Oakland School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oakland School is a small co-ed boarding and day school located in Boyd Tavern Keswick, Virginia that enables children who have dyslexia, learning disabilities, or organizational and study skills difficulties to reach their academic and personal potential. Oakland's mission is three-fold:

• to enable students to successfully return to mainstream education at their appropriate grade level;
• to provide students with the tools to learn; and
• to instill in students the confidence required to reach their academic and personal potential.

[edit] History

Oakland's founder, Margaret G. Shepherd, was a teacher for more than 60 years. After serving as an elementary school teacher, high school assistant principal and operating her own private school for children in grades K-2, Mrs. Shepherd in 1950 started a summer camp and remedial school for children with learning disabilities on her family farm in central Virginia. It was named Oakland Farm Camp & School.

Mrs. Shepherd was a pioneer in many ways. She was drawn to children who were experiencing trouble reading. In those days, very little was known about dyslexia and learning disabilities. She created a program that used phonics to teach reading and positive reinforcement to create a nurturing environment that enabled personal growth and development. For her, building self-esteem in students was the very foundation of successful education, as was forming a true friendship with her students. Setting high expectations with her students was key as well.

Many of the methods used to teach the very first Oakland students are still in practice today. Up until the end of her life, Mrs. Shepherd continued to teach. At age 91, she was the main teacher for a handful of students who presented the greatest challenge. Where other schools had failed with certain children, she was extremely successful.

In 1967, at the insistence of a group of parents, Mrs. Shepherd began a year-round program. In 1968, Oakland was certified as a full-fledged, private, non-profit learning disabilities school with a certificate of approval from the Virginia Board of Education. In 1974, Mrs. Shepherd's daughter, Joanne Dondero, took over as school director, a role she held until 1993. This period was marked by an expansion of school enrollment to the current capacity as well as construction of a variety of facilities including a gymnasium and recreation center, a dining hall and library, as well as several new classroom buildings and dormitories.

[edit] Big House

The grounds are dominated by the pre-Revolutionary "Big House." Constructed in the mid-1700s and added onto in the early 1800s when Oakland served as a plantation, this structure houses administrative offices and several classrooms. The school's first dining hall was in The Big House, too. Behind The Big House are a series of school buildings including the Old Kitchen, which was just a chimney when Mrs. Shepherd first set foot on Oakland Farm in 1922, and the School House built in 1963.

Traditions have been a very important part of the Oakland experience for both staff and students. Each morning during summer school, students and counselors gather around the flagpole for flag raising. Twice daily Popsicle breaks continue to be looked forward to by students as well as Friday night movies under the stars. The Plantation Dinner held in honor of the Fourth of July is much anticipated each year.

During the regular school year, a special Thanksgiving Assembly is held in the Union Mills Church. Another special event is the annual Horse Holiday held in December. Both the regular school year and summer session have concluded for many years with a special recognition banquet. Students are acknowledged at this time for their achievements. Oakland also has a unique graduation at the end of the summer session in which graduating students are honored by their favorite teachers. Throughout the school year, the Outstanding Citizens program and weekly Star Lists have been used for years to recognize top performing students.