Matt Burgy, Head of School

March 3, 2023

Dear Oakridge Family,

I have spent this week sitting on Cloud 9 after such an enjoyable Super Supper and Auction last weekend! We had two goals for the evening; first and foremost, building community. Events such as the Super Supper are times when we can come together for the shared love of our school. Second, it is an opportunity for us to raise money to support the school. Like many of you who were there, I was touched by the generosity of all those in attendance. In particular, I am grateful for the generosity in donating to renovate the SAC floor. This floor is a much-needed upgrade to our school and will impact us all!

I am a student of history, and I love Oakridge history in particular. The story of Oakridge is compelling and fascinating, and we will officially celebrate our 44th birthday as a school next week. On March 6, 1979, a group of concerned parents and educators came together with a dream of founding a school that would become a successful, independent college preparatory school serving children from east Fort Worth, Arlington, and the surrounding areas. Founding Board Member Nancy O'Shea explains that Oakridge became what it is today "because it is the story of parents, teachers, and children who thought they could start a school, not knowing the Herculean task." In fact, we were Oakridge before we even had a permanent site for our school. The name emanated from the thought that our region had plentiful oak trees, and we were sure to find a building site where they were present!

To give you an idea of the vision of our founders, I will tell you with the words of Charlie Butts, who served on our initial Board "Let me start by telling you WHAT The Oakridge School is at this point. We are a group of parents who want the very best education we can get for our children. We are experienced and qualified teachers who are committed to the same goal as the parents. We feel there is a need for a quality independent college preparatory school, and we intend to develop one." I am in continual awe of our founding Board members' vision and the faith our founding parents made in birthing our school. I hope you join me in expressing my gratitude for their courage and relentless desire to help us become one of the most well-regarded schools in the nation.

If you haven't done so, I encourage you to peruse our website and listen to the history of our beloved school through the videos of many of our founding faculty members and parents. It will warm your heart and give you a deeper understanding of why Oakridge is the special place it is today.

In six very short years, we will be celebrating our 50th birthday. While I love celebrating our past, I can't wait to see what Oakridge will continue to become, and I look forward to executing that vision with you!

Happy Birthday, Oakridge!

Matt Burgy

Head of School