News
Elizabeth Black
With over ten years in education, seven of which have been at Oakcrest, Elizabeth Black is both a seasoned and beloved member of the faculty. This year, she takes on a new role as the Dean of Faculty and Curriculum, guiding curriculum development and mentoring the faculty.
Teaching wasn’t originally part of Elizabeth’s life plan. After graduating from Christendom College with a B.A. in Classics and Early Christian Studies, she had emphatically decided she would not become a teacher. But a few years later, Elizabeth changed her mind after taking a teaching position and telling herself she would only try it for a year.
That one year turned into a lifelong passion for education. “I remember driving home the first day of classes and realizing that not only had I fallen in love with teaching on the spot, but that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life!” she says. “And here I am ten years later, as passionate about teaching and education as I was on that afternoon.”
After teaching at a classical school in Virginia, Ms. Black joined the ranks of Oakcrest’s faculty. “I did know about Oakcrest by its excellent academic reputation, but what clinched the deal was when I read more about the school and realized that the school had the same mission I did: to educate the whole person,” she says.
Ms. Black has taught a variety of subjects at Oakcrest, from Literature to Logic and Rhetoric, one of the newest additions to Oakcrest’s curriculum. In her new position, she will help her colleagues to educate students with professional excellence according to Oakcrest’s mission. She will work especially closely with Oakcrest’s Master Teachers, who lead each academic department.
Ms. Black’s passion for learning extends outside working hours; she continues to pursue her own education, and is currently working on wrapping up a Master’s degree in Liturgy from The Liturgical Institute. She is a gifted singer who has contributed much to the music program at Oakcrest, whether by been helping with the choir or singing at daily school Masses. She loves to sing chorally, conduct the girls’ choir at her parish, take voice lessons, sail on Lake Michigan, and enjoy time with her family.
Ms. Black has high hopes for a fruitful school year. She says, “My hope is that it will be a time of quiet learning and deep growth for the students and the faculty alike.”
1619 Crowell Road, Vienna, VA 22182
703-790-5450
703-790-5450
