Academically Speaking

For our first podcast of 2025, we launch a new four-part miniseries entitled "Our Second Century" in celebration of our centennial. Over the next four podcasts, we will talk to coaches, student leaders, administrative leaders, and members of our religion and campus ministry team about precious Oak Knoll tenets and how we carry those across the threshold into our next century as a school. We begin with members of our coaching staff. (6:32 mins)

As the summer draws to a close and we enter the 2024-25 school year, Oak Knoll steps through a momentous threshold. We enter our 100th year as a Catholic educational institution indelibly connected to the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and the visionary pedagogical dreams of Cornelia Connelly. Delayed somewhat by the pandemic but kicking into full gear almost a year and a half ago, a centennial committee has been hard at work collaborating to ensure the coming school year is filled with fun events, a rich understanding of our history, and an exciting look ahead at the schools' next century.

Oak Knoll's 4x400 relay racers recently concluded what has become the winningest winter track season in Oak Knoll history. School and individual records were shattered right and left, and the relay team ended the Nike national meet by racing among the best in the country and being selected as All-American Athletes. (4:18 mins)

For this edition of the Happy Kid Project, we thought we'd introduce you to some of the members of the Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll who recently helped the DEIJ Department organize a special assembly on African American Alumna in the Arts. The club was established at Oak Knoll well over a quarter of a century ago, and these current members tell us a little about what they think the club adds to the Oak Knoll community, and they share their thoughts on what the special assembly meant to them. (5:51 mins)

We take a moment to share a longstanding tradition at Oak Knoll. Each year, a special day is designated for each grade level in the Upper School to get away from campus, slow down, and take stock of where they are as students and members of the larger community. Michele Van-Kalsbeck, Director of Campus Ministry, tells us why. (5:06 mins)

On Thursday, February 22, the Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll welcomed Upper School students to a special assembly celebrating African Americans and the Arts. From literature to performance, African Americans' creativity has shaped culture, inspired generations, and enriched our lives. This special assembly presented an esteemed panel of alumnae who spoke about their journey, experiences, achievements, and the ongoing importance of diversity and representation in the arts. (39 mins)

During the first weeks of the 2023-2024 school year, Oak Knoll unveiled and launched a new “house system" — which sets a historical precedent and will give students a joyous tradition for playful competition and familial pride for generations to come. In the short podcast, Assistant Athletic Director Melissa White explains the idea's origin and how the houses were chosen. You can also read about the new house system in this news article. (4:48 min)

In addition to academics, Oak Knoll has always placed a high value on social-emotional health. Zoe Harmaty '25 took it upon herself to add to available resources and instigated a brand new speaker series at Oak Knoll called “Chasing Excellence.” We like to say that Oak Knoll students live by faith, learn by doing, and lead by example. Harmaty is certainly an example of this. She's a student with a passion and a purpose, and she's proving that education is about being in community, and being in community is about caring for those around you. (5:15 mins)

According to the National Retail Federation's seasonal trends report, one hundred sixty million Americans bought candy this past Halloween, spending 2.6 million dollars over Halloween on candy alone. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and the candy-consuming giant Easter on the horizon, this country is producing hundreds of millions of tons of candy wrappers that are likely ending up in landfills. Thanks to a seventh grader at Oak Knoll with a bright idea and the partnership of the student-run Green Team at Oak Knoll, those wrappers are heading in a different direction. (5:17 mins)

Oak Knoll has an extremely robust offering of student-run clubs. With over 60 in the Upper School and dozens more in the Lower school, students with a particular passion they wish to share have the opportunity to propose their club, and if approved, rally other students to join them in that mission. In this short podcast we pop in on a recent Upper School Club Fair — where students promote their club offerings to their classmates. (7:05 mins)

For an endurance bike rider, a "century" is the term for a 100 mile ride. Imagine performing over 30 centuries in six weeks! That's what Track and Field Coach Mickey Cassu undertook over the summer when he rode from coast to coast across the United States. Listen to Coach Cassu narrating his exciting trip in this short podcast. (6:34 mins)

Welcome back to a whole new season of the Happy Kid Project. Throughout the upcoming school year, we hope to bring you a variety of student voices so you can hear in there own words how Oak Knoll is a school that cultivates people with purpose. But seeing as school only just began, we thought we'd use this episode to introduce you to some wonderful adults that are just joining the community. We couldn't get to them all, but here are just a few of our new faculty and staff as we came together the week before school began to get to know each other and the school during orientation and in-service days. You will find a complete list of new faculty and staff, along with their credentials, here.

