1. What words immediately spring to mind when you think of the overall academic experience at your school?

“searching for truth”, “learning without fear”, “discovering the self”.

2. Would intellectually gifted students find a critical mass of kindred spirits at your school?

Yes they would. We offer a challenging curriculum with many higher level classes that replicate the college experience. We are a small school community but there are many opportunities to connect and to enable intellectual exchange both inside and outside the classroom.

3. What is in place at your school that effectively serves talented students?

Our school offers great courses that emphasize depth and ask students to grapple with big ideas. Recent offerings have included Ethics, Robotics and Topics in Engineering, Chaos Theory and Fractal Geometry, Anthropology, Existentialism, Postmodern Literature, Philosophy of Science, Film Studies, and Advanced Scene Study. In addition we offer AP courses in math, science, English, and foreign languages. Finally, we offer students the opportunity to pursue independent studies with a cooperating teacher. Recent projects have covered Evolutionary Biology and Dawkins's "Selfish Gene", Sports Psychology, Kierkegaard's "Either/Or", Marx's "1844 Manuscripts" and "German Ideology", Micro and Macro Economics, the Role of the Antihero in Dostoevsky, and CAD Design.

4. How flexible is your academic program, schedule, course options? Please give a sense of the extent to which courses are prescribed vs. those that may be selected.

In 9^th grade we do prescribe a course of study to introduce students new to the upper school to both the demands and wonders of our program. As students move on in the upper school they have greater freedom to select courses that suit their individual interests. At all levels we do encourage students to explore many disciplines. Students are expected to enroll in five core courses (math, science, English, foreign language, and history) all four years.

5. What procedures do you follow to assess a student’s capability in a subject matter in order to place him or her at an appropriate course level?

We assess incoming students with placement exams in language and math. Our small student-to-teacher ratio allows for much conversation and interaction between students and teachers which means the assessment of capabilities is ongoing.

6. What kind of student most benefits from the academic experience at your school?

All kinds of student have found success at Oakwood! A student who wants to learn, who is willing to fully engage in learning, and who is open to trying new things would find the most success here.

7. What would you want prospective students and their families to know about your school that may not be readily apparent?

Students tell us they love to come to school. Alumni return to tell us they find they are better prepared for college than the other freshmen they encounter.