Strong Families, Strong Daughters Blog

Maria (Sparacino ’95) Twigg

Maria shares her powerful story of faith after receiving a fatal prenatal diagnosis with her son, Luke Anthony.

Stephanie Passero, English Teacher

Flannery O’Connor in Mystery and Manners claims that an English teacher’s job is to teach her students good taste. What should be a simple good—encouraging our children and teens to read for pleasure—has become increasingly difficult with our modern culture’s acceptance of wrong as right.

Christine Nussio, Upper School Director

The educational vision for the Upper School is designed to prepare Oakcrest Students intellectually, morally, and spiritually for adulthood. At Oakcrest, our students develop love and respect for truth, and develop the virtues necessary for authentic interior freedom which enables them to know, desire, and choose well in life. Through our liberal arts curriculum, our students become lifelong learners with the moral courage and intellectual honesty to pursue wisdom and truth in all their endeavors.

Laura O'Neill '96, LPC 

I recently shared with parents and friends of the Oakcrest community my impressions from the great 2014 book Hold On To Your Kids by Drs. Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté. I read excerpts from the book and connected it to what I witness in my practice as a psychotherapist here in Northern Virginia.

Sarah Robertson 

Does your daughter have a dream of playing sports in college? Pursuing college athletics is a very exciting prospect for the student-athlete, but it can also be daunting. Many people might not know where to even begin. This guideline will help you understand the basics of the recruiting process and what you can do to boost your chances of finding just the right college sports fit.

Jennifer Pruskowski

As a parent, you want your daughter to succeed in whatever sport she plays. However, success is defined by so much more than achievements or wins. It is crucial to help student-athletes develop healthy routines and healthy mindsets that will prevent injury, nourish them, build up their strength, and help them to find joy in their sport.

Sophia Martinson, Oakcrest Class of 2014

What makes a woman beautiful?

In the workout room of my college dorm, colorful letters plastered on the wall spelled out one answer: “You are beautiful if you are confident.” The phrase was meant to be motivational, but it also begged the question: What happens when I’m not feeling confident?

Mary Elizabeth Naegele 

Meg Meeker's book Raising a Strong Daughter in a Toxic Culture: 11 Steps to Keep Her Happy, Healthy and Safe (Regnery Publishing, 2019) is a tidy little handbook for how to raise a daughter with character, confidence and resilience who is on a path to heaven—in eleven easy steps!

Selected remarks by Mary T. Ortiz from a Head of School Coffee 


I'd like to share a couple lessons that I thought would be helpful as we've been living in this unique time in our country's history. There are positive lessons that have come from quarantine that are very helpful in our educational work with young women.

Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.

My introduction to heirloom flowers came from a visit I made to Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, several years ago. It was a beautiful, warm June day and we found ourselves in the garden and took the garden tour.

Leslie Kanuch 

Every fall my physics students learn how to analyze motion up and down an inclined plane. On the one hand, it seems very basic—almost boring. Doesn't this happen every day all around us? On the other hand, it is one of the most mathematically complex and intimidating problems in introductory physics. And yet, it is beautiful.

Miranda Johnson 

As seniors celebrate their college acceptances and prepare for graduation, younger high school students may be wondering what they can do to find success in their college search next year.

Terri Collins

An important mark of a great school is that it works closely with parents for the good of each student. When parents are in unison with their daughter's school, together they are best able to achieve the common goal of educating young women of character.  How can you be the best partner in your daughter's education?

Jeannie Herrick

Getting into college requires a lot of hard work and preparation. But the journey doesn't end once you receive your acceptance letter! We want to prepare our students so that they are ready to thrive as soon as they begin their college years.

Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D. 
Keynote Address for A Woman's Choice
Advocates for Life Dinner 
I am honored and grateful to have been invited to address you. Thank you for supporting the generous and needed work that A Woman's Choice does on behalf of mothers and children. We have been introduced in these last months to a distinction between essential and non-essential work; while this may apply to functions and tasks at a particular time, and even this is debatable, it can never apply to human life. 

Jeannie Herrick

Strong friendships are some of the greatest gifts that can come from a student’s years in school.

Leslie Kanuch

Oakcrest science teacher Leslie Kanuch describes the beauty of this science and how it helps students to see how the created world is both beautiful and coherent.

Meghan Hadley

Smartphones have become a staple in the lives of today’s teens.  Many teens even see their phone as another appendage. Smartphones can be a wonderful tool.  Yet, now more than ever, teens need guidance on how to form and prioritize face-to-face relationships. In this day and age, how can schools build an environment that promotes healthy habits surrounding technology use?

Elizabeth Black 

Beauty plays a crucial role in a young person's education. The types of books, music, and art that a student is exposed to and the kinds of things she is taught to consider lovely and worthy of preservation profoundly form her mind and soul.

Elizabeth Black, Dean of Faculty and Curriculum

I would like to share a thought with you during this difficult time.  It is taken from an essay on “Learning in Wartime” by C.S. Lewis. Although referring to a different type of evil than a pandemic, Lewis speaks to the heart of education during the most trying of times.