ovs Archives - Ojai Valley School - Private College Prep Day and Boarding School in Ojai, California

Competitive Robotics Gears Up

Posted on October 15, 2018 //

This fall, Ojai Valley School will serve as the host venue for the expanding FIRST FTC competitive robotics league in the Southern California/LA Region — a distinction highlights the school’s position as a leader in K-12 technology education and robotics programming.

Each regional league can host up to 16 teams and most leagues are full. The FIRST FTC robotics organizers this year opened a new league, with OVS as host, in the northern part of the So Cal region due to a large increase in new teams.

“There are many benefits we look forward to as hosts,” said Chris Westcott, who teaches high school math, computer science, and robotics at the Upper Campus. “We will have more control over when competitions are held. Also, by hosting we no longer need to get up at 5 a.m. for a two-hour, one-way commute and spend four-plus hours on the road on those days.

“But most importantly,” he continued, “we look forward to promoting robotics in Ventura County and hope to encourage the start of other competitive teams locally. Finally, we look forward to giving our OVS community better exposure and access to the amazing robotics program that has emerged at OVS in recent years.”

The robotics competitions will be held on four Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to noon, on November 10, December 1, January 12 and January 26 at the Greenberg Activities Center at the Lower Campus.

We invite you to come check out the events and support our two school teams — Spudnik and Spudbot!

Outdoor Education

Posted on October 14, 2018 //

Exploring the canyon lands of Utah and Arizona on the annual Honors Trip.

Learning to set up tents.

Outdoor Education is woven into the school experience at OVS from the beginning of the academic year to the very end. It starts with kindergarten, when students go on day hikes in the Ventura River Preserve and Sespe Wilderness. Overnight trips begin in first grade, right here on campus, and progress to places like El Capitan State Beach, the Channel Islands National Park, and Sequoia National Park.

Students in grades 6 to 12 have the opportunity to go on weekend adventures at least once a month. Choices include rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park, skiing and snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain, mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, rafting on the Kern River, snorkeling and kayaking at Santa Cruz Island, surfing at Jalama and San Onofre, mountain biking in the Santa Monica Mountains, horseback riding in the Santa Barbara mountains, and much more. In addition, international trips to places like Costa Rica, Peru, Ireland, and Portugal are offered each Spring Break.

Kayaking at Santa Cruz Island.

Ojai Valley School offers one of the most comprehensive outdoor education programs of any independent school, engaging students in grades PK-12 in environmental studies and exploration of the stunning mountains, canyons, deserts, and beaches in the West. As we strive to develop the intellectual and personal growth of all of our students, Outdoor Education is a core part of that experience as they learn to overcome real challenges that may be physical, social, organizational, and personal.

Camping in the Eastern Sierras often means day trips to places like Yosemite Valley, with views of El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls.

Learn more about our 2018-2019 Outdoor Education offerings:

• Lower Campus Outdoor Education Calendar

• Middle School (grades 6-8) Weekend Adventures Calendar

• Upper Campus (grades 9-12) Weekend Adventures Calendar

• To see photos from recent trips, and other outdoor education experiences from throughout the year, visit the Images of OVS page.

Bouldering at Joshua Tree National Park.

Late-afternoon art lesson at Lake Casitas.

Girls XC Wins Opening Meet

Posted on October 4, 2018 //

Congratulations to the OVS cross country team! The girls won their opening league meet this week with a dominating performance at Besant Hill School.

OVS took seven of the top 10 spots on the fast three-mile course, led by juniors Caspian Ellis and Avery Colborn who placed second and third, running 23:25 and 23:27 respectively. Sophomore Bella Slosberg placed fourth, junior Jolene fan seventh and freshman Paige Muller eighth.

On the boys side, junior Corbin Muller finished 11th overall with his best time of the season. Sophomore Ethan Gao placed 14th, also setting a new personal best.

The Spuds continue league meet action next week with a run at Midland School before returning home on Oct. 17 to host the third league meet of the season on the tough Pi course at Upper Campus.

$1 Million Gift Anchors Campaign to Restore Upper Campus

Posted on September 30, 2018 //

September 30, 2018

A Message from OVS President/CEO Michael Hall-Mounsey:

An oak tree grows to a certain point, and then nothing visibly happens. It appears dormant. But what we can’t see is that the root system is reaching down, pulling in nutrients and establishing a healthy footing before we see its foliage begin.