In the Spring of 2023, our 4x800 track and field relay team was proactively invited to compete in the historic Penn Relays — the country's oldest and largest track and field competition. The invitation was a watershed moment and further affirmation for our fleet-footed athletes. Whether it is cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, or track and field in the Spring, Oak Knoll is making its presence known. In this short podcast (5:12 mins), Coach Mickey Cassu and our Senior Team Captains share thoughts on why our teams are doing so well. Read the full story on our participation in the Penn Relays here.

On Thursday night, April 20th at 7:00 pm a truly newsworthy event will take place in the Tisdall Hall gymnasium at Oak Knoll. In this short podcast, Kelly Childs, 7-year Oak Knoll Athletic Director, former Assistant Commissioner at the Big East Conference, and former Athletic Director for Marketing at Seton Hall University, tells us about the upcoming powerhouse women in sports panel entitled “Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX at Oak Knoll.” Register here.

Join us on Friday, April 21st at 7:00 pm in the Mother Mary Campion Performing Arts Center where multiple creative arts disciplines will converge for our annual Dance Concert. Listen to this short podcast as Creative Arts Teacher Carlee Bennett describes what's in store! Admission is free but reservations are recommended. Call 900-522-8150 or email carlee.bennett@oakknoll.org.

During a three-day Community Impact Symposium in Washington DC, four Oak Knoll high school students gathered with students from across the country to share ideas on how they could make more positive and systemic changes in their school and local communities. The goal was to work in teams to identify various approaches taken to local, state, and national levels and work with their schoolmates to draft a vision statement and action strategy to take back home to Oak Knoll.

With the addition of two new full-time faculty in the Upper School, the Creative Arts Department at Oak Knoll is spreading it's wings. Music teacher Teresa Gotanco and Theater Teacher Lisa Bodollo joined the team for the 2022-2023 school year and they are collaborating with an ensemble of students to stage a particularly challenging musical, James and the Giant Peach. Here is Teresa Gotanco with some highlights including a sneak peak at the performance. Tickets and Information can be found here.

Rhetoric. For many it sounds like a negative word. And yes, rhetoric can be used to persuade people to do very bad things. But on the flip side, Mr. Ben Oxford's 11th grade AP Literature and Composition students are learning that rhetoric can often be deployed in very good and nuanced ways to bring about positive change. Though Mr. Oxford applies rhetorical analysis to many of his students projects, during Black History Month, he is asking his students to break down some famous works by Martin Luther King Jr. I'll let him first explain what rhetorical analysis means in this context and then how he is using it to alter the ways in which his students approach both the man and his written and spoken work.

It was the summer after her graduation from Georgetown University. She was all set to enjoy a few months off and then start her professional career at a new job in Boston. She finally had some time to schedule corrective surgery for a Brain AVM that had been plaguing her with terrible migraines since the age of seven. Everything was about to change. At a special assembly, Oak Knoll graduate Maddi Niebanck '13 shares her incredible journey after suffering a near-fatal stroke at the age of 22.

It seems that school's have been teaching the sciences in a certain order dating back to the launching of Sputnik and the cold war period, but Oak Knoll has decided to re-order that sequence in a way that makes more sense for students of today.

For this, our last podcast of the calendar year, we take you on an auditory tour through the month of December at Oak Knoll. Share in the Christmas spirit and enjoy this fun collage of activities – from decking the halls to icing gingerbread houses, from trees engineered out of books to pre-kindergarten singalongs. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Audio postcards from Oak Knoll's Lower School as our youngest learners celebrate Computer Science Education Week. Gain an audio glimpse into our PK-6 classrooms as students delve into the world of coding, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

Oak Knoll's Writing Center provides a unique opportunity for middle and high school students to take on leadership roles while supporting their peers. Hear how the Writing Center increases student confidence, leadership skills, and academic excellence in a safe and supportive space.

Hear how Oak Knoll instills a sense of service in students, connecting their own experiences and the needs of the wider world. We sit down with Michele Van Kalsbeck, Oak Knoll's Director of Campus Ministry and Theology Teacher, about our annual day of service. During this episode, she talks about using this day as an essential jumping-off point to remind students that being in service is a mindset that should be ever-present rather than an activity performed for others.

