Community and Belonging

At Ojai Valley School, we are committed to embracing people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. In doing so, we seek to foster an environment that builds and honors diversity in our school community, understanding that different perspectives are good for us all.

OVS is rooted in experiential and inquiry-based learning, which enables students to see the world through a more empathetic lens. We aim to see the evolving needs of our community and are inspired to respond with purpose. We strive to have the voices of all members of the community heard and respected, and we work toward having our students reflected and celebrated within the environment where they live and learn.

Community & Belonging lives in our actions and intentions. To that end, we seek to:

• Recruit & retain diversity in students, faculty, staff, administrators and members of the Board of Trustees

• Prepare students to be changemakers in the world by engaging with multiple perspectives
  Engage with the OVS and local communities through outreach and partnership

These actions will foster a more authentic learning experience that reflects our student body and the world in which we live. Ultimately, we want students to develop a strong sense of belonging, recognize the value of their contributions toward creating a more just and equitable world, and as lifelong learners, carry these values into the work they do beyond OVS.

We honor the Chumash as the original caretakers of this unceded land, and acknowledge their displacement, dispossession, and continued presence in ‘Awha’y (Ojai).

Land Acknowledgment, created by the Lower Campus Class of 2024 and Adopted by the Board of Trustees in June of 2024