As Head of Upper School Asha Appel spoke about OES's Class of 2019 at yesterday's Awards Assembly, a few themes became apparent. Hard work, accountability, and acceptance were just a few of those themes Appel proclaimed in front of the graduating seniors.

"This year's senior class is a class full of individuals who are true to themselves," Appel said. "They are brave, dynamic, forthright, and tenacious."

The Class of 2019 will be remembered as spirited, active, and resilient. They are athletes, artists, playwrights, directors, intellectuals, scientists, and social justice warriors.

"This year's senior class is a mosaic," Appel said. "Alone, each part of a mosaic is lovely and distinct, but when the pieces come together, a completed mosaic reveals something extraordinary."

Appel continued on about how much the class has progressed since stepping into the Upper School as freshmen nearly four years ago.

"Evolution is only possible through collaboration and connectivity. And evolution is what leads to Big Moves," Appel said. "Thank you, Class of 2019, for being a class that inspires the future."

As our newest OES Alumni, these seniors will move forward to a bright future full of further learning, exciting life experiences, and continued use of their "Power for Good."

"What is even more remarkable about this special class is the way they accept and honor each other's truths—they make room for others to shine, they respect the unique gifts and passions of their peers, they recognize and celebrate the multitudes each contain," Appel said.

Congratulations, Seniors! Thank you to you, your families, and everyone who made this class so special!

Dynamic. Joyful. Strong.

These are just a few of the words Head of Middle School Ann Sulzer used to describe the class of 2023 as they move on to high school.

"This is a group that is always changing, learning, and growing," Sulzer said. "It has really been an honor to see them grow into who they are becoming."

The eighth-graders spent the end of their time in middle school presenting their Project X findings, rafting on the Deschutes River, and, on Thursday, celebrating their promotion to high school.

"This is a group that is also known for its strong friendships and connections," Sulzer said. "In Middle School, students often struggle as friendships shift and change, and this group was not immune to that. But when they found those close connections, they had a deep sense of loyalty and commitment to those friends, and they offered each other humor and unwavering support."

As all OES community members strive to do, this eighth-grade class used its "Power for Good" in a variety of ways. What stuck out most to Sulzer throughout their time is their compassion.

"I so appreciated the compassion that members of this class offered in their response to national and global tragedies," Sulzer said. "Though these events were heartbreaking, every time we heard that there was a community struggling, members of this class stepped up to coordinate an effort to send a card or other expression of concern and support."

Congratulations to the Class of 2023! OES is proud of each and every one of you!

To Head of Lower School David Lowell, this year's fifth-grade class combined the qualities he loves to see most in the Lower School.

"This class embodies a wonderful combination of qualities," Lowell said. "Curiosity, joy, and the ability to know when there's important work to do. In some ways, they're really serious and other ways they are totally goofy."

The Class of 2026 has been described in a variety of ways: kind, inclusive, leaders, but to Lowell, no quality describes this class better than its use of "Power for Good."

"They found their leadership through service," Lowell said. "It was so much fun to see them realize what a difference it makes when you're responsible for service as opposed to simply participating."

There are a lot of important ideas coming from these fifth-grade students. Whether it's saving the world from climate change or, on a more local level, building healthy communities.

"They are really trying to figure out how to make this world a better place," Lowell said. "Whether it's through their own initial efforts or taking on much bigger things. They have such an altruistic perspective."

Luckily for Lowell—and the rest of our community—most of these amazing fifth graders will move on to sixth grade at OES next year.

"I'm super excited to see who these students become," Lowell said. "I certainly hope they come back to visit and share a bit of their story."

The Class of 2019 spent some of their last days in school on a rafting trip in Central Oregon this week. They camped, hiked, played music, and spent quality time with each other to celebrate some of their last moments together as Upper Schoolers at OES.

"They got a full green light from mother nature," Experiential Education Coordinator Tom Handel said. "So there was a lot of swimming, water wars, and plenty of time to chat. It was pretty special."

Beginning in Central Oregon, the group put their rafts in the Deschutes River and began their adventure. After stretches of rafting, swimming, "riding the bull," they battled through rapids and camped under the stars.

"The trip allowed us to spend some time together as a class outside an academic context," Grace W. '19 said. "We got to cherish the end of our time together, as well as getting to enjoy Oregon, which a lot of us are leaving next year. I think it allowed us to bond and connect on a deeper level, and I'm so glad we all got to go and experience it together."

Camp activities included a tradition called "Pass the Rock," when students get the opportunity to share what the OES experience means to them.

"They had some really profound things to say," Handel said. "Everyone's listening while the speaker has the rock."

After another stretch on the river the next day, a hike up "Mt. Aardvark" was next. At the top of this 2200-foot climb, sits a time capsule with messages from past Aardvarks who made it to the top. The seniors left their own messages to future Aardvarks and headed back down to camp where they worked on their class song.

