Touchdown for Oakhill: How Our Winning Team and Community Drive Success

I am a Chiefs fanatic … always have been … always will be (even when we used to win 1 or 2 games per year)! I love football, and it sure is nice to win; when you have Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback, you ALWAYS have the opportunity to win! 

I see parallels between the Chiefs and Oakhill. First of all, Patrick and Travis do reside in our hallways (in cardboard form), and we have incredibly talented players on the Oakhill team (our teachers, administrators, and staff)! We charge for admission (our tuition), we provide incredible food offerings (included in tuition for 4-8 and will be included next year for K-3), and we offer a raffle opportunity (a part of our auction fundraiser). We do NOT charge for parking though (that could seed an endowment for us if we did)! 

We strive to create, offer, and share a winning program daily - one where our students learn, grow, and thrive and where our families find connections, opportunities, and like-minded peers! Our fans are our families! Our fans are our Board of Trustees members! Our fans are our community supporters! We appreciate our fans and depend on them to share their stories about Oakhill - who we are and what we do better than any other school. 

I personally enjoy sitting down with families to “talk” education - to “talk” Oakhill! I have been meeting with our new families for the past few weeks and will continue to meet throughout the fall. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet one-on-one and discuss Oakhill, the independent school model, our finances, our opportunities for involvement, and our hopes, dreams, aspirations, and plans for the future. The dialogue is always rich and getting to know the new families helps solidify a strong partnership. 

This year, we are fortunate to have admitted 48 new families - 75 new students thus far. Taking into account our specific enrollment goals, this presents tremendous growth potential when coupled with a lower attrition rate. Admitting mission-appropriate students to “fill the empty seats” along with higher retention rates creates a healthy and robust yearly budget which directly affects tuition setting. 

Here are a few phrases we have heard thus far:

• The sense of community is strong and everyone is welcoming

• My child’s needs are being met and feels important and supported

• The teachers are engaged and invested in the success of their class

• Thankful our child feels safe and heard

• We feel 100% comfortable 

• Special classes are a draw towards choosing Oakhill

The entire ODS team is working hard to tell the Oakhill story, OUR Oakhill story. We have something special here - an incredible educational experience: challenging academics, caring and dedicated teachers and administrators, a tailored experience, diverse extracurricular offerings, a safe and inclusive environment, a strong student support department (on the cutting edge when compared to others in the region), and a family feel! 

Let’s continue to support all things Oakhill!

• The Mighty Oak Fund
• Lights, Camera, Oakhill Auction
• The Welcome Project
• Enrollment Growth

Collectively, these revenue streams will create a stronger financial position and a solid foundation for dreams and aspirations. 

Want to talk more about the ODS Story? I welcome a conversation anytime! 

Suzanne McCanles
Head of School