Right now, Ojai Valley School, like the oak tree that serves as its symbol, is putting down roots and building a solid base in anticipation of new growth that soon will be visible for all to see.

Lucila Arango of the Aramont Foundation was instrumental in bringing about a donation of $1 million to Ojai Valley School, following the devastating Thomas Fire. Above, she and OVS President/CEO Mike Hall-Mounsey discuss the plans to rebuild Upper Campus.

This growth will be most evident at the Upper Campus where in the coming year we will rebuild the academic and residential buildings that were destroyed in the Thomas Fire. We will rebuild better than before, and take the opportunity to simultaneously construct the long-awaited Student Commons, a two-story dining hall, kitchen and library complex that will be second to none.

In the aftermath of the devastating Thomas Fire, we have the rare opportunity to rebuild in a manner that accentuates our identity, our connection to the outdoors, and our sense of community, while also innovating and enhancing our academic, co-curricular and residential programs, thus elevating OVS to a leadership position among independent schools globally.

But opportunities are only realized by taking action – and I’m thrilled to report that we are now on our way thanks to the generous gift of $1 million to our rebuilding campaign by The Aramont Foundation.

Alumna and past parent Lucila Arango (U84), as trustee of the Foundation, stepped forward this summer and secured this lead gift to inspire others to join in our campaign and to ensure that our dormitory, science and technology center, and commons are built together to truly create a new heart and hub of campus life. (Learn about Luci and her support of OVS in an article in our Family Tree magazine. Click here to read it online.)

Los Angeles-based architect Fred Fisher, a current parent, and his architectural team are developing designs for the new Aramont Science and Technology Center, the Grace Hobson Smith House dormitory, and the new Student Commons. Those initial schematic designs received unanimous approval by the OVS Board of Trustees in September, and we are well on our way to breaking ground on this exciting project in the coming year.

For now, I encourage all our alumni, past parents, new parents, students and faculty to join in our campaign to rebuild. Volunteer, make a donation or a multi-year pledge, or learn more about the RESTORE RENEW REBUILD effort by contacting our Development Office at (805) 646-1423 or through the new campaign website.

In the resilient spirit of OVS, the entire school community near and far made a commitment to reopen after the fire and continue the academic program from where it was interrupted. This determination was strongly supported by an immediate outpouring of generous contributions from alumni of every era, as well as parents and friends.

Our oak tree is ready to sprout new branches and foliage thanks to the generosity of our OVS family! We look forward to working together to provide an even better student experience for generations to come!

Equestrians Return

Posted on September 28, 2018 //

Ojai Valley School is one of the few equestrian boarding schools in California with stables on campus, allowing middle and high school students to walk from class to the barn to ride nearly every afternoon, in place of sports or P.E. Students find numerous opportunities to improve their riding skills in a program that emphasizes athleticism, horsemanship, patience, compassion, perseverance, and hard work.

Students begin riding in prekindergarten and continue riding once a week through third grade. They then have the option to continue riding in place of P.E. or a sport through 12th grade.

As a United States Pony Club Riding Center, OVS gives students the opportunity to earn their Pony Club certification, as well as to ride with the OVS Competitive Team. With a highly experienced staff and barns and arenas at both our Lower Campus (PK-8th grade) and Upper Campus (9th-12th grade), OVS welcomes students of all skill levels.

Learn more: OVS Equestrian Program

Welcome, Spuds!

Posted on August 29, 2018 //

Welcome, Spuds!

The Ojai Valley School Upper Campus officially opened Sunday, Aug. 26 with a population of 109 students (41 day, 68 boarding). Our Lower Campus opened Tuesday, Sept. 4 with 168 students in grades PreK through 8 (144 day, 24 boarding in grades 3-8).

A world of friendship: Whether you’re from Ukraine, China, Japan, or just down the road in Ventura, OVS students make friends from across the globe. This year, Spuds represent a total of 11 countries.

At the Upper Campus, students have been busy! Within the first few days, they’ve gone camping, had a beach day, joined sports, and participated in team competitions, in addition to attending classes. Student leaders created a fun video to introduce themselves: Welcome, Spuds

Looking forward, groups of students will head out on more Outdoor Education trips to Pine Mountain for bouldering and hiking, Santa Cruz Island for kayaking and snorkeling, and the Sierra Nevada for backpacking to some of the region’s most spectacular alpine lakes.

The obligatory jump-shot, from last year’s backpacking trip into the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains.

