FAQs

WHY THE ARTS?

The commitment of Oakwood Junior High and High School students to pursue arts education is evidenced in their incredible participation levels. Performing and visual arts activities are five of the top seven curricular and co-curricular activities, including athletics, among students.

In 2018, the Oakwood Schools Foundation engaged the alumni and regional community in an effort to learn about community perception and expectations as it pertained to the Foundation fulfilling its mission. The Arts rose to the top of the collective voice of the participants as a specific need for enhancement. Enhancements to the Arts at Oakwood Schools will keep it competitive with other schools in the area.

 

WHO ARE THE OAKWOOD SCHOOLS FOUNDATION?

The Oakwood Schools Foundation is a private board advised non-profit that enhances excellence in education at Oakwood Schools. For more than 40 years, the Foundation has been responding to the emerging needs of education, partnering with Oakwood Schools to provide grants, scholarships and funding for special projects that might not otherwise have been possible. FLOURISH is the first private fundraising initiative of this magnitude in Oakwood Schools’ history.

 

HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO THE MASTER FACILITIES PLAN?

This arts facilities enhancement project will take place while the School District continues the prioritized foundational infrastructure improvements and repairs of the Master Facilities Plan (MFP). It will include a new Performing Arts Wing addition on the northeast corner of OJH/OHS with new band, choir and orchestra learning and performance spaces. A brand-new visual arts center with three dedicated classrooms and an open art gallery celebrating student and community artwork is also part of the project. Nonstructural upgrades will also be made to the OJH/OHS auditorium, enhancing student learning and community member experience with updated audio and visual technology, theatrical lighting and equipment.