Review Magazine - Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

Legacy of Excellence After 16 years, Head of School Tim Saburn Leaves Oak Knoll Positioned for Continued Growth

CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE

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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

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SETTING THE PRECEDENT Oak Knoll blazes trail for on-campus learning during a global pandemic

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LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE After 16 years, Head of School Tim Saburn leaves Oak Knoll positioned for continued growth

FEATURES

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21 QUESTIONS WITH THE CLASS OF 2021 Play a round of this longtime favorite game with Oak Knoll's graduating class

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FROM TESTING TO VACCINATION Oak Knoll alums play their part to move the needle on a return to post-pandemic normalcy

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FROM THE ARCHIVES A history of Oak Knoll’s technology as shown in photos

REVIEW is published twice per year by the Marketing & Communications Department for alumnae/i, parents and friends of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child.

Head of School Jennifer G. Landis EDITOR Meghan Hodgin Director of Marketing & Communications

ASSOCIATE EDITOR James McEvoy Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications ASSISTANT EDITOR Laura Perillo Marketing Content Strategist EDITORIAL STAFF Cynthia Prewitt Director of Institutional Advancement

Elizabeth O’Mara ’86 Associate Director of Institutional Advancement Barbara Lindner Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Branscom Highpoint Pictures James McEvoy Rebecca Nowalski Gabe Rhodes

DESIGN Abbie Moore Design PRINTING Action Graphics Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child 44 Blackburn Road Summit, NJ 07901 908-522-8109 www.oakknoll.org

Message from the Head of School “You will see that Our Lord will do everything if we do our best.”

- Cornelia Connelly, founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus

Dear Oak Knoll School Community, We made it!

This past year was a whirlwind. We reopened last fall safely and stayed committed to on-campus and virtual learning during a global pandemic. We worked to maintain the health and wellbeing of all those on our campus, upheld the strong tradition of Holy Child education, and stayed true to the mission of our school. Programmatically, we set the precedent for teaching and learning, and our graduates moved forward as good, strong, capable people of God. Our whole community pulled together to make this year a success. I am so grateful to be at Oak Knoll and honored to be the Head of School.

While the pandemic is not “over,” we must continue to move forward and look ahead to our future, always striving to “meet the wants of the age.” To that end, I am pleased to share the news that we will undergo a strategic planning process throughout the upcoming school year. The new strategic plan will help shape and guide Oak Knoll for the years ahead. As we look forward to celebrating 100 years of Holy Child education in Summit in the year 2024, we have tremendous opportunity to develop an intentionally designed plan to take us into our second century and beyond. I look forward to partnering with you in this venture and will be reaching out with more information about how you can get involved with the process. It is such an exciting time for our school!

As we look ahead, we must always stop to reflect and remember our past. Please join me in reading the pages that follow that offer a heartfelt tribute to outgoing Head of School Tim Saburn following his 16 years of dedicated service to Oak Knoll, as well as celebrating all that we have achieved over the last year.

Sincerely,

Jennifer G. Landis Head of School

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

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Setting the

Precedent When Oak Knoll safely reopened its doors to on-campus learning this fall, following a complete government-mandated shutdown in the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the extraordinary safety measures implemented across the 11-acre campus were just the tip of the iceberg for the ways the school set the precedent for teaching and learning during unprecedented times.

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Setting the

Precedent

Oak Knoll Was Ready for Anything In September, families were given the option to choose their learning style (virtual or in person) in five-week session blocks. In January, the school switched to two-week learning sessions, and, finally, month-to-month in the spring.

“In order to do all that we could to ensure the safety and health of our students, families, faculty and staff, we made the decision to offer families the option of remote learning along with the option to be face-to-face and on campus,” said Head of School Timothy J. Saburn. “This allowed flexibility for those families who were concerned about their children learning on campus as well as those families who were more comfortable on campus. We knew we had to be ready for anything because we never knew if the state would force a shutdown due to rising COVID cases. We had to prepare for anything and everything.”

Classrooms were outfitted with Echo and Owl cameras to allow for live streaming and hybrid learning between remote and on-campus students. Oak Knoll’s faculty participated in various professional development opportunities to meet the needs of students who were learning on campus and remotely at the same time.

“They went full steam ahead to learn how best to adapt to the changes of our current environment and offer the best in-person, online and hybrid academic support possible,” said Jennifer Peterson, Upper School Dean of Teaching and Learning.

In the winter, Oak Knoll maintained an on-campus COVID saliva testing service for students and employees to ensure the safety and security of everyone learning on campus. Weekly testing concluded in May, 2021.

Committed to Academics When masked students and teachers returned to campus eager to learn despite the global health crisis, Oak Knoll maintained its commitment to academic innovation through new curriculum implementation with active, hands-on learning strategies that were more important now — behind plexiglass dividers — than ever before.

In its debut year, Oak Knoll’s Little Acorns Pre-K program launched its Connect4Learning Curriculum, developed through funding from the National Science Foundation.

Similarly, the new myWorld interactive social studies curriculum for grades 1-3 introduced civics, economics, geography, and history concepts. Through this program, 4

SETTING THE PRECEDENT SUMMER 2021

students develop critical thinking, problem solving, and communicating skills for engaged civic life.

Literacy skills were also boosted through a new research writing curriculum in grades 2-6 and a new blended learning science program for grades 3-6, STEMscopes NGSS 3D, an award-winning, phenomena-based program that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards.

“For most schools, pandemic learning involves weeks of remote and independent activities as educators try to keep students on track,” said Christine Spies, Lower School Division Head. “At Oak Knoll, pandemic learning involves exciting new curriculum and new opportunities for active learning and enrichment. Oak Knoll sets the precedent for learning that is exciting, enriching and that challenges our students to reach high and achieve to their fullest potential.”

Going to school in person amid a pandemic didn’t hinder the success of Oak Knoll’s Upper School students, either.

In fact, OKS implemented a brand new pilot program to train juniors and seniors to become emerging leaders for change in a globalized world. The plan is set to become the official leadership training program for the school’s Peer Leader Program.

Suzanne Powers, Math Department Chair, worked with math students this year using electronic notebooks called OneNote.

These notebooks aid students with note-taking, sharing of resources and worksheets, and in assessments.

Students enrolled in AP U.S. History at Oak Knoll deepened their understanding of American democracy by participating in 22 case studies about historical decisions from the Harvard Business School Case Project Institute. From the Constitutional Convention to Civil Rights and beyond, each of the cases explore a key decision point in the history of American democracy.

OKS students spent time in advisory this fall setting up a well-thought-out program for students to learn about civil discourse and how best to navigate the political climate in preparation for the November election.

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Setting the

Precedent

Finding Comfort and an Outlet through the Arts Both the Lower and Upper school performing arts departments partnered with Sealight Creative to reimagine traditional performances for the virtual screen. Concerts were recorded and digitally mastered to allow students the opportunity to perform for families at home.

In our art classrooms, students were given individual packets and supplies to avoid cross-contamination and ensure maximum creativity. Highlights include six Oak Knoll students winning awards in the 2021 Regional Scholastic High School Art and Writing Competition, and a sophomore winning a national poetry contest while receiving special mention in a New York City French theater festival.

Commitment to Service Despite the pandemic, which has had a significant impact on volunteer opportunities, Oak Knoll students have remained dedicated to serving those in need.

In October, Oak Knoll School continued a nearly 20-year tradition of helping their neighbors and others in need through its annual service day. This year’s Good Samaritan Service Day, organized projects safely from campus for all 530 students.

Some of the service activities included assembling care packages for people who are homeless, personal care kit items for the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless and "thinking of you" cards for a New Jersey girl undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

During Thanksgiving, Upper School students raised more than $500 for the Pierre Toussaint Food Pantry located in Newark, NJ – one of 20 MEND member food pantries within the (M)eeting (E)ssential (N)eeds With (D)ignity interfaith food pantry network in Essex County. Fourth graders enhanced the Thanksgiving donations by creating homemade cards to accompany the 500 bags of food sent to parishioners at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Three Bridges, NJ. 6

During Christmas, Oak Knoll's younger classrooms assembled Christmas dinner baskets for the students and families in need at Sacred Heart School in Jersey City while Upper School students kept busy with their annual Advent Angels program and a Christmas outreach program.

