| content |
| Motto | Preparing Minds for Leadership and Hearts for Service |
|---|---|
| Established | 2000 |
| Type | Private/Secondary/Coeducational |
| Headmaster | Jeffrey H. Woodcock |
| Dean | Timothy H. Fenderson (Academics) and Karen Coyle (Students)and Andre Chevalier (Students) |
| Students | approx. 1,000 |
| Grades | 6-12 |
| Location | 31749 La Tienda Blvd., Westlake Village, California,, USA |
| Colors | Cardinal Red (Burgundy) and Vegas Gold |
| Mascot | Lion |
| Website | http://www.oakschristian.org |
Oaks Christian High School is a private non-denominational Christian school located on 18 acres in Westlake Village, CA off the US 101. It opened in 2000, and emphasizes academics and athletics to attract the children of the famous and wealthy in the Los Angeles area.1 In recent years, the school has come to national prominence with its football team, having won five consecutive Southern Section championships and six overall while developing some highly-recruited players.1
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History
Oaks Christian was founded by David and Dallas Price, two wealthy philanthropists, who sought to build an excellent academic, athletic, and Christian environment for their grandchildren, after having found no suitable alternatives in the greater Los Angeles area. In 1997, they were approached about a large piece of land originally owned by the Eaton Corporation for military operations (a tactical target during the Cold War), and made an agreement to take an 18 acre western portion of the site adjacent to Calvary Community Church.
The high school opened in 2000 to approximately 160 students with the completion of the Price Academic Building. By the year 2002, most of the school and campus infrastructure had been completed, with the exception of the new Bedrosian Pavilion, a fine arts wing completed in 2007.
Enrollment
Oaks Christian has a current enrollment of approximately 1,000 students, with approximately 70-75% of those students at the high school level and 25-30% at the middle school level. Admission is competitive, based on a variety of criteria ranging from primary school grades, ISEE score, an interview, essays, and interests. Students of any denomination are considered equally for admission.
Nearly all of the graduating students matriculate at four year colleges and universities, with a handful of students going off to schools such as the University of Virginia, University of Notre Dame, Yale, Stanford, Duke, Boston College, University of Southern California, UC Berkeley, UCLA, the Claremont Colleges, Columbia, Harvard and others.citation needed Oaks Christian participates in the Advanced Placement Program, and the majority of students graduate with college credit.citation needed
Oaks Christian is also known for educating the children of prominent celebrities such as Joe Montana, Will Smith, and Wayne Gretzky.23. Also attending are the children of the families residing in the Conejo Valley and Western Los Angeles area.
Tuition is $21,640.1
School Facilities
The Dallas Athletic Center includes a 2-court gym, dance studio, athletic rehabilitation center, multiple locker rooms, a weight room and a near-Olympic size swimming pool.
The Price Academic Center, which houses all the academic and office operations, is a three floor 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) building located around a central courtyard atrium. It features science labs, over 60 classrooms, a theatre, music studios, piano labs, a visual arts wing, an administrative wing, multiple computer labs, and teacher facilities. The Shiley Family Library, located adjacent to the Price Academic center's atrium, currently possesses cataloged art posters, books, and audio-visual titles, as well as subscriptions to print media.
The new Bedrosian Pavilion, opened August 23, 2007, is a two-level sports and performing arts center. The second floor houses a full size basketball court and the Gosnell Stage. The lower level includes band and choir facilities as well as a black box theater, dance studio, and a television studio.citation needed
Academics
Philosophy
Academics at Oaks Christian focuses on education, leadership, and Christian values. As such, the curriculum is structured to stimulate analytical thought, enrich spiritual lives, and foster strong leadership. However, controversy has arisen with the success of its football program with some community activists charging that Oaks Christian is more interested in being a dominant football powerhouse re-inforcing the status quo than performing charitable christian action or initiating change in society. Oaks currently participates in the Advanced Placement program. It has also received accredition by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Mathematics
At the high school level, students are enrolled in Geometry in ninth grade, Algebra II in tenth grade, Precalculus in eleventh grade and Calculus in twelfth grade.; however, students are allowed to change their math courses as long as they meet the 4 years required to graduate. Advanced students can take honors level courses of any of the aforementioned classes, including Calculus AB and Calculus BC offered for both juniors and seniors.
Foreign Language
Classes offered include both classical and modern tongues such as Latin, Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese with all courses providing honors courses and all languages but Latin accommodating Advanced Placement classes.
Athletics
Philosophy
Oaks Christian draws its philosophy from the biblical passage I Corinthians 9:24, in which Paul encourages the Corinthians to run the 'race of life' for God.
Football
Oaks Christian games have been featured on ESPN several times throughout its 2006 season and Oaks Christian finished the season ranked 6th nationally on the USA Today prep football Super25 ranking.4 The Lions football team has been coached by Bill Redell since its inaugural season.
According to recruiting service Rivals.com, both Jimmy Clausen (QB, committed to Notre Dame) and Marc Tyler (RB, committed to Southern California) were both among the top ten national college football recruits in 2007. Both Clausen and Tyler (who did not participate due to an injury sustained during a playoff game), along with teammate Marshall Jones were invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which took place on January 6, 2007, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Clausen was awarded the Hall Trophy as the nation's premier high school football player and has since graduated.
The Lions football team won the CIF Division III California State Bowl Game on December 16, 2006 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA by defeating Cardinal Newman High School (CIF North Coast Section 3A Champion) of Santa Rosa, CA, 27-20 in overtime.
Oaks Christian’s winning streak ended at 48 with a loss against St. Bonaventure High School on September 21, 2007.5
The 2008 squad includes the children of Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky and Will Smith. 1
In 2008, their football team was ranked #92 in the top 100 football teams in the country.
Other Sports
Oaks Christian participates in several other sports, many co-educational. Such athletic programs include baseballvolleyball, swim and dive soccer, basketball, lacrosse, water polo, tennis, golf, diving, track and field, and cross country.
References
- ^ a b c d Eric Sonheimer, At Oaks Christian High, name players are on the sideline, Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2008, Accessed July 11, 2008.
- ^ Bo Poertner. "Actor Will Smith turns heads at Huyck". The Lompoc Record. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- ^ Marjorie Hernandez (2007-10-26). "Hockey star's event benefits Oaks Christian". Ventura County Star. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
- ^ USA TODAY's prep football Super 25
- ^ LA Times: St. Bonaventure ends Oaks Christian's streak
External links
- Oaks Christian High School - Official school website
- Google Maps - Oaks Christian on Google Maps
