Above all else, Oxford Day Academy is defined by its focus on multicultural social leadership. We believe that the diverse voices of our community must be represented at every level of our work, and that we are at our strongest when our students and families are driving our charge.
To that end, our parents meet as a community every month to discuss key trends at our school; last month, our families elected two parents to represent them on the ODA board of directors. We hope you will join us in welcoming our new board members into their leadership role. Ms. Patrisha Ragins (pictured above) is the mother to a current 9th-grade student at our school and has worked for 25 years at the County of San Mateo, where she is involved in the Black Infant Health Project. Ms. Rosa Mendoza (also pictured above) is the mother of a pair of incoming 9th-grade students and has served as a Montessori preschool teacher for nearly 20 years. We are immensely grateful that these two exceptionally talented women will be sharing their knowledge and expertise to guide our development in the years to come!
Not to be outdone by their parents, our students have been similarly focused on leading our development. A group of 17 ODA students have developed a public art exhibit that explores questions of gender equity and female empowerment. Their work is rooted in the belief that “The measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls,” Over the course of the last ten weeks, they have identified topics that matter to them as young women (and men). Topics such as identity, body image pressures, the male gaze vs female gaze, impacts of social media and racism, inspire their art. Through journaling, group discussions, photography, and other visual arts mediums, students create campaign portraits that advocate for young women (and men), and those who identify, to voice their stories and rights for equality, safety, and community support.
This project has been made possible thanks to “Your Story is My Story,” a Girls to Women project led by multi-media artists during and out of the school day. We are especially grateful for the generosity of Ms. Pat Foster, whose leadership has helped to bring this dream to life. This exhibit will be open to the public on Saturday, June 9th at Café Zoe from 3 – 5pm. Please join us in exploring our students’ final product!