As the New Year approached and students returned to in-person learning on campus in January, students launched several HOPE Committee fundraisers that served Bridges, Summit Medical Group Foundation, Human Needs Food Pantry, PERIOD, Operation Smile, Southern Comfort Animal Rescue (SoCo Rescue), Our House, Inc., The Valerie Fund, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Harlem Grown, UNICEF, Save Pangolins and St. John's Soup Kitchen.

Oak Knoll also developed a brand-new service day opportunity on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, when families donated more than 120 bagged lunches to Bridges Outreach, a nonprofit that works to end homelessness.

A Pledge to Mental and Physical Health Throughout the pandemic and especially during the school’s remote time, the school emphasized the importance of mental health and staying active.

When classes were held in person, especially during the warmer days of early fall, many teachers even held classes outdoors.

Oak Knoll virtually celebrated a campus-wide National Mental Health week offering tips on mental well-being and offered ways in which students could still stay active during the pandemic. The athletics department also moderated a panel discussion with Oak Knoll alums and area experts about disordered eating and another about ways to be leaders in athletics and in your career during the third annual Women in Sports Leadership panel discussion.

The Lower School also rolled out a new, innovative curriculum called Character Strong in an effort to teach students how to build important character traits — like empathy, kindness, respect and gratitude — at an early age.

While students on campus were masked and physically apart, the Upper School made a commitment this past year to build community and strengthen school bonds. Through more than 40 different community building programs — including a grade 7/8 buddy program, weekly Stronger Together schoolwide breaks, faculty Spirit Week and a sunrise breakfast for seniors — Upper School students on campus remained united and formed important school and friendship connections.

SETTING THE PRECEDENT SUMMER 2021

Oak Knoll also implemented a schoolwide Lifelines Prevention, Intervention and Postvention program, which focuses on behavioral health and preemptive efforts to reduce school crisis, how to better respond to them and how to handle grief and emotions.

While Oak Knoll was committed to protecting the mental well-being of all those on campus, the school also emphasized the importance of protecting their student’s physical health.

Although the start of fall and winter sports were delayed due to COVID-19, Oak Knoll athletes were still able to participate in school sports and even earned accolades to boot.

The field hockey team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, clinched the NJSIAA Central East E Championship and several student-athletes were named to NJ.com's 2020 All-State Field Hockey First, Third and All Non-Public teams. Oak Knoll's tennis team won the NJSIAA Regional Championship, winning the title for the first time since 1999, while seven soccer players were named Union County Conference All-Stars.

The lacrosse team won the Tournament of Champions for the third time in school history and the track and field team produced an all-non-public first team accolade.

Oak Knoll School also began COVID testing of its more than 500-member campus including students, faculty and staff beginning in early January. The school maintained its weekly testing for this group program until the end of the academic school year.

“Our goal is to keep each other safe while ensuring we can continue in-person learning, which is where we want to be and what is best for our children,” said Saburn. “Ongoing testing ensures we can maintain our community’s health throughout the spring,” he said.

Leading the Charge Although the United States and New Jersey no longer remain in an ongoing state of public emergency, Oak Knoll School adapted to ever-changing COVID-19 protocols for the entirety of the 2020-21 school year – while setting the precedent along the way. Oak Knoll students came to campus – or comfortably learned from home – all while embarking on and meeting important academic milestones from pre-K through grade 12.

While in-person experiences looked a little different behind masks, in smaller groups and behind plexi-glass shields, the campus nestled in its Summit, NJ neighborhood was a beacon for other institutions of how to navigate a global pandemic.

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NEWS BITS A 2020-2021 school year in review

Jennifer Landis Assumes Role as Head of Oak Knoll School Jennifer G. Landis assumed the role of Head of School effective July 1, 2021. She became the sixth official Head in Oak Knoll School's 97-year history.

Landis, Oak Knoll’s Associate Head of School, succeeded Timothy J. Saburn, who retired after 16 years as Head of School in June.

New Social – Emotional Curriculum Focuses on Building Strong Character, One Step at a Time The Lower School’s new Character Strong curriculum unveiled last fall, reinforces many of the Holy Child School Goals, which call for compassion in every facet of life and to reinforce the importance of maintaining or showing reverence for the dignity and uniqueness of each person.

Landis served as Oak Knoll’s Upper School Division Head for six years after joining the community in 2014. She has more than 20 years of experience in education.

Community Dedicates Annual Service Day to Helping Neighbors in Need The Oak Knoll School halls were buzzing, bringing to life the phrase of their school’s founder Cornelia Connelly, “Actions, not words,” on Thursday, October 21, 2020, continuing a nearly 20-year tradition of helping others, during their annual Service Day. This year, Oak Knoll School’s Good Samaritan Service Day focused on our neighbors in need.

While Oak Knoll’s Service Day traditionally disperses students, faculty, and staff off campus and into area organizations in need, due to the pandemic the school organized projects safely on campus for all 530 students.

Melissa Nelson, Lower School Guidance Counselor, introduced one of the 10 core traits from the Character Strong curriculum – (honesty, perseverance, gratitude, cooperation, creativity, empathy, courage, kindness, respect, and responsibility) – to the students up to three times per month through various activities for each age group.

Upper School Club Raises Thousands for Local Charities During the 2020-21 academic school year, Oak Knoll School students organized four HOPE Committee (Helping Other People Everywhere) fundraisers. This school’s first HOPE week raised $ 1,173 for those in need by organizing a special day where students, faculty and staff contributed $5 to dress out of uniform, or casually.

The winter HOPE Committee fundraiser collected coats and donations for the Community FoodBank of NJ while the February’s HOPE fundraiser collected $914 for three local non-profits. The final HOPE Committee fundraiser raised $1,131 for Harlem Grown and UNICEF. Oak Knoll School also organized unique service projects around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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SETTING THE PRECEDENT SUMMER 2021

Setting the

Precedent Oak Knoll Head of School Earns NJAIS Service Award Timothy J. Saburn, retiring Head of Oak Knoll School, was one of three recipients of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools’ 2020 Service Award this year.

NJAIS is a nonprofit membership association of 87 schools located throughout New Jersey.

Saburn, the long-time treasurer, steps down from his role on the organization’s Board of Trustees at the end of the 2020-21 school year after serving many years with deep dedication and expertise.

Oak Knoll was one of only 56 schools to be recognized for achieving this result in both AP Computer Science A and Computer Science Principles courses for 2020.

Research shows that female students who take AP Computer Science are more likely to major in computer science in college compared with peers who don't.

Oak Knoll Community Participates in 27th Annual NAIS People of Color and Student Diversity Leadership Conferences

The NJAIS Service Award was established in 2014 to recognize outstanding service to the association.

Nine members of the Oak Knoll School community took part in the 2020 National Association of Independent School’s People of Color Conference – the flagship gathering for furthering NAIS' commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning and organizational development.

Oak Knoll Earns Third-Consecutive AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award

The mission of the virtual, four-day PoCC conference, from November 30 to December 4, 2020, was to provide a safe space for leadership, professional development, and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools.

For the third-consecutive year, Oak Knoll School earned the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding girls’ access to AP Computer Science.

The award acknowledged 1,119 schools for their work toward equal gender representation during the 2019-20 school year — nearly 37 percent more than the 818 schools recognized last year.

6 Oak Knoll Students Pilot National Civic Engagement Program A new program at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child kicked off this winter in the hopes of empowering future generations of female changemakers.

The Upper School History Department took part in the newly implemented national Close Up Washington DC’s Empowering Female Voices: President’s First 100 Days program. This collaborative program was offered in partnership with the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools and the Hockaday Institute for Social Impact.

With the new presidential administration’s transition to power early this year, the program offered girls from different backgrounds opportunities to take part in a fast-moving period of national conversation and action.

Its goal was to help girls develop empathy for the perspectives of others while building skills and confidence along the way.

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LEGACY of Exc E xcellence ellence

After 16 years, Head of School Tim Saburn Leaves Oak Knoll Positioned for Continued Growth

Inspired by this tradition of service, Saburn fell in line and entered the U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class as a college student at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York.

As a young boy growing up in the suburban community of Darien, Connecticut, Timothy J. Saburn dreamed about flying jets and playing baseball.

However, fate had other career plans for the boy who dreamed about flying jets and playing baseball.

The best path to flying jets? Through military service.

Military service spanned generations in Saburn’s family.

