Letter from Suzanne McCanles, Head of School

2021 LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Going on my 15th year as Head of School at Oakhill, I have helped lead this community through some challenging times - the tornado of May, 2008; the security campaign of November, 2019; and the COVID hiatus/crisis of March, 2020. Although each of these events was daunting at the time, nothing compared to the events that unfolded from August 2020 throughout the fall of that same year.

Prior to the COVID crisis in March 2020, enrollment was off the charts, and we were slated to start the school year with a strong, almost record breaking, student count. The uncertainties that the world faced between March 2020 and August 2020 created great fear, causing many families (91 students to be exact) to unenroll. Trying to find a balance between empathy, understanding, and financial stability, our decisions to help our community members created uncertainty and a significant deficit in the budget!

We forged ahead, implemented immediate strategic plans for the fall, became even more innovative and flexible, and found great success. Although our approved 20/21 budget was irrelevant by the first day of school due to the COVID related setbacks, our team set out to reinvent and reimagine our enrollment timeline; we had to find a way to ensure sustainability for the coming months and beyond. Our ingenuity, creativity, and determination led the way.

Our mitigation efforts with regards to COVID safety were strong resulting in few cases and no interruption to full-time, in-person learning as a school community. This led to enhanced trust which led to the reenrollment of students who had opted to leave in August. Our new enrollment timeline for the coming year moved from mid-January to early December which led to increased cash flow when we needed it the most.

With all of that said, we experienced strong philanthropic support from our community and beyond including a record setting Annual Fund (The Mighty Oak Fund) and a highly profitable auction, in spite of the hybrid format. We increased our number of major donors, and we welcomed new donors to the table. Our community truly stepped up which helped us surpass our Development goals for the fiscal year.

As a school with no endowment or large cash reserves, we continue to find a way to survive and thrive. Our ability to quickly adapt and pivot will continue to be our strength. As we plan for the days, months, and years ahead, our 21/22 budget includes a PPRRSM (Provision for Plant Replacement, Renewal, and Special Maintenance) line; a certain amount of funds, although small, is earmarked for plant upgrades. We will continue to plan for the future while meeting the needs for today!

Thank you for your continued support and trust in Oakhill. We will continue to make all of our decisions on behalf of the students and in the best interest of the school; to balance educating our children with running a 6 million dollar business.

Grateful and humble,

Suzanne