But for now, we’re digging into academics! OVS Upper Campus students have a wide variety of college preparatory courses to choose from, including 24 AP and honors courses from AP Computer Science to AP Studio Art. Find an overview of OVS and the full list of classes in the Academic Profile; for an in-depth look at the class offerings, check out our Curriculum Guide.

And be sure to keep an eye on Facebook, Instagram (@ojaivalleyschool) and our Images of OVS page for photos and updates throughout the year.

Thomas Fire Benefit Concert

Posted on May 29, 2018 //

Marley’s Ghost will be performing a Thomas Fire benefit concert at the OVS Upper Campus on September 21.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets!

Summer Camp Fun

Posted on May 20, 2018 //

Ojai Valley School Summer Camp is just around the corner, and there is still time to enroll!

Our flexible schedule allows day and resident campers to enroll for 2, 4, or 6-week sessions between June 24 to August 4, 2018

With 75 years of camp experience, Ojai Valley School offers an enriching summer program with hands-on academics, classes and fun activities for students in grades PK to 10.

We also offer specialty camps for Equestrian, Robotics, English as a Second Language, Leadership Training, and Fine Arts.

Visit summer.ovs.org for more information, & to register.

Equestrians Explore Portugal

Posted on April 24, 2018 //

Our high school equestrians returned from a magnificent spring break trip to Portugal, which provided a wonderful opportunity to experience dressage on highly-trained Lusitanos in the most amazing setting imaginable! The equestrian center, Quinta do Rol, is part of a much larger ranch set amid rolling green hills that grows apples, citrus and wine grapes. “The facility, the horses, instructors and accommodations were superb and every rider came away from the experience having learned and experienced new things, from learning to canter, flying changes, tempi changes, piaffe, passage to an exhilarating ride on the beach,” said Equestrian Director Stephanie Gustafson. Students Ivy Sun, Sharon Ye, Cici Feng, Lico Chan, and Morgan Dreier toured extensively in the region, visiting royal palaces, monasteries and charming fishing villages. They finished the trip visiting Sintra and Lisbon.

With only a week to prepare after Spring Break, our combined middle and high school equestrian team—Lilli Trompke, Jaclyn Sersland, El Giguire, Hannah Little, and Anna English—hit the ground running for the annual two-day Pony Club Mega Rally in Los Angeles. The riders were judged both on their riding and stable management. For tack room organization and cleanliness the judge’s comment was “perfection.” The first day of jumping was a bit less than perfect, but the riders discussed what went wrong and managed those issues on the second day of jumping with clean rounds. Overall, OVS finished in 4th place. The team finished 2nd in Horse Management.

The OVS Equestrian program emphasizes athleticism, horsemanship, patience, compassion, perseverance, and hard work. Students learn to care for their horses, and enjoy time spent in the barn with close friends — both human and equine. Follow our latest updates from the program on both campuses on our equestrian Instagram page at: https://www.instagram.com/ojaivalleyschoolequestrian/

Click here to see photos from the Equestrian Portugal Trip.

We Are Strong

Posted on December 8, 2017 //

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends:

Our resident students, faculty, and horses safely evacuated from the Upper Campus last night in advance of the approaching Thomas Fire. There have been no injuries and our students are safely housed at the Lower Campus, which is not under threat from the fire.

It is with a heavy heart, however, that I inform you that our Upper Campus has been severely damaged in this devastating fire. Both the Lucila Arango Science and Technology Center and the Grace Hobson Smith girls’ dormitory were destroyed.

Fire crews were able to save Wallace Burr Hall and the boys’ dormitories, as well as the stables and art building.

In the spirit that has long guided Ojai Valley School, we are confident that we will recover, rebuild, and become stronger as a school and a community.

We are strategizing now about how we will complete the school year for Upper Campus. Please know we will continue to keep you informed as more details become available, including campus-specific instructions about how we will close the semester.

For now, we ask for your patience and your support – especially for our students, faculty, and resident staff as they grapple with this tremendous loss.

We are in close contact with fire personnel and have been advised to continue sheltering residents at Lower Campus as the danger to our immediate location has passed. Due to the poor air quality, and the desire to minimize the affects of road closure, we will cancel school tomorrow. It is our hope that we will be able to open school for Lower students on Thursday, but we will send another email tomorrow when we know more about the condition of the valley.

We hope you and your family are safe and secure.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Hall-Mounsey
President/CEO
Ojai Valley School