His father and uncle were the first of their generation to go to college thanks to the GI Bill, which then paid for returning WWII veterans to continue their education.

Saburn’s father and uncle were combat veterans. His aunt, their sister, also served in WWII. His father served in both the European and Pacific theatres and served in General Patton’s Third Army in Europe. The brothers even swapped war stories while journeying home on the same troop ship at the end of the war. Saburn’s grandfathers also served in the military with his maternal grandfather entering the Army as a Private and returning home as a General.

During Bootcamp, Saburn’s old high school football shoulder injury resurfaced, forcing another surgery and an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps.

Saburn would embark on a new career path in education – one that he was always meant to walk down – but just didn’t know it yet.

Saburn’s career in education has now spanned more than three decades – 23 of those years spent as Head of School at Saddle River Day School in Saddle River, NJ (seven) and the past 16 years as Head of School for Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit, NJ. In June, Saburn retired from his position as Head of Oak Knoll School.

“I know I’m never going to find a school and a community like this again,” said Saburn. “I’ve worked in four schools throughout my career, and all have been great, but this position here at Oak Knoll has been an extraordinary opportunity and a great blessing in my life. There is something unique and special about Oak Knoll.”

Carving his path After speaking on a panel about student life as a college junior at St. Lawrence University, an audience member who worked on Wall Street offered Saburn a summer internship with Prudential Bache Securities in New York City.

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SETTING THE PRECEDENT SUMMER 2021

16 YEARS. INFINITE IMPACT. 2

DIPLOMAS AWARDED

976 565

MISSION EFFECTIVENESS COMMITTEE REPORTS

3

UPPER SCHOOL

2

NUMBER OF STRATEGIC PLANS

LOWER SCHOOL

PROPERTIES ADDED TO CAMPUS

$17,329,429

160

FUND FOR OAK KNOLL DOLLARS RAISED

LETTERS WRITTEN FOR ON THE KNOLL

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OVERSEAS TRIPS AND EXCHANGES

$13,095,640 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN DOLLARS RAISED

3

NEW VARSITY SPORTS

ENDOWMENT

$12.9 MILLION

$1,521,623

TOTAL AMOUNT OF FOUNDATION GRANTS

$1.24 MILLION TOTAL EARMARKED FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

4,800

CHRISTMAS CARDS SIGNED

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MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION AND NEW JERSEY ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS’ ACCREDITATIONS

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My Lessons Learned from 37 Years in Education

By Timothy J. Saburn

1. Y ou cannot “kid a kid.” They spot a phony adult a mile away and will take advantage of that.

2. I f given the opportunity and support, nearly all children can learn even the most difficult concepts.

3. N ever give up on a student. They will surprise you at the oddest moments.

4. S tudents are far more resilient and flexible than adults in a school setting.

5. T reat every student with respect, and never make assumptions about a child.

6. T reat each student fairly — as they deserve that — and they have a keen awareness when one plays favorites.

7. D o not be afraid to set high standards and help guide the students to reach that standard (that’s a lesson from coaching ski jumping that applies to the classroom and to a Head of School, too.)

8. D o not be afraid of failing. Get up and try again.

9. Informed experience is the best teacher.

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10. S ometimes the best teacher was not the "A" student in school — oftentimes, in fact.

11. N ever play gotcha with students in the classroom; it is unjust, and you will, eventually, lose the students’ trust.

12. S eize every opportunity to learn and to move out of your comfort zone — as an adult, as a teacher and with your students. They watch you and learn from you as a teacher. You are an exemplar to those young people.

13. W ealth and possessions have no connection to whether a student is “at risk” or not.

Do not assume.

14. W hat works with one class at 9 a.m. may fail miserably with another at 1 p.m. Be prepared and expand your repertoire so you match the moment and the class tone at that point in time.

15. I n schools, problem No. 12 does not have a solution No. 6. In schools, problem No. 12 requires some of solution No. 2, No. 6, No. 15 and, maybe, a dash of No. 18.

16. S chools can be messy places to lead. Recognize that, adjust to that and be grateful for that.

If a classroom or a school day were totally predictable, there would be no room for growth.

17. Y ou can gain insights and learn valuable lessons from the students in your classroom if you are open to them.

18. B e happy that as a teacher you can close one chapter or unit and start another through the year and throughout a career. That is a blessing, and it is a salvation.

19. Schools that say they have a holistic philosophy of education and do not include education of the spirit are far from “whole.”

20. T he most important lesson that I learned working in a Holy Child school is that all of the above can be captured in Cornelia’s guidance to find God in each person in the school — student, parent, teacher, administrator, trustee, alumnae/i. It is not always easy, but that is what we are called to do and that is when God is most fervently speaking to us.

SETTING THE PRECEDENT SUMMER 2021

Saburn experienced the corporate world that summer and was offered a full-time job upon graduation the following spring.

Saburn spent a semester living abroad his senior year. In Copenhagen, he lived with a family with whom he is still close today and who have subsequently welcomed many Oak Knoll graduates when they study abroad in Copenhagen.

The mother of Saburn's host family was a teacher and during his time abroad, Saburn became friendly with many other people who worked in education.

It wasn’t until a solo backpacking trip around Europe with plenty of time to contemplate his future – traveling from Copenhagen to Vienna by train, then on a ship from France to Ireland – that Saburn realized education had opened many doors for him and his family to new and exciting opportunities, and he wanted to give back.

“My father was the first generation to go to college on the GI Bill, so did my uncle, and my mother never went to college,” he said. “I also had several people in my life who suggested I should go into teaching. At that point, it just clicked.”

Full steam ahead After graduating from St. Lawrence, Saburn landed his first teaching job at Vermont Academy, a boarding school, in the mid-1980s, where he lived in the dorm while teaching English and History.

Saburn spent six years at Vermont Academy where he also coached football, baseball and ski jumping. He eventually moved into the Dean of Students position. Shortly thereafter, Headmaster Bob Long, one of Saburn’s mentors and colleagues, suggested he explore a master’s in education to onboard for future Head of School positions.

Saburn left Vermont Academy and then earned his master’s in education from Harvard University in 1991, two weeks before marrying his wife Patricia “Tish” Hartmann.

“Life is all about mentoring,” said Saburn. “Every time I think about my early career, it’s all about who my mentors were.

This was true throughout my entire life but especially in high school, college and in the beginning of my career.”

Setting the Precedent at Oak Knoll In 1991, Saburn joined Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, NJ, where he became the Director of College Counseling and Upper School Head. Saburn stayed at Montclair Kimberley Academy for seven years.

In 1998, Saburn became Headmaster at Saddle River Day School in Saddle River, NJ, before becoming Oak Knoll School’s first male Head of School in 2005.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

True/False Quiz 1. Tim was born and raised in Rhode Island.

2. Tim served in the Marine Corps.

3. Tim’s favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees.

4. Tim once drove a school bus and dented the roof on a garage pipe.

5. Tim is a triathlete.

6. Tim once worked as a sous chef at a restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen.

7. Tim once tried out for the Cincinnati Reds.

8. Tim has been skydiving.

9. Tim participates in New Year’s Day Polar Plunges every year.

10 . Tim served as Lower School Division Head at Oak Knoll for one year.

Answers: 1. FALSE - He was born and raised in Darien, CT; 2. TRUE; 3. FALSE - Tim is a diehard Baltimore Orioles fan; 4. TRUE; 5. TRUE; 6. FALSE - While Tim is known for his culinary expertise and Hollandaise sauce, he focuses on other talents.; 7. TRUE; 8. TRUE; 9. TRUE; 10. FALSE - he served as OKS Upper School Division Head for one year.

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It was the Catholic culture and the kind of students who attend Oak Knoll which led him to the campus nestled in the quiet, Summit neighborhood in Union County. “There was and still is just a quiet confidence and kindness about Oak Knoll students that is extraordinary,” Saburn said. “There is a communal experience based in faith here that is palpable.”

Saburn — who coached Lower School baseball, served as Upper School Division Head for one year, has taught the Great Books English class and inspired the Upper School triathlon club all while maintaining his duties as Head of School — has seen many changes throughout the his tenure.

