Strong Families, Strong Daughters Blog
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Heroines Throughout Music History
Nicole LacroixRead More
Last year I visited Oakcrest School in Vienna, Virginia to chat with members of a high school class that had upset a major election. Music teacher Alix Baldwin led her class in a musical putsch that dethroned Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 as the perennial winner of WETA Classical’s annual Classical Countdown, awarding first place to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The young women in Ms. Baldwin’s class learned a lot in that exercise about civic engagement, and how, with dedication and hard work, you can make a difference in your community.
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Inspiring a community of faith through the lens of Opus Dei
Read MoreThis article was first delivered as a panel discussion at the January 2024 Coffee with the Head of School. Oakcrest Head of School Christie Keuchel invited members of the school community who are involved in the work of Opus Dei in various capacities to speak about the teachings of St. Josemaría Escríva and inspire greater faith.
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“To follow Him and do His will”
Maria (Sparacino ’95) TwiggRead More
Maria shares her powerful story of faith after receiving a fatal prenatal diagnosis with her son, Luke Anthony.
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Judging a Book (Perhaps by its Cover): Vigilance in Showering your Children with Good Reading
Stephanie Passero, English TeacherRead More
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.
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Finding Meaning and Beauty in the Work of the Home
Read MoreMiriam Buono
As a wife, mother, and a professional, Miriam Buono shares her perspective and her wisdom on finding beauty in one’s vocation as a woman. She shares the words of the saints as well as practical tips on how to find beauty throughout the home.
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Is there an ideal vision for educating upper school girls?
Christine Nussio, Upper School DirectorRead More
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.
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Is there an ideal vision for educating middle school girls?
Read MoreCecilia Escobar, Middle School Director
I was asked to write on the ideal vision for educating middle school girls. Big topic. A bit intimidating, for sure. To begin to answer it we should ask ourselves “What is the ideal goal of education and how do we get there?” The objective is what sets the stage for the vision and, as in most things in life, there are various good, solid paths that lead to the same destination. Oakcrest’s vision of education is firmly established with the end-goal in mind.
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Parents Matter Now More Than Ever
Laura O'Neill '96, LPCRead More
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.
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Is there an ideal teaching method to help girls thrive?
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Read MorePedagogy: the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.Is there an ideal pedagogy for teaching young women? At Oakcrest, we believe there is.
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Constancy and Charity in Friendship
Read MoreJulie MarxThroughout junior year, Oakcrest students engage with the themes of "person" and "woman,” exploring what it means to be "Trustees of Humanity." These remarks were delivered at the Class of 2024 Junior Ring Ceremony, which marks a milestone for the students as they prepare to enter into the leadership of the school as seniors.
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Beyond Oakcrest: A Message for High School Graduates
Read MoreMary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Below is an excerpt from the address given at the Class of 2022 Commencement Ceremony by Head of School Dr. Mary T. Ortiz.This is a significant day in the life of each member of the senior class, but also in the life of the school. The graduation of each class is a bit of a magical moment in which all of us together want nothing else but to raise minds and hearts in thanksgiving. Savor this union of hearts and minds because it is a small, but nevertheless true reflection of heaven.
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What Is a Fully Human Education and How Can It Help Your Daughter?
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Read MoreAs parents, you are the primary educators of your daughter with the responsibility of forming her moral personality. For over 45 years, Oakcrest School has been working in partnership with parents to help them with this noble task.What guides our work is our understanding of the human person. Why does this matter?
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Books Every Parent Should Read This Summer
Terri CollinsRead MoreSchool is coming to an end, and vacation is right around the corner. Are you seeking to grow in your understanding of how to be a better parent? Would you like some inspiration in how to better relate to your daughter? Could you use something a bit more substantial to read at the beach? Below is a list of books sure to sharpen your parenting skills.
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Is Your Daughter Interested in Playing Sports in College? Here Are 8 Helpful Tips.
Sarah RobertsonRead More
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.
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True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness by John Cuddeback
Read MoreA Review by Mary Elizabeth Naegele“A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: He that has found one has found a treasure,” a friend writes in a birthday card, quoting Sirach, and the recipient wonders if one could be paid a higher compliment.
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Seven Questions You Should Ask When Choosing Your Daughter's School
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D., Head of Oakcrest SchoolRead More
In this extraordinary time, it is easier to appreciate the deeper meaning of the things we may have been taking for granted. For me, it’s the joyful sound of laughter, singing and conversation that permeates the halls of our school and the smiling faces that greet me each day.
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The Power of Mentoring
Sophia Martinson, Oakcrest Class of 2014Read More“Without friends, no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.”
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Three Ways for Parents to Face FORO (The Fear Of Running Out): Addressing A Scarcity Mindset
Elena Kilner, Oakcrest Class of 1997Read MoreOne morning last spring, I was up early trying to place a grocery order in time to get a delivery window sometime in the next two weeks. As I opened my pantry door, my foot struck something. Whatever it was didn’t budge. As I looked down, I realized it was a 50lb bag of flour. Next to it was a 15lb canister of dry milk. A sigh escaped my lips and I put my list down. The symptoms were clear. I had a case of FORO (Fear Of Running Out) and it was time for me to face reality.
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Five Tips to Help Your Daughter Become a Stronger Athlete
Jennifer PruskowskiRead More
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.