"Two students wrote it and the whole class practiced the song together that night," Handel said "It was truly unique. I've never seen a class do anything like that."

The trip concludes a journey through school and the beginning of their next phase in life.

"I want to reiterate my appreciation and heartfelt thanks to this class," Handel said. "This particular trip was one of the best I've ever had because of how gracious the students were. They were so thankful."

Through the entire month of May, seventh graders immersed themselves in the exploration of English and history topics and reached a conclusion last week with the English-History Inquiry Night celebration in the Middle School.

"This exploration program is more about the process than a final product," Middle School English Teacher Pete Flynn said. "In fact, one of the things that students present at the final event is a question map—a representation of their thinking as they engaged in the inquiry process."

First, students reflected upon the thematic connections between history and English with a particular focus on the Civil War, to discover a question they would like to study. Then they engaged in a question formulation process and researched their questions. Finally, students reflected on the answers they found, the answers they did not find, the new questions that arose, and the lessons they learned along the way.

"We really asked the kids to focus on the inquiry process—being curious, asking good questions, and making connections between the disciplines," said Flynn and Middle School History Teacher Malia Wilkins in their speech to parents. "This process wasn't always easy, but they should be commended for taking this on the way they did."

It culminated in last week's celebration of learning and exploration when family, friends, faculty, and staff had a chance to inquire about each student's journey.

"All of a sudden, here are these kids engaging in these very adult level conversations with adults," Flynn said. "In some cases, it feels as if we are watching them grow up a little bit over the course of a night."

The seventh graders will value their journeys next year. The English-History Inquiry Project mirrors the eighth grade's Project X—a self-chosen deeper dive into inquiry and service learning.

"A major reason we did this Exploration was to build the inquiry skills these students will need when they begin their yearlong Project X inquiry," Flynn said. "We are sure many of the skills and experiences they had this May will serve them well starting next fall."

"It's also a great opportunity for Middle School students to truly engage in interdisciplinary work, making connections between themes from English and history classes this year," Wilkins said. "This project is also an opportunity for students to focus on the process rather than an end product."

It all started last year when Lower School Administrative Assistant and "Super Substitute" Austin Schock '09 played Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) once in his middle school Game Time class. Before he knew it, this year brought a full D&D program into the Lower School.

"What started as a pilot project to see if there was interest quickly grew into a giant of a program running four nights a week," Schock said.

With this success, and the school year winding down, Schock had another idea: throw a cross-divisional D&D Day celebration to show his appreciation for the over 40 students that participated this year.

"I thought a big party would help make the students feel as though their passion was valued," Schock said. "And, since I say 'go big or go home,' I snowballed it up from there by inviting parents and siblings as well."

On Wednesday, over 50 students, parents, faculty, and staff showed up to the EC3 Design Center to play D&D, show off their character, their experience, and their passion for the fantasy tabletop role-playing game to their siblings and parents.

"It's important for the kids to have spaces to come together as a community where they can all participate," Schock said. "In this space, the youngest ones—the ones who were just starting to get interested—could interact with students from other divisions who shared their passion and could be a role model for what they could one day be."

Parent volunteers helped serve pizza and snacks while the Dungeon Masters led multiple games throughout the building. Without the volunteers—and the pizza—Schock says none of it would've been possible.

"I was joyously overwhelmed by the support from the parents in our community," Shock said. "I would never have been able to make anything this amazing without the support of the parents."

Be on the lookout for more from Schock who will be holding D&D classes this summer through our Summer Camp program.

Summer hasn't started yet, but Upper School Librarian Erika Jelinek is hoping the Summer Reading Extravaganza gets off to a strong start. Jelinek changed up the annual event this year by inviting all Upper School students and faculty to share a book that has brought them joy, or that they have truly loved, with the entire community.

"I wanted people to share the experiences they've had with books and reading, why they've loved them, and the impact that books have had on them," Jelinek said. "I wanted the event to be more relaxed, to be a celebration of books and reading without the pressure for students to have to choose a book from a list."

Students and faculty presented their choices at a recent Upper School Gathering by explaining why each book filled them with joy, inspiration, and/or emotion.

"There is so much research that shows that people are more likely to develop a deep love of reading if they are given the freedom to choose their reading material," Jelinek said. "I loved seeing the joy reflected back as everyone was sharing their book loves during the Gathering."

There are only two summer reading requirements for students this year: first, to read a book that brings them joy to read and second, to write a one-page reflection about their book of choice in their English classes next fall.

"I think it's important to give both established book worms and closet book lovers a chance to give voice to their love of reading," Jelinek said. "I hope that joy carries over into the summer, that more students will be able to discover that reading doesn't have to be a chore or work, that it is, actually, fun."

Learn more about the Summer Reading Extravaganza.