Perhaps most noteworthy includes overseeing a $13 million Capital Campaign — the most successful in the school’s history. Also, for his entire tenure, the Fund for Oak Knoll hit or exceeded the annual million-dollar goal. Under Saburn’s tenure, Oak Knoll developed three strategic plans, completed two Mission Effectiveness Committee (MEC) self-studies and visits, and earned and maintained accreditations through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) and the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS).

Under Saburn’s leadership, the school renovated the science labs and arts spaces in both the Lower and Upper schools, created the tiered Choral Music Room and new spaces, implemented and staffed an expanded college counseling program and established a pre-K4 program – Little Acorns – in the fall of 2020.

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“At Oak Knoll, we are big on delivering what we say we are going to do, inspired by the words of our founder Cornelia Connolly – ‘Actions, not words,’” he said. “ I also believe my parents' influence, and having been an athlete, enabled me to make aggressive decisions so that projects were developed and completed, and the message of our school was more clearly defined and realized.”

Saburn’s decisions led to several accolades in his field. He was awarded two Klingenstein fellowships. One in 1985 for beginning teachers in the United States and the other in 2017 for Heads of Schools, which are granted to just 20 Heads of School each year.

More recently, Saburn was one of three recipients of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools’ 2020 Service Award. NJAIS is a nonprofit membership association of 87 schools located throughout New Jersey. Saburn served as the long-time treasurer on the NJAIS’s Board of Trustees.

For Saburn, all of the accomplishments and accolades were always secondary to putting students first.

When asked what his most proud accomplishment was while at Oak Knoll, Saburn doesn’t hesitate for a moment.

Saburn expanded his administrative team to hear more voices from campus, better positioned Oak Knoll through the admissions process with an early decision for Catholic students, implemented the school’s first-ever diversity statement and created the diversity coordinator position.

“I was able to find, identify and hire a potential successor and have been fortunate to mentor this person so that I’m leaving the school in better hands when I’m gone,” said Saburn, referring to Associate Head of School Jennifer G. Landis, who served as Oak Knoll’s Upper School Division Head for six years.

He developed an academic department curricular review process, formalized the evaluation and observation process and oversaw the initial mapping of the school’s academic curriculum.

Saburn admits he’s been fortunate to have only worked with three Board chairs while he was Head of School at both Saddle River Day and OKS during the last 23 years – Larry Salameno, Bill Mumma and Jeff Schroeder.

SETTING THE PRECEDENT SUMMER 2021

“As a Head of School, the relationship you have with your Board Chair is essential and I’ve been blessed to have worked with these three who were really smart, creative and dedicated and who consistently offered me their global, Fortune 500 business perspectives and were all devout Catholics.” said Saburn.

Challenging last year While Saburn enjoyed many accomplishments during his time at Oak Knoll, he admits this last year has been his most challenging to date.

The loss of cherished loved ones in 2020 rocked the small, tight-knit community – at the very same time a global pandemic was picking up speed. The George Floyd national protests also expanded the conversation among the administration and campus about how best to implement actionable change to fulfill the goal and mission of valuing each individual and being inclusive to all members of our community.

Saburn equates how Oak Knoll battled the COVID-19 pandemic to that of a military operation. It required multiple action plans, constant readjustments and refinements based upon facts on the ground, and the flexibility to change direction on short notice.

“No one could have prepared for what we have seen this last year,” said Saburn. “At Oak Knoll, we quickly mobilized to get things done and made every effort to keep our students, faculty and staff safe and get them back to in-person learning on day one of the 2020-21 calendar. It was and is a remarkable achievement.”

In the summer of 2020, Oak Knoll rallied nearly overnight to implement numerous safety measures backed by more than $1 million. Saburn’s vision and commitment to in-person learning enabled the school to open for full day

in-person instruction on September 9, 2020, when many schools were forced to remain closed for virtual learning.

“When you’re a Head of School, every decision falls onto your plate,” said Saburn. “You’re constantly worrying that you are making every decision correctly, and that's impossible.

You cannot afford to make a bad decision. People expect 100 percent correctness. This, at times, can be difficult and isolating.”

Saburn credits the entire Oak Knoll campus for stepping up to the plate to help battle all the challenges that 2020 introduced.

“We were blessed to have the resources we did and everyone – trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, students and parents – have been able to have a successful year despite the pandemic because we have a shared community commitment to excellence,” he said.

Saburn attributes his work ethic to his upbringing and to some of his early summer high schools jobs working with hardworking people.

“I wasn’t afraid to work, and it was here, working with people who were looking for a better life, that I learned what hard work is, how to get things done but more importantly, how to treat all people with respect in the process,” he said.

The next chapter Saburn and his wife Tish (they have three adult children) are planning the next chapter of retirement and will move north to Rhode Island this summer.

There, he is hoping to write a book about his father’s military journey while possibly consulting for schools.

Today, he is proud of the changes he inspired throughout his journey and that Oak Knoll is a highly regarded and

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

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respected independent school in the area, dedicated to educating the next dynamic generation of global changemakers with a strong commitment to faith and service.

Saburn is thankful for the path that led him to Oak Knoll and everything – even the challenges – he experienced along the way.

While Saburn is looking forward to spending more time near the water and outdoors in New England, he said it’s the students he will miss the most.

“Our students are all going to make a difference in whatever they choose to do,” said Saburn. “They’re smart, have a sense of extraordinary purpose and service, and I can’t wait to see what they all do in the years to come. This has been the greatest blessing of my career.”

Tim is a firm believer in the life-changing power of experiential and service-based learning. Money raised for this fund will support opportunities outside the classroom, such as student exchanges, retreats, and a broad range of service projects. Per Tim’s wishes, there will be a special focus on students receiving financial aid.

Scan the code on the left with your phone to support student experiences outside the classroom.

Quotes from the Community “Through the years, Tim Saburn has guided our school and supported Holy Child educational philosophy with great vision, fidelity, and care. He is an administrator par excellence and one of the finest human beings I have ever known.”

- Will Cardell, Upper School Creative Arts Director “As a senior during his inaugural year with Oak Knoll, I will never forget Mr. Saburn’s willingness to learn about our community, to find a way to relate, and to offer his friendship.

He quickly developed a passion for making Oak Knoll succeed.

I graduated from Oak Knoll that year knowing that Mr. Saburn would always be in our corner - whether we were students or alumnae/i. Thank you for all you have done for Oak Knoll!”

- Alexandra Hellmuth ’06 “Tim, you led the charge in ‘meeting the wants of the age’ throughout your time at Oak Knoll. Staff, students, families, alums and the Holy Child Order truly benefited from your commitment to act on everyone’s behalf.”

- Jerry Butler, Former OKS Athletic Director

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“Tim’s leadership of Oak Knoll epitomized 'meeting the wants of the age.' He oversaw renovation and beautification of the physical plant and grounds; he encouraged 'lifelong learning' with increased grants to the faculty to meet the changing curricular needs of students; he worked tirelessly with all constituents to establish a culture focused primarily on students; he helped increase dedication to inclusion, equity and justice; he led with passion, spirituality, and humor; he embraced and continued Cornelia Connelly’s legacy of education; he listened and learned. I considered Tim a true friend with whom I could discuss anything - a blessing for sure. Thank you, Tim.” - Joan Paster, Former Upper School Dean “I learned so much from Tim when I was head of the LowerSchool. I admired and respected Tim’s approach to problem solving and decision making. Tim would ask, ‘What is best for the students?’ So simple. Problem solved; decision made.”

- Joanne Ainsworth, Former Head of the Lower School

SETTING THE PRECEDENT SUMMER 2021

STAYING ON TRACK How the Lower School program remained resilient and successful during the pandemic

By Megan Watkins, Assistant Lower School Division Head Since arriving back on campus full-time in September 2020, our Lower School program has remained engaging, strong, and successful. We credit the on-track growth of our students to our robust remote learning endeavor last spring as well as our rich in-person instruction throughout this school year, both of which have provided continuity of instruction and growth.

Our strong foundation in our program, our mission, and our community has served as the base for our continued success and allowed us to be “ready for anything.” At Oak Knoll, we have consistently remained committed to educating the whole child. As we ventured into the unknown in many ways this past year, our approach was not that of “checking the boxes” in terms of academics. We are not simply teaching curriculum; we are teaching students, and we kept our focus on exactly that. How would we continue to support the development of our students in mind, body, and spirit? What new and creative approaches would maintain and advance our already strong program? How could we, in the words of our founder, Cornelia Connelly, continue to “meet the wants of the age” when the learning environment would need to function differently?