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Book Review: A Celebration of Beauty
Sophia Martinson, Oakcrest Class of 2014Read More
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?
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Why Logic and Rhetoric Are Important Skills for a Young Woman
Read MoreElizabeth Black
Have you ever wondered what the term “Logic and Rhetoric” really means, or why a school would bother to teach it?
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Book Review: A Guide to Raising Strong Daughters
Mary Elizabeth NaegeleRead More
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!
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Positive Lessons from a Year with COVID
Selected remarks by Mary T. Ortiz from a Head of School CoffeeRead More
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.
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Cultivating the Education of Young Women
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Read More
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.
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Three Ways Science Inspires Wonder
Leslie KanuchRead More
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.
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Six Tips for Your Daughter’s College Application Journey
Miranda JohnsonRead More
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.
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How to be the Best Partner in Your Daughter's Education
Terri CollinsRead More
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?
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How to Prepare Your Daughter to Thrive in College
Jeannie HerrickRead More
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.
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A Woman's Choice for Life, Morality and Justice
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Read More
Keynote Address for A Woman's Choice
Advocates for Life DinnerI 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.
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How Young Women Can Build Their Future in High School
For Alexandra DeSanctis (Oakcrest Class of 2012), writing has always been a calling. "When I graduated from Oakcrest and went on to Notre Dame, I already knew that I wanted to use my talents as a writer and my love of history and politics to become a journalist," she says. Today, she's living that dream as a staff writer for National Review, where she covers politics and culture.Read More
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7 Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Daughter's School
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Read More
In this extraordinary time, it is easier to appreciate the deeper meaning of the things we may have been taking for granted. For me, it’s the joyful sound of laughter, singing and conversation that permeates the halls of our school and the smiling faces that greet me each day, especially now that we are back to in-person learning.
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Finding the Gift of Friendship in an All-Girls School
Jeannie HerrickRead More
Strong friendships are some of the greatest gifts that can come from a student’s years in school.
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Why Should Girls Study Physics?
Leslie KanuchRead More
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.
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Are Smartphones in School Really Smart?
Meghan HadleyRead More
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?
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A Guide for Parents on Affording Private School
Read MoreMatthew Buonocore
When looking at private schools, one of the biggest questions parents have is, “Can we afford it?”
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The Joys of Summer Reading
Catherine CourtneyRead MoreReading offers a lifetime of enrichment. By encouraging your children to spend some of their free summer time reading, you can help them improve their reading skills as well as develop the life-long habit of reading.
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Beauty in Education: An Essential Ingredient
Elizabeth BlackRead More
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.
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The Power of Music
Read MoreAnne Miller
Creating, performing and sharing music is a way to share beauty and comfort with others.
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Work as a Gift
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Read More
How do we approach the challenges we find in work, whether in the office or study?
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Making the Most of Summer
Read MoreKate HadleySummer can be a great time to grow intellectually, physically, spiritually, creatively, and in useful skills.
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The Best Social Skills to Teach Your Children Before They Go to College
Read MoreKate Hadley, Director of Mentoring, and Terri Collins, Director of Parent Support
What practical skills do young people need as they cross over into adulthood?
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Speaking the Truth in Love
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D., Head of Oakcrest SchoolRead MoreI would like to share what I have learned about the art of speaking the truth in love to the young people God has entrusted to us at our school, and its crucial place in their growth.
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Putting People First: The Art of Friendship
Mary T. Ortiz, Ph.D., Head of Oakcrest SchoolRead MoreOur personal happiness does not depend on the successes we achieve, but rather on the love we receive and the love we give.”1
“Friendship multiplies our joys and offers comfort in our sorrows.”2
I would like to share with you some thoughts on an outlook that the leadership of our school considers an important goal: placing greater emphasis on people before tasks so that everything we do is imbued with possibilities to develop relationships and authentic friendship.
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Why Young People Need Mentors
Read MoreKate Hadley, Director of Mentoring
Yoda and Luke Skywalker. Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Socrates and Plato. We’re all familiar with famous mentors and their protégés, both real and fictional. But what does mentoring look like for an everyday teenager?
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Leading with Calm When the Seas Are Rough
Read MoreMary T. Ortiz, Ph.D.Head of Oakcrest School
Parents and educators have been sent into unstable, high seas due to the Covid-19 quarantine. However, in order for us to be effective leaders in this situation, maintaining calm is essential.
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Making the Most of Family Meals
Read MoreKate Hadley, Director of Mentoring and Terri Collins, Director of Parent SupportDuring the time of the Covid quarantine, most of us are having more time for family dinners together without the delays of driving to and from work and extracurriculars that can reduce the number of people at the table. We have heard many people say that they are grateful for these family dinners and plan to try to carve out time for family dinners post-Covid.
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Finding Meaning Through Learning
Elizabeth Black, Dean of Faculty and CurriculumRead More
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.
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Staying Well While We Stay at Home
Advice from Laura O'Neill, Director of Student WellnessRead More
Now more than ever, it is important to care for our bodies, minds, and souls.
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Keep the Light Shining in the Storm
Read MoreMary T. Ortiz, PhD, Head of Oakcrest SchoolLiving without many of our well-worn routines, it is natural that there have been moments of tension and frustration. In times of sudden change, especially when that change means we are cut off in a significant way from direct personal connection with people, we can tend to “shrink,” to close in on ourselves.