From Peer to Leader: We talk with Oak Knoll senior Laura R. '23, Peer Leader Head Coordinator, about how the program promotes social and emotional health and leadership skills in students.

Oak Knoll invites members of the community to join us on campus for the 29th Annual Royal Boutique on November 3-5, 2022. More than 35 vendors from around the country participate, including homegoods, jewelry, holiday decor and gifts, and more.

Oak Knoll welcomed Richard Uniacke, President of Bridges Outreach, to talk about how students can get involved in the fight to end homelessness, stand out and give back in a meaningful way, and support the organization's overall mission by participating in the upcoming Streets 2 Homes 5K event.

We chat with rising senior Zahra Jones '23 ahead of the 2022-23 school year about the many ways students can get involved at Oak Knoll.

A special Mental Health Awareness Month episode featuring a recent presentation on student-athletes and the pressures associated with competing in competitive sports. Featuring: Dr. Kelly Childs, Oak Knoll School Athletic Director; Dr. Melissa Maskery, Oak Knoll's Athletic Trainer; Christine Mahoney, Oak Knoll's Upper School Counselor; and Dr. Ashley M. Zultanky, a Certified School Psychologist and clinical psychology postdoctoral Fellow at Behavior Therapy Associates.

Melissa Miller, Oak Knoll's Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice sits down with Desiree Mitchell '23, Oak Knoll junior and leader of the Black Scholars Club, discussing the importance of February's Black History Month and celebrating Black history all year-round.

Regina Cherill, Oak Knoll's Lower School Science Teacher for grades 4-6, talks about the importance of weaving social and emotional learning into the science and math curriculum.

After unveiling the school's new confidence-building signature program, EmpowHER, this fall, we caught up with Upper School Division Head Kathryn McGroarty to discuss the confidence gap in middle school girls and how Oak Knoll is empowering students.

In Part II of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child's "Parenting During the Pandemic" series, Dr. Jennifer Butler-Sweeney, Upper School psychologist, discusses tactics parents can use to address the social and emotional impact of COVID-19 on middle and high school students.

This special bonus episode of the Academically Speaking podcast brings together several Oak Knoll School alumnae who are celebrating milestones during this year’s virtual Reunion, taking place on April 24-25, 2021. Listen to these special alumnae as they relive, remember and reconnect on shared memories from Oak Knoll. Note: This episode was recorded following social distancing rules via Zoom. Please excuse the spotty internet service that could not be avoided under pandemic circumstances!

This special four-part parenting podcast will cover all your burning questions about how to best protect and support your child’s mental health, their social life and development, and the ins-and outs of virtual learning during the pandemic. Part I features Melissa Nelson, Oak Knoll's Lower School Guidance Counselor, who talks about the pandemic's impact on the mental health of our youngest learners and how parents can support their child during this time.

Oak Knoll senior Lizzie Athaide '21 talks remote and in-person learning during COVID-19, her plans post-graduation and how she has navigated leading the school as student body president during these uncertain times.

We talk with Kelly Dun, Oak Knoll's Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, to discuss the process of applying for financial aid, misconceptions about the process and how to get started. Learn more about financial aid process at Oak Knoll.

Community service is at the heart of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child's mission. In Episode 6, we sit down with Michele Van Kalsbeck, Upper School Theology teacher and Campus Ministry member, as she describes the changing ways Oak Knoll continues to prioritize service during the pandemic.

Upper School Division Head Kathryn McGroarty joined Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we sit down with McGroarty as she discusses the benefits of the all-girls' Upper School environment and the pandemic's impact on teaching, academics and the future of education.

When schools returned to session in September 2020, many opened remotely, some used a hybrid model and, if they were lucky, the school opened for on-campus instruction. During this special BONUS EPISODE of the Academically Speaking podcast, we talk with Kelly Dun, Oak Knoll's new Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, about how the admissions team is bringing the campus to life for prospective families from a distance and how the admissions process has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are joined by Oak Knoll Athletic Director Dr. Kelly Childs as she discusses navigating athletics during a pandemic and prepares for athletes to return to the playing field this fall.

We sit down with Oak Knoll's new Lower School Guidance Counselor Melissa Nelson on re-entry anxiety in children as they return to campus this fall under COVID-19 restrictions.

Oak Knoll School administrators sit down to answer parent-submitted questions regarding the school's fall 2020 reopening plan.