DEDICATED FACULTY The faculty’s deep commitment to its own continuing professional development and willingness to regularly try new methods has been an incredible asset to us this year in particular. Having a team in place who had already invested a great deal of time and energy into their own development in regards to technology integration positioned us to be able to transition quite seamlessly into a remote learning model last spring. We catapulted from an already high level of competency for our teachers and our students, who each already had their own technology devices and Google log-ins in place. Additionally, as teachers looked toward returning to the classroom, it was clear that the environment would look different. A dedicated group of lifelong learners, our teachers collaborated with each other and sought out countless classes and workshops, with support from the school, throughout the summer and fall to equip themselves with the tools needed to provide an exceptional learning experience in our socially distanced environment.

REIMAGINING OUR PROGRAM Offering an intellectually challenging and creative program that fosters a love of learning is a hallmark of our Oak Knoll program and the Holy Child mission and philosophy. This has remained a focus for us, and thus the commitment of our faculty to providing engaging learning experiences throughout the past year has been incredible. We were able to examine

our existing programs through a new lens and then to pivot in meaningful ways. Watching some of our youngest students attend virtual field trips with the Great Swamp has been an exciting way to bring learning to life in our primary classrooms. Our primary classrooms have hosted butterfly gardens and ladybug houses in their classrooms for the first time this spring, and our students have marveled at the life cycle. Some of our older students have experienced virtual reality trips through Google Expeditions, adventuring to places tied to their class novels or social studies lessons. Our teachers’ dedication to providing meaningful learning activities coupled with their commitment to the ongoing and formative assessment of their students has allowed us to continue to nurture our students’ growth in every way possible.

Time and time again, when discussions arise about what makes Oak Knoll special, the word “community” quickly becomes central to the discussion. This community has always risen to meet any challenges presented and has done so together in faith. The school’s supportive and faith-filled community was as critical as ever to our success this year.

Building on already strong relationships allowed us to move forward together in a spirit of trust and collaboration as we continued to partner with parents. Keeping God central in our lives and coming together both in-person or virtually to pray regularly has continued to remain our priority and source of strength. While walking through our primary hallway, one might notice the quotation from our founder, Cornelia Connelly, displayed on the wall that reads, “Sustain a bright and joyful spirit.” Our school has always been a place where children could be spotted skipping through the halls at any given time, and during these uncertain and scary times, Oak Knoll has remained a “home away from home” and a most joyful community. Our students have demonstrated tremendous growth this year, not missing a beat with academics and the arts, but also growing with their friends and faith, and we are proud of and grateful for this year together.

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ACADEMICALLY SPEAKING, OF COURSE Oak Knoll School launches new podcast Episode 2: Understanding Re-Entry Anxiety in Children

As schools prepared to reopen in the fall, Oak Knoll knew it needed to prioritize communicating with families in new ways - and where they were most reachable - at home.

Oak Knoll launched its new podcast, “Academically Speaking,” in the summer of 2020 ahead of the fall in-person reopening.

The initial goal was to feature Oak Knoll administrators discussing the many ways the school planned to reopen safely for students and staff.

00:26:32 We sit down with Oak Knoll's new Lower School Guidance Counselor Melissa Nelson on re-entry anxiety in children as they return to campus this fall under COVID-19 restrictions.

Episode 3: Navigating Athletics During a Pandemic 00:13:55

With almost a dozen episodes complete to date, “Academically Speaking” now offers valuable and up-to-date content where Oak Knoll community members discuss relevant and top-of-mind news.

Scan the QR code next to each episode to listen now!

Episode 1: Fall 2020 Reopening Plan

SCAN ME

SCAN ME We are joined by Oak Knoll Athletic Director Dr. Kelly Childs as she discusses navigating athletics during a pandemic and prepares for athletes to return to campus this fall.

Episode 4:

00:31:58

Reimagining Admissions in 2020 00:13:08

SCAN ME SCAN ME Oak Knoll School administrators sit down to answer parent-submitted questions regarding the school's fall 2020 reopening plan.

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During this special BONUS EPISODE of the Academically Speaking podcast, we talk with Kelly Dun, Oak Knoll's new Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, about how the admissions team is bringing the campus to life for prospective families from a distance and how the admissions processhas changed since the COVID-19 pandemic,

OKS SUMMER 2021

Episode 5:

Episode 8:

Meet the Upper School Division Head

Student Perspective with Lizzie Athaide '21

00:12:24

SCAN ME Upper School Division Head Kathryn McGroarty joined Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we sit down with McGroarty as she discusses the benefits of the all-girls' Upper School environment and the pandemic's impact on teaching, academics and the future of education.

Episode 6: Prioritizing Service During a Pandemic 00:10:22

SCAN ME Community service is at the heart of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child's mission. In Episode 6, we sit down with Michele Van Kalsbeck, Upper School Theology teacher and Campus Ministry member, as she describes the changing ways Oak Knoll continues to prioritize service during the pandemic.

Episode 7: Demystifying the Financial Aid Process 00:08:02 We talk with Kelly Dun, Oak Knoll's Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, to discuss the process of applying for financial aid, misconceptions about the process and how to get started. Learn more about the financial aid process at Oak Knoll.

SCAN ME

00:11:13 Oak Knoll senior Lizzie Athaide '21 talks about remote and in-person learning during COVID-19, her plans post-graduation and how she has navigated leading the school as student body president during these uncertain times.

SCAN ME

Episode 9: Parenting During the Pandemic Part I 00:18:17 This special four-part parenting podcast will cover all your burning questions about how to best protect and support your child’s mental health, their social life and development, and the ins-and outs of virtual learning during the pandemic. Part I features Melissa Nelson, Oak Knoll's Lower School Guidance Counselor, who talks about the pandemic's impact on the mental health of our youngest learners and how parents can support their child during this time.

SCAN ME

Episode 10: Addressing Children's Social and Emotional Needs During COVID-19 00:19:56 In Part II of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child's "Parenting During the Pandemic" series, Dr. Jennifer Butler-Sweeney, Upper School psychologist, discusses tactics parents can use to address the social and emotional impact of COVID-19 on middle and high school students.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

SCAN ME

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1. Why is Oak Knoll a special place? demic endeavors and provides Oak Knoll supports each student’s aca s beyond the classroom. opportunities to pursue your passion EM MA GA MB OA

3. What grade did you first come to Oak Knoll School and what is your first memory?

Seventh grade; we drew what we thought Heaven looked like in Mrs. Sicari's religion class.

2. What will you miss the most about Oak Knoll?

The people!

MAEV E CLOW

4. Where is your favorite spot on campus?

The senior center, the writing center, and the tables outside!

CAT IE SHA RP

KAT HER INE WH ELA N

out like most ab u o y id d t a ear?

5. Wh mpus this y being on ca ide this e spent outs w e m ti a tr ted x The e lly apprecia a re I e k li lt this year. year-- I fe r campus is u o l fu ti u a e how b N IC H C H R IS T IN

E SE

7. What was your favorite Oak Knoll club?

Glee Club!

LILY RAM SEY

6. What was y our fa class at Oak K vorite noll?

I've loved so m any of my classes at O ak Knoll, but if I had to pick just one, it would proba bly be Ms. Mangold's freshman English class!

She is so passionate abou t what she teaches, and I learned so mu ch in such creative and engaging ways !

K A S E Y LE W IS

21 QUESTIONS 8. Name one way a teacher made learning fun?

Mr. Oxford had us recreate scenes from Shakespeare in a video in 10th grade. I had so much fun with that project because there was a lot of freedom when it came to being creative and just having fun with it while learning about & understanding Shakespeare.

NIC KI MA CM AST ER

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9. What are two of the most important skills that you learned at Oak Knoll that you plan on using in college and beyond?

1. It is OK to love to learn 2. Authentic community and relationships shape who you are.

AVA LON GA RZO

with

10. What will you remember most about Oak Knoll?

Definitely my classmates!

They made coming to school so enjoyable, and I will always treasure the bond I made with everyone.

HA NN AH BO LST ER

OKS SUMMER 2021

11. Name one

pandemic silv er lining.

I realized how much the peop le I see every day in school m eant to me! I m issed talking to the girls in m y grade, and co ming back to school show ed me how mu ch I value all of my frien dships here.

12. What advice would you offer to next year’s graduating class?

Don't get so wrapped up in the college process to the point where you forget to actually enjoy senior year. You will all get your apps in on time and get into a college you like, so don't spend your last days here wishing time away.

M O LLY M C C ANN

13. What are you looking forward to most in college?

Meeting new people from all around the world!

KALEI GH WRIGH T

r?

14. What are you doing this summe at Six Flags!

I will be working as a ride operator LIZ ZIE ATH AID E

BRYAN A SLOUG H

15. What are you most thankful for about Oak Knoll?

I'm definitely most thankful for the ll -- both relationships I've made at Oak Kno chers and in the Lower and Upper Schools, tea make our friends alike! The people are what those school so special, and I'm grateful for bonds I was able to build!

JOD IE DE JES US

16. What was your funn iest moment?

My funniest moment at OKS was during my junior ye ar when the ice cream at lu nch ran out, but then they brought out chipwiches and everyone stormed the fre ezer and hoarded them.

AN NI KA SP OO R

the

CLASS OF 20 2021 21

17. What do y o to be rememb u want ered for?

I want to be re membered for my positivi ty and friendliness.

18. What is your favorite quote? overuse "Be a best friend, tell the truth, and don't outI love you. Go to work, do your best, your prayin' smart your common sense. Never let -Lee Brice knees get lazy and love like crazy."

LE T IC IA S E F IA

20. What is your favorite song?

Fine China by JuiceWrld HEATH ER O'HER N

JOS EPH INE PAS CA LE

21. What was your favorite remote activity?

Definitely the forensics coffeehouse!

MARIA H TRAYN OR

19. What is your favorite season at Oak Knoll?

Oak Knoll Christmas is my favorite because of how cheerful everyone is and how many activities we have in the Upper School.

JAC QU ELI NE SCH RO EDE R 21

FULL CIRCLE:

from Testing to Vaccination

Oak Knoll Alums Play their Part to Move the Needle on a Return to Post-Pandemic Normalcy From gearing up the IT hardware needed to perform COVID-19 testing to helping strangers and Oak Knoll community members book a coveted vaccine appointment, Oak Knoll alumnae/i have set the precedent this past year and have been doing their part to fight the virus around us.

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ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2021

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

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THE TECH BEHIND THE TESTING Jennifer Noble ’82

IT Program Project Manager CVS Health Since the beginning of May, Jennifer has been the IT Program Project Manager for the COVID Task Force for Retail Operations, Business to Business (stores, corporations and universities), and cruise line testing at CVS Health. She works to ensure proper IT hardware configuration, Epic Security, and quick delivery to enable COVID-19 testing to be available through CVS Health’s 2,400 Swab and Send sites across the country and CVS’s 1,000 Point of Care programs. She is also engaged in working with Clinical Trials for many drug companies, all from an IT perspective.

“I’m a small fish in a big giant task force pool.

It has been rewarding because I feel my work is making a difference and that I am doing my part.

In a small way, I’m also helping the greater good.

I could not have done this without the help of all of my coworkers, contractors and healthcare workers.”

- Jennifer Noble ’82

TRIALS & REGULATION Rachel Ford ’09

Research Associate at The New Jersey Medical School Clinical Research Center at Rutgers University As the COVID-19 vaccine trials unfolded, clinical research sites across the country – including the New Jersey Medical School Clinical Research Center at Rutgers University – were tasked with following participants who volunteered for the trials. Rutgers has been following Moderna vaccine trial recipients since September 2020. In her role, Ford reviews Moderna’s protocol sent to her department and ensures that documents are submitted to the University, institutional review, or ethics boards when necessary. Each day, Ford ensures that the Moderna vaccine trial documents, including consent forms, are up-to-date and that the patient’s rights are protected. Ford and colleagues follow all regulatory processes handed down from the Food and Drug Administration. Her department plans to follow the Moderna trial vaccine recipients for two years.

“I’m really passionate about public health, but what I do is very minor in the grand scheme of things. I’m excited to be involved on any level to make a difference because we all want things to turn around.”

- Rachel Ford ’09

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ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2021

DISTRIBUTION

VACCINATION

Ali Good ’95 and Laura Sumas Barry ’03

Samantha Werres Melworm ’98

The State of New Jersey selected 15 of Village Supermarkets’ ShopRite pharmacies to administer both the Moderna and Jannsen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines throughout all of New Jersey. The Sumas family owns and operates 37 supermarkets including ShopRite, Fairway and Gourmet Garage across four states. As of April 1, 2021, Village ShopRites have administered 22,000 vaccines in New Jersey alone. Village supermarkets continue to receive vaccinations weekly from the state.

To make an appointment you can call (908) 527-3600 or check online at Vaccines.shoprite.com.

Samantha Werres Melworm ’98, a fourth grade teacher in Scotch Plains-Fanwood, has been selflessly stepping up to the plate to help colleagues, friends and her fellow Oak Knoll community members book what is arguably the most coveted appointment of the decade.

Village Supermarkets and Team Vaccine at ShopRite

“As a family we are so honored and proud to be able to provide the vaccine to those that are eligible and in need.

Our team has done a phenomenal job transforming our pharmacies into safe and efficient vaccination clinics. It’s been yet another example of how our associates continue to pivot and change how we normally do things to meet the needs of our communities. I am extremely proud to be an essential part of helping and servicing our customers, communities and associates in fighting this pandemic.”

- Ali Sumas Good ’95

Fourth grade teacher in Scotch Plains Fanwood, NJ

To date, Melworm has booked approximately 70 vaccine appointments for family, friends, colleagues, and strangers. While scrolling the NJ Covid Vaccine Information Facebook site one day, she noticed members of the Oak Knoll community posting asking for help to book their appointments. So far she has booked several appointments for the OKS community.

Melworm isn’t the only member of the Oak Knoll community helping others to scour the Internet for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. Scan the QR code to read more.

“While quarantined in our homes this past year, I didn’t feel like I could contribute to giving back but booking COVID-19 appointments was my way to serve the community and to hopefully help all of us to get back to some way of a more comfortable normal moving forward.”

- Samantha Werres Melworm ’98

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

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Helping Farmers

Grow Out of Hunger One Acre Fund in Zambia is ‘Dream Come True’ for Audrey Atencio ’10 THERE ISN’T A TYPICAL WORKDAY FOR AUDREY ATENCIO ’10, SYSTEMS LEAD OF ONE ACRE FUND’S ZAMBIA PROGRAM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, ALTHOUGH MUCH OF HER JOB IS TIED TO ZAMBIA’S RAINY SEASON. The rains grow the crops that ultimately serve the more than 14,500 Zambian farmers who work with One Acre Fund — a nonprofit social enterprise that supplies financing and training to help farmers grow their way out of hunger and build lasting pathways to prosperity.

For the past five years, Atencio has led the logistics, procurement, and business operations (internal finance and data) departments at One Acre Fund in Zambia – a job she first aspired to landing during her sophomore year at Georgetown University.

Since college, Atencio has traveled the globe. She worked on the Field Operations team at One Acre Fund in Rwanda prior to landing in the company’s Zambia office. Before 26

that, she was a Princeton in Africa fellow placed with the United Nations World Food Program in Kampala, Uganda. “Working here with One Acre Fund for now more than 5 years has literally been my dream come true,” said Atencio. “We’re not just a traditional charity, we are a social enterprise.”

One Acre Fund helps those who have been historically underserved, and Atencio and her Zambian team are setting the precedent to solve complex problems daily.

Atencio leads most of One Acre Fund’s technological innovations and integrations, such as providing staff in the field tablets or allowing farmer clients to pay using “mobile money” on their phones.

“More than half of the world’s poor engage in farming as their main source of income,” Atencio said. “If you can make farming more productive and profitable, you can have a tremendous impact on global poverty and hunger. We are helping farmers literally grow their way out of poverty.”

By providing farmers with a set of services and products that they want, Atencio and her team know it will

ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2021

ultimately help them build their own financial futures for their family. “Even if I’m just filling out a spreadsheet, I’m able to connect the work that I’m doing to something bigger, and this keeps me very invested in my work,” Atencio said.

While the Zambian rainy season determines when the farmers need to plant and harvest, Atencio’s team projects are steady year round. They include taking client orders, collecting loan repayments, or delivering ordered inputs including fertilizer and hybrid maize and soya seed to the farmers out in their fields across Central Province.

As with any job, Atencio’s work isn’t without its pitfalls.

When Atencio’s team realized COVID-19 was spreading in early March 2020, they quickly rallied to switch their field operations from working almost entirely with paper – paper order forms, paper reports on client loan repayment progress and collecting repayments in the form of cash – to using tablets.

“Most of our field staff had never even used a tablet or smartphone before and internet connectivity in our remote field sites was spotty at best, so this was no small feat!” said Atencio.

Atencio also traveled from Zambia back to the United States before borders began to close and flight paths back to the U.S. shut down.

countries, but she and her teams continue to navigate these and other challenges.

“There’s always something that goes wrong, unexpectedly,” said Atencio, including the country’s mobile network shutting off for a day, a delivery truck falling off a cliff or the heavy Zambian rains washing out a bridge needed for supply delivery.

“It’s impossible to predict everything that can go wrong. But it’s important to build systems and teams that are sufficiently flexible to figure out what’s going wrong; find, test, and roll out a few solutions quickly, and keep moving forward no matter what,” she said.

Unexpected pitfalls don’t derail Atencio – in fact – she thrives on them.

“One crucial skill that keeps me on task is time-management, and I learned this while at Oak Knoll,” said Atencio. “This has been extremely relevant in my current role, in which I balance many simultaneous activities for my teams and keep everything moving forward. We find ways to deliver products and services to clients in some truly challenging conditions sometimes, and I love that.”

While the silver lining for Atencio was spending time at her parent’s home in Vermont at the height of the pandemic, she was anxious to get back to in-person work. In September, she journeyed back to Zambia.

Currently gearing up for Zambia’s cool and dry season from May to August, Atencio contemplates her future. One thing she knows for sure is that her profession will always involve solving complex challenges to benefit people. “Mission-driven organizations need a wide range of skill sets and types of people – literally any type of professional has a potential role in international development,” she said.

“I needed to be back in the country to support work during our biggest time of the year for the logistics team, when we deliver over 6 million kilograms of agricultural inputs to our farmer clients’ homes,” said Atencio.

“As an employee at OAF, you really do feel that deep sense of connection to our mission and to our farmer clients and each day I’m able to connect what I do for a living to something bigger,” said Atencio.

Since she has been back in Zambia, Atencio said the pandemic is still impacting normal trade operations in many African

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

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HISTORY IN THE MAKING: DOCUMENTING COVID-19 Sophie Goggins ’09 educates the next generation of scientists toward prevention and treatment of diseases also drafts and writes research papers for these collections or for various conferences.

National Museums Scotland also has full exhibition programming, like the recent Parasites, which features research collected from and available in Scotland to fight parasitic diseases like malaria, sleeping sickness and guinea worm disease.

“Biomedicine encompasses medical and veterinary science, and research in this area works to prevent and treat diseases,” said Goggins, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Goggins first began working as Assistant Curator at National Museums Scotland in 2014, before becoming Curator and then Senior Curator. Before joining the museum, she was in the graduate program at the biomedical research charity Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s top five charitable foundations.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and National Museums Scotland closed, Goggins was still busy at work – albeit virtually – capturing the national experience of the pandemic.

“I have worked to forge new relationships with doctors, national teams and research institutions to collect everything from vaccine vials to signs about COVID-19 social distancing,” said Goggins, who has set the precedent for collecting and cataloging the pandemic national experience in Scotland.

Sophie Goggins ’09 has collected research about the world’s first bionic arm, Dolly the Sheep – the world’s first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell – and, most recently, about Scotland’s national experience of COVID-19.

As Senior Curator of Biomedical Science, Goggins goes to work each day where she combines two of her childhood passions – animals and science – into creating dynamic museum exhibitions for the National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh.

More specifically, Goggins is responsible for the museum’s medical and veterinary collections and exhibits – and her specialty focuses on contemporary biomedicine, patient experience and prosthetics.

Goggins’ job involves accepting new acquisitions into a permanent museum collection or conducting research about an object in the museum’s historic collection. She

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Additional COVID-19 items Goggins helped the Museum to collect include signage from university testing centers, rainbows that decorated houses, hand sanitzer produced by whisky distilleries in Scotland that pivoted to produce hand sanitizer when there were initial shortages, and scrubs produced by the Scottish Opera from excess fabric for the UK’s National Health Service.

One of Goggins’ favorite COVID-19 acquisitions were knitted hearts that connected patients in hospitals with their families.

“Scottish scientists have been setting the precedent all along as they were the first to invent the antibiotic, anesthesia and the MRI,” she said.

Goggins continues to work with other museums across Scotland to make sure that COVID-19 is well documented for future generations and its impact throughout Scotland as a historic event.

ALUMNAE/I NEWS SUMMER 2021

Since the museum had to pivot much of its museum content to online platforms during various COVID-19 closures last year, there has been a specialized focus on giving children in schools access to the museum’s collections and research.

“I am passionate about inspiring and encouraging young people to pursue careers in science and it is one of the best parts of my job,” said Goggins, an Oak Knoll lifer who still uses what she learned in her OKS engineering classes in her career today.

Zohra Ismail, Oak Knoll’s Upper School Dean of Grades 10-12, and former History Department Chair, was one of the guiding forces throughout Goggins’ high school experience.

“Oak Knoll is a special place to go to school in part because of the family atmosphere,” said Goggins. “As a smaller institution it meant that teachers were really able to get to know you and form important relationships and encourage your interests.”

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

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CLASS NOTES Lower School

If you would like to keep your fellow

rest of the Oak Knoll community updated on your personal and professional milestones, feel free to email Cynthia Prewitt, Director of Institutional

Dr. Christie Smith ’82 has been

named to the USA Field Hockey Board of Directors. Smith, a threesport athlete at Oak Knoll and member of the Gerald P. Butler Athletic Hall of Fame, is currently the senior managing director of Accenture Strategy & Consulting.

Stay in Touch

classmates and the

’82

’11

Jack Topping ’11 recently launched

a podcast on the subject of coin collecting – a hobby spurred by a childhood Christmas gift of a American coin set from his grandfather. Jack also maintains a blog on the topic.

Upper School

’69

Mary Gilliland ’69 wrote a book of

poetry, “The Ruined Walled Castle Garden,” published by Bright Hill Press in August 2020. Gilliland previously wrote the poetry collection “Gathering Fire” and was a prior recipient of the Stanley Kunitz Fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

’84

Anna P. Murray ’84, founder and

CEO of emedia, enjoyed a slight detour from the world of technology consulting with her debut novel “Greedy Heart,” which was published April 7, 2020. In addition to the novel, Murray previously wrote the 2016 nonfiction book, “The Complete Software Project Manager.”

’90

Amy Burnham Mucha ’90

authored, “A Girl’s Bill of Rights,” a children’s book that was published by Beaming Books on February 2, 2021.

The book seeks to proclaim a set of rights for women and girls everywhere, including power, confidence, freedom and consent.

Advancement, at cynthia.prewitt@ oakknoll.org or by visiting www.oakknoll.org/ alumnaei.

L to R: Ava Smith (daughter of Jennifer McHale Smith ’93), Jennifer McHale Smith ’93, Christine Falcicchio ’93, Tara Deubel ’93, and Luca Boyer (son of Tara Deubel ’93).

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CLASS NOTES SUMMER 2021

’93

In the spring of 2019, members of the Class of 1993 enjoyed a mini reunion as Jennifer McHale Smith ’93, her daughter, Ava, and Christine Falcicchio ’93 traveled to Marrakech, Morocco to visit Tara Deubel ’93. There, Deubel, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida, was conducting research on women’s rights as part of the Fulbright Scholar Award she received.

’00

Caitlin West ’00 recently took on

a new role with Journey Strategic Wealth Management, a new advisory firm based in Summit that was launched in January 2021. There, West is serving as the Director of Investment Operations.

’03

Lindsay Belfatto Tabani ’03 and her husband, Marcus, welcomed a son, Rocco Arden Tabani, into the world on June 19, 2020. Rocco weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 21 inches. Rocco is named for Lindsay’s grandfather, who delivered baked goods to Oak Knoll every day she attended Oak Knoll.

’06

Laura Westerhold Baker ’06 and

her husband Tyler welcomed a new addition – Olivia Margaret – on St. Patrick’s Day 2021 in Morristown! The whole family – including big brother Charlie – are doing great!

’11 & ’15

Just before the pandemic, Moriah Bauman ’11 and Kelsey McGee ’15 met up at Casa Thea Bowman in Berkeley – the house that Moriah lived in during her time with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps where Kelsey currently lives as a Jesuit Volunteer.

’12

Katherine Koomar Jackson ’12 and her husband Ryan welcomed a daughter, Hannah, on December 31, 2019, weighing in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces.

’16

Sofia Badalamenti ’16, who will be graduated from the University of Richmond, was awarded the Rhetoric & Communications Studies Academic Excellence Award, which is presented to a senior exhibiting intellectual curiosity and earning a GPA of 3.6 or higher, according to the university.

’16, ’18, ’19 & ’20

Several alumnae and standouts in athletics have recently returned to Oak Knoll in coaching capacities including Samantha “Sammi” Pearson ’16 (indoor track & field), Gabrielle Andretta ’18 (field hockey), Caroline Ramsey ’19 (lacrosse), Katherine Guido ’20 (ice hockey), Riley Campbell ’20 (lacrosse) and Faith Bulan ’20 (cross country).

’04

Seton Hartnett O’Brien ’04 and

her husband, Luke, welcomed daughter Áine Kelly O’Brien on December 11, 2020. Seton is the daughter of retiring Oak Knoll physical education teacher Mimi Hartnett.

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REUNION 2021 Relive. Remember. Reconnect.

Reunion 2021 was unlike any other as we celebrated the classes ending in 0 and 5 and 1 and 6 and paid special tribute to our honored fiftieth reunion classes — the classes of 1970 and 1971. On Saturday, April 24, 2021, we hosted virtual tours of the campus led by members of the Class of 2021; held a special Reunion Mass celebrated by Monsignor Robert Meyer of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Grace Hall Chapel that was dedicated to our alumnae and their intentions; gathered as a group, and held virtual cocktail parties for individual classes. We then grabbed our classmates and put our thinking caps on for a schoolwide virtual Trivia Slam Sunday, April 24, 2021, led by Watson Adventures.

“You have a built-in community of sisters, no matter where life takes us, you are part of the Oak Knoll School Alumnae Association and the Holy Child Network and we will always be part of you no matter where your journey leads.”

- Ann Marie Heckmann ’79, Alumnae/i Association President

Special Reunion Podcast

2021

REUNION

Bonus Episode: Reunion 2021: Relive, Remember, Reconnect 00:16:19 This special bonus episode of the Academically Speaking podcast brings together several Oak Knoll School alumnae who were celebrating milestones during this year’s virtual Reunion, which took place on April 24-25, 2021. Listen to these special alumnae as they relive, remember and reconnect on shared memories from Oak Knoll.

Classes of 1961 & 1970 Crowned Alumnae Classes of the Year Each year, we encourage the spirit of good-natured competition among our alumnae by staging a contest for the highest participation in the Fund for Oak Knoll. Even this year’s virtual reunion format couldn’t dampen demand for the coveted Alumnae Class of the Year crown! This year, we awarded two classes of the year as our queens since we couldn’t celebrate together last year. As is tradition, our winners were treated to a special OKS gift to thank them for their support. Though our winners had to pour their own champagne and hunt around for their own tiaras this year, we were thrilled and grateful to crown the classes of 1961 and 1970 our queens for a day and Royals for life!

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1961

CLASS OF

1970

CLASS OF

REUNION SUMMER 2021

The Class of 1961 held a mini reunion on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at the Chatham Fields.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

1961

CLASS OF

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F R O M

T H E

ARCHIVE S MEETING THE WANTS OF THE AGE A H I S T O R Y O F OAK K NO LL’ S T E CHNO LO GY A S S H O WN IN PHO T O S In one of her well-known axioms, Holy Child founder Cornelia Connelly urged her educators to help students to “Meet the Wants of the Age.” More than ever, this effort has incorporated the use of technology - something that became even more significant during the COVID-19 pandemic when technology became not just an ancillary tool of learning, but a primary medium. While this was not always the case, technology has enjoyed a substantial role in one form or another at Oak Knoll since its inception. Let’s take a look at some of these tech-teaching tools and how far we have come.

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1920s/30s

1940s/50s

The abacus was a counting device that has since been made obsolete in the classroom by more modern counting devices – including one of which we will explore later. However, it was still often found in classrooms across the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Still commercially available today, though more often as a toy or even a tool for the visually impaired, the abacus is one of the oldest educational tools discussed here, as several civilizations used similar counting devices as early as 2000-3000 BC.

The Kodak Brownie Hawkeye was a series of small cameras introduced in 1949 and discontinued in 1961.

Eastman Kodak first introduced the Brownie series in 1900, with the last official Brownie camera being released in the mid-1980s. As for the Hawkeye, it was not quite professional grade (it had a fixed aperture and shutter speed) and was designed more for amateur photographers, or in Oak Knoll’s case, to teach about the art of photography.

Radios, though commercially available since the early 1920s, had become a staple in education by the 1940s according to several educational surveys of the time. These were joined by other devices that used film to transmit audio, such as the earliest tape players that used the reel-to-reel format. In addition to educational benefits, these devices were often used for entertainment purposes.

FROM THE ARCHIVES SUMMER 2021

1960s Language labs, though established earlier, enjoyed a significant presence in classrooms after World War II and into the 1950s and 1960s. In most instances, an educator would facilitate a recorded lesson though a control panel. Depending on the machine, labs could allow students to learn and test vocabulary or grammar, either at the direct direction of the teacher or at their own pace. Decades later, laptops would be used in world language classes to create virtual language labs.

1970s/1980s Personal computers were first commercially available at the beginning of the prior decade but began their true boom over the ensuing two. Models such as the Apple II pictured at right, were first released in 1977. Like now, the computer enjoyed a fairly short lifespan of just two years before being rendered obsolete by more advanced models.

As the ’80s continued, personal computers, including those manufactured by Apple and RadioShack, among myriad other companies, were a growing presence at Oak Knoll before becoming a true staple of daily life in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

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1990s The personal computer evolution continued as the late 1980s and early 1990s saw the dawn of the computer lab.

Through games and educational software, students learned skills like word processing while enhancing lessons learned in the classroom through educational games.

By the mid-1990s, the horizons offered by personal computers expanded almost unimaginably with the birth of the internet. Oak Knoll’s first foray into the Internet was through Infolink, an interface offered by the New Jersey Regional Library Cooperative in 1996. Through the service, computers in Hope Memorial Library became the first on campus to be connected to the information superhighway.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES SUMMER 2021

2000s Through continued advancements, computers became more compact and more numerous, with Oak Knoll boasting several desktop and laptop computers.

This growing need to meet the “Wants of the Age” ultimately led to Oak Knoll debuting its one-to-one computing, which meant every student had access to a device. Over the years, and into the next decade, this program expanded to both divisions and included mobile devices.

2010s Technology continued its growth and expansion in education through both virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing and the proliferation of robotics, programming and coding.

While this explosion in educational technology has been evident in both divisions, these technologies paved the way for the creation of the I.D.E.A.S. Lab makerspace in the Lower School in 2017.

Another frequent feature of technology in the classroom is the evolution of a preexisting educational tool. Smartboards and TVs are prime examples of this, as interactive whiteboards became more and more prevalent and complemented, or in some cases, supplemented the time-honored chalkboard.

OAK KNOLL SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD REVIEW

2020s Beyond new technologies, previously-established one-to-one devices enabled communication and education amid the pandemic’s virtual learning and the hybrid models of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.

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SAVE THE DATE OAK KNOLL’S

FALL HOMECOMING SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2021

Let's celebrate ! our community as one

.

1:30 a.m 1 t r a t s ies S Festivit M FIELD A H T A CH

past and All Oak Knoll families, enjoy lunch, present, are welcome to d enjoy cheer on the Royals an n. fall activities for childre

S P E C IA L C E R E M O N Y: Ali Sumas Good ’95 and Christina Sumas ’98 inducted into The Gerald P. Bu tler Athletic Hall of Fame

Visit www.oakknoll.org or contact the Alumnae/i Office: alum@oakknoll.org or 908-522-8106

@OakKnollSHC