7-part series on what it means to be human.
A discussion of the important role that fathers play in the lives of their daughters. Oakcrest Dean of Students Meghan Hadley and faculty member Ginny Boles share memories and anecdotes about how their fathers helped form them into the women they are today.
Dr. Edwina Maksym discusses freedom, virtue, conscience and much more in this fourth installment of the What Does It Mean to Be Human series.
AP Art History teacher Victoria Bigliano traces the history of the transition from classical portraiture and art technique to the Impressionists and the birth of modernism.
If you're interested in how composers use the physics of sound to create the music you love, and why they write music the way they do, this podcast by Instrumental Music Director Alix Baldwin is for you!
This year's Adventures in Parenting event featured five faculty who shared Oakcrest's vision of academic success. Topics covered include Oakcrest's vision of a liberal arts education; fostering the joy of learning; order and prioritizing; and grades and assessments.
The first in a series of classes and discussion with Theology teacher Dr. Edwina Maksym. She presents a positive exploration of the human person, emotions, freedom, relationality, and more.
Oakcrest is committed to providing access to this excellent program of education and formation to as many young women as possible. To that end, we have consistently provided generous levels of tuition assistance to families whose financial circumstances make it difficult for them to pay full tuition.
Our CFO, Matt Buonocore, makes the case! With over 25 years of experience serving private schools in Northern Virginia, Matt shares that parents can and should consider this major investment - an Oakcrest education.
As CFO, Matt is responsible for overseeing all financial, human resource, facility, technology, risk management, transportation, construction, safety and other administrative operations for Oakcrest. He brings more than 25 years of experience to the school, with an expertise in managing both financial and operational activities for non-profit organizations. Matt previously served as the Director of Administration for 2 large private schools located in Northern Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Dean of Faculty and Curriculum, Elizabeth Black, gives Oakcrest parents their very own mini-class in Logic & Rhetoric, an essential class in our liberal arts curriculum.
Oakcrest alumna parent Michael Moynihan (Theresa, '18) shares his perspective on the awesome task of raising daughters and sons who embrace God's plan for human love and marriage. He includes thoughts about the complementary roles of both fathers and mothers. Your daughter can benefit tremendously from her father's strength and confidence. You can help raise her so that she judges any man who would aspire to date her by the standard of the gentleman she knows her father to be.
Parent partnership is foundational to the mission and philosophy of Oakcrest School. We are committed to supporting parents as the primary educators of their daughters. By offering inspiring speakers, classes, and spiritual help to our parents and their friends we assist parents in their noble mission of forming their daughters to be passionate, confident, empathetic and service-oriented leaders. Director of Parent Support Terri Collins dives into the philosophy behind Oakcrest's Parent Support Program, and describes the many exciting opportunities the school offers for parents.
Science teacher Angela Fortunato, English and classical languages teacher Elizabeth Black, history teacher Ginny Boles and Theology teacher Holly Salls share how they tell the human story in each of their subject areas. They offer reflections on the many ways that a liberal arts education can tell the story of the human person and help students realize their own place in the narrative of human history. Discussion moderated by Paula Rondon-Burgos, Latin teacher.
In an address given for Oakcrest's Fifth Annual O'Donovan Humanities Lecture, Oakcrest Classical languages teacher Paula Rondon-Burgos discusses the life of Marcus Tullius Cicero, a first-century B.C. Roman statesman. He provides a much-needed mirror for our times, one which reflects back the truth of the human person, both in its inherent fallibility and in its capacity for greatness. Introduction given by Mary T. Ortiz, Head of School.
English Master Teacher Lisa Kenna discusses what makes a comedy in literature. She delves into how both The Odyssey and The Merchant of Venice can be called comedies and some of the qualities both stories share.
Dean of Studies, Dr. Edwina Maksym, examines the four temperaments—choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic and sanguine. She discusses their strengths and weaknesses and how we can make the best of our particular personalities by growing in virtue.
Oakcrest parent Amy Miller—mom to two current Oakies, one alumna and one future Oakie—talks about how she made the decision to send her daughters to Oakcrest and why she's so happy that she did.
Dean of Students Ginny Boles speaks about the atmosphere of freedom that we cultivate at Oakcrest in everything we do. She delves into the crucial difference between training and educating and explains how our goal is to instill life principles in our students that they will carry with them when they graduate. The principles that they internalize here will ultimately help them choose the good from personal conviction, not a sense of forced obligation.
Sophia Miller ('23) speaks about her Oakcrest experience–what she loves about the school and how it has helped her grow as a person.
Head of School Mary T. Ortiz and alumna Kathleen Pacious ('04) discuss the power of a liberal arts education to form the whole person and how that education has played out in Kathleen's life as she moved to Ireland and received her doctorate. Kathleen currently serves as Head of Development at Rosemont School in Dublin.
