Live Oak School supports the potential and promise of each student. We provide a strong academic foundation, foster skills to effect change, and develop courageous and conscientious learners from all backgrounds. We inspire students to advance equity and inclusion, to act with compassion and integrity, and to pursue a lifelong passion for learning.
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Dear Live Oak Community,
Welcome to the Winter 2024-25 issue of Live Oak Magazine! During my 24 years at Live Oak, one thing has been clear: our school is a place that fuels the passions that define us as individuals. The pages that follow reveal that the passions nurtured in our community create meaning in our school days together. They drive the purpose in our learning, direct the decisions in our teaching, and inspire the paths that become our future.
As Live Oak students gain skills and understandings in the classroom curriculum, their curiosities create the momentum of passions. Our students find themselves in a school community that is pleased to nurture their interests and follow their leads. This year, our students–both current and past–have activated their passion for technology, sustainability, and music in leading their peers toward breaking down barriers, taking constructive action, and forging new relationships. Meanwhile, our faculty have turned the skills and activities they love into lifelong transformative experiences for their students.
The most powerful learning environments are designed by teachers who consistently develop their craft and infