Redefining the High School Experience FROM THE DESK OF THE HEAD OF SCHOOL My love for Orange Lutheran extends far beyond my professional role as Head of School, and what I love most may be summed up in just two words: Purpose and People - and Christ and His love are at the heart of both. Preparing our students for college is an important objective, yet we recognize that we have a much greater role. Committed to the health and psychological well-being of all learners, redefining the high school experience is about people not just building profiles. By engaging students through the integration of social emotional learning and a focus on increased emotional intelligence, we are preparing healthy, strong, caring people to thrive in life beyond graduation. As a result, empathy, respect, mindfulness, resilience, and connectedness are key ingredients in The OLu Experience. These qualities produce healthier outcomes and ensure positive social interactions, stronger relationships, greater school spirit, and higher achievement. Because the culture of American education today has become so hyper-focused on building the perfect college profile, most schools place an emphasis on grades, test scores, and awards to the exclusion of people skills, values, and character; the results have not been good. In fact, excessive achievement pressure to build the perfect profile has resulted in higher rates of stress, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression, and as students graduate from high school and college, many have learned how to “do school,� but they are not necessarily well-prepared for life.
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2017-18 Annual Report