Oakcrest Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz shares advice on how to make the most of your visit to a school's open house. She suggests that the entire visit should be seen in light of one central question: who do you want your daughter to be at graduation? And if you are a student, what kind of person do you want to be? Dr. Ortiz gives practical tips on what sort of questions to ask at an open house, who to talk to, and what to look for. She introduces Oakcrest's October 20 Open House and gives a taste of what visitors can expect.
Oakcrest Student Life Coordinator Holly Salls speaks on the moral development of teenagers and how parents can guide their daughters through the different stages of moral reasoning. She describes how high schoolers of different ages approach right and wrong in surprisingly different ways. Miss Salls gives concrete advice on how to cultivate empathy in your child and help her deal with self-consciousness, achieve a healthy balance between emotions and reason, and much more. Through it all she encourages parents to foster conversations with their daughters about important moral issues and to bring Christ into those conversations as well.
Miss Salls earned a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a M.A. in Philosophy of Education with a concentration in Character Education from the University of Navarra, Spain. She has authored a book entitled Character Education: Transforming Values into Virtue.
Oakcrest School was excited to host Mr. Christopher Ullman, father of Alydia, Class of 2020, as the keynote speaker of the 2018 Honor Society Induction. The four-time International Whistling Champion, Christopher Ullman, presented stories from his recently published book, Find Your Whistle, the heartwarming, hilarious, and outrageous journey of a Washington and Wall Street insider who uses his simple gift to touch hearts and change lives.
Chris started his puckered pursuits at age five, whistled incessantly while delivering newspapers as a teen, jammed with jazz bands in college, and worked the open mike circuit in his Washington, DC home in the 1980s-90s. He competed nine times at the National and International Whistling Convention and served as a judge twice.
Chris has appeared on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, CNN, NPR, CNBC and has been featured in The New York Times, People Magazine, The Washington Post, and Time Magazine. His repertoire includes classical, blues, jazz, Broadway, and rock. In 2000, Chris was named the Lillian Williams Whistling Entertainer of the Year, and in 2003 he released his debut CD, The Symphonic Whistler. In 2012 Chris was inducted into the International Whistling Hall of Fame.
By day Chris is a Director of Global Communications at The Carlyle Group, an investment firm based in Washington, D.C.
On March 20, Oakcrest sophomores Falan Kifle, Grace Nolin, and Hope Partrick led an all-school memorial to honor the victims of the Stoneman Douglas shooting.
At the memorial, Oakcrest Chorus performed The Prayer of the Children by Kurt Bestor.
Photo credit: Klotography
Dr. Glenn Arbery, President of Wyoming Catholic College, provides insights on what woman essentially is by nature. He does this by examining the character of Eve and how she has been depicted in literature throughout the ages. Dr. Arbery will discuss contemporary secular views as well as the works of John Milton and C. S. Lewis building toward an image of what holy contemporary femininity can and does look like. The image he draws us toward is one of beauty, strength, intelligence and piety that leads one to thrive and contribute to the culture as trustees of humanity.
Learn more: 4th Annual O'Donovan Humanities Lecture
In the latest edition of Thursday Tea and Talk, sponsored by Oakcrest Parent Association, Dr. Kat Hussmann tackles the subject of careers in STEM. Dr. Hussmann shares her professional experience and highlights the Oakcrest science curriculum which prepares young women to thrive in the science and technology fields. Dr. Hussmann serves as a coach to the Oakcrest Science Olympiad team -- the only all-female team to compete in the rigorous regional science competition.
Dr. Hussmann holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in Spanish from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She has done postdoctoral research and has had a number of experiences teaching both college and younger students. She has completed an NIH intensive course called “Scientists Teaching Science,” and has coauthored many peer-reviewed publications. She is dedicated to helping high school students understand and analyze scientific literature, and she joined Oakcrest as a full-time faculty member in 2015.
A good example has twice the value of good advice.
Senior, Makena Kiara, speaks at the 2018 Veritas Award reception and reflects upon her seven-year journey at Oakcrest. Makena highlights the virtues that are the cornerstone of the prestigious scholarship award -- leadership, selflessness and service to others.
Did you know that audience hearts beat as one during a live performance? Get behind-the-scenes access to Oakcrest's theatre program with Theatre Director and Theatre Arts Teacher, Camille Pozderac.
Camille has a B.A. in Journalism and Theatre Studies and an M.F.A. in Acting. She received the Award for Excellence in Creativity, Theatre Department, The Ohio State University, 2014 and a department award for production of her one-act play, Southern Cross the Dog. Camille has trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Stand Up for Shakespeare Program in Stratford-upon-Avon, 2013. She is also trained in and practitioner of the Hunter Heartbeat Method, Shakespeare drama intervention designed for children on the autism spectrum.
