Matt Burgy, Head of School

Dear Oakridge Family,

For the past 2 weeks, the arts have been alive at Oakridge! I hope you were able to attend the many concerts that our students performed in, or had the opportunity to see Antigone, our Fall Play. The set alone for Antigone may have been one of the best I have seen at Oakridge! I have been, and continue to be, absolutely amazed at the talent that our young people express through our outstanding arts program!

Our renewed mission statement had a noticeable shift this year from “to inspire students to seek their full potential in academics, arts, and athletics,” to “inspire students to seek their potential through academic excellence, enriched by the arts and athletics.” This shift, while subtle, was intentional. We wanted to express that the experience a student has is not separate and isolated, but one singular experience. The original phrasing positioned academics, arts, and athletics as three separate destinations where students might find their potential. The renewed mission is different: it identifies “Academic Excellence” as the core institutional purpose and the primary vehicle through which potential is sought. The arts and athletics shift from being stand-alone end goals to being integral instruments of enrichment. The term "enriched by" signifies a strategic, supportive relationship that is meant to deepen knowledge and skills in a way that the student's development isn't fragmented into three separate silos. It is, instead, a unified process that builds character, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning across all disciplines. This means that the arts are leveraged to build habits like intellectual depth, creativity, and resilience, which in turn make students better scholars. Instead of competing with academics and athletics for time and focus, the arts and athletics are now explicitly recognized as essential partners in achieving the school's commitment to academic rigor.

The Arts, in particular, are essential fuel for every student's growth and success. Our arts programs—from choir to orchestra to theater to visual arts—are designed to do much more than simply nurture talent; they are designed to build the capacity for a successful, resilient, and connected life. It’s one of the things that sets us apart from the rest, and helps to create powerful, transformative moments in the lives of our students. 

In the arts, there is no single right answer. This lack of a fixed solution encourages students to take intellectual risks. Whether a student is reading a piece of music, developing a character, or facing a blank canvas, they are practicing innovation and problem-solving under pressure. This process directly cultivates the creativity and imaginative thinking that will set them apart in any future career. The ability to generate new ideas and adapt to constraints is a superpower, and it is forged in the studio and on the stage.

Preparing for any performance or exhibition demands tremendous discipline and perseverance. Every actor misses a line, every musician hits a wrong note, and every painter has errors in their brushstroke. The arts teach students to embrace these setbacks not as failures, but as necessary steps toward mastery. They learn the meaning of grit—the daily habit of practice, showing up, and working toward a difficult, long-term goal. This resilience is the bedrock of confidence and is crucial for navigating academic challenges and life's complexities.

The arts are fundamentally about communication and community. When students participate in a play, sing in a chorus, or collaborate on a mural, they must listen deeply, respond thoughtfully, and synchronize their efforts with others. Their motivation is born out of a desire for that connection. While it undoubtedly serves as an outlet for the artist, it ultimately becomes a language through which they connect with others, not for recognition or reward, but out of a sincere impulse to add meaning, empathy, and light to the human experience. These are the social competencies required for effective collaboration and leadership in any global community.

The skills learned through the arts are the very definition of what a great education is. They transform isolated knowledge into powerful, actionable wisdom, ensuring our students are not just ready for college, but prepared for life!

Wishing you a safe, and warm, Halloween!

Go Owls!

Matt Burgy
Head of School