The Senior Thesis is the cumulative, independent research project that all students undertake during their final year. With the guidance of a mentor faculty member, seniors embark on a seven-month intellectual journey as they delve into a topic of personal interest, write a 15-page college-level research project, and ultimately present their topic in front of the school. Join Mrs. Lisa Kenna, Master Teacher, English Literature and Senior Thesis Coordinator, as she leads you through the senior thesis journey.
More than just a research paper, the Senior Thesis is the capstone of a student's senior year at Oakcrest and represents a culmination of her studies. It’s an opportunity for each senior to demonstrate all the skills she gained while at Oakcrest—critical thinking, organization, research, leadership, written and oral communication skills—and primes students for college-level thinking and writing.
Miss Elizabeth Black, Master Teacher, Classical Languages, shares the "backwards planning" leading Oakies to the senior thesis project as well as anecdotes from Oakcrest alumnae on how they were prepared for the rigor of college academics based on their senior thesis experiences.
The monthly Tea & Talk, brought to you by Oakcrest Parent Association, features Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, Upper School English Literature teacher and 10th grade Class Dean.
Parties, Peer Pressure, Popularity (& Parenting)
An evening of conversation with Julia and Martin Boles, parents of Miss Ginny Boles, Oakcrest’s Dean of Students. As the parents of nine children ranging in age from 13 to 27, founding parents of St. Monica’s Academy in Montrose, CA, and Family Enrichment facilitators, they candidly shared their vision and strategies for raising children eager to embrace the adventure of life.
Listen to our Head of School, Mary T. Ortiz, for a monthly informal lecture.
Our Coffees are intended to:
- Foster the strong sense of trust and respect that exists between the school leadership and every parent in the school, integral to the girls’ thriving at Oakcrest.
- Give parents an insight into why we do what we do at Oakcrest and how the decisions we make in the school are intending to grow, challenge and inspire each student to embody the characteristics of the Portrait of the Graduate.
- Provide a relaxing and uplifting forum for parents to share experiences with each other on important topics related to raising girls
Oakcrest was featured in an exclusive interview on WMET 1160 AM Guadalupe Radio. We heard from Mary T. Ortiz, Head of School; Cecilia Márquez, Academic Dean representing academic life; and Mrs. Kelly McGiffin, current parent speaking from a parents point of view and finally, Clare Meehan, Class of 2011 speaking on what it mean to be an Oakie and how it prepared her for life in and after college. We are proud to share this "Portrait of Oakcrest".
Dr. Arbery was invited to speak at Oakcrest by Mrs. Lisa Kenna, Oakcrest Master Teacher, English Literature. He was Mrs. Kenna's professor for three degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Thomas More, Masters in English and Masters in Humanities at University of Dallas.
Dr. Arbery came to Wyoming Catholic in 2013 primarily to teach in the Humanities track, but he was drawn to the whole curriculum, the excellent faculty, and the strong Catholic character of the College, all of which he hopes to further in his tenure as President. Dr. Arbery and his wife Virginia, who teaches Humanities, Trivium, and Philosophy at Wyoming Catholic, have eight children (seven daughters) and sixteen grandchildren, all of whom love to visit Wyoming at every opportunity.
USA Rugby Olympian Alev Kelter spoke to Oakcrest School students on May 8, 2017 as part of Oakcrest’s leadership workshop series. Kelter shared her inspiring story with girls about how to tackle emotional disappointment and push through the tough times in life. Click here to view photos, watch the video, and learn more about Alev Kelter.
Family physician and child psychologist Dr. Leonard Sax debunks critics who argue that all-boys and all-girls schools don’t prepare children for the “real world.” He addresses the growing gender gap in academic achievement and reveals how both boys and girls benefit from single-sex education in mind, body, and spirit. He cites many international studies which show a lower risk of drug and alcohol abuse in girls who attend single-sex schools versus co-ed schools.
Family physician and psychologist Dr. Leonard Sax spoke to Oakcrest School on March 10, 2017 as part of our Parent Enrichment Lecture series. In his lecture, Dr. Sax discusses the cultural pressures children face in 2017, how girls perceive their feminine identity, the phenomena of addictions and obsessions, and the dangerous effects of social media on girls in particular.
Dr. Sax has authored many books, including The Collapse of Parenting, Girls on the Edge, and Boys Adrift. He has appeared on the TODAY Show, CNN, National Public Radio, PBS, Fox News, Fox Business, CBC, BBC, and many other national and international media.
Dr. Arthur C. Brooks spoke to Oakcrest School on February 13, 2017 on Life Lessons from the World’s Greatest Composers as part of our annual O’Donovan Humanities Lecture Series.
Dr. Brooks is president of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, DC. Before his work in academia and public policy, he spent 12 years as a classical musician in the United States and Spain. A professional French hornist, he played with groups including the Annapolis Brass Quintet in Baltimore and the City Orchestra of Barcelona.
Watch the video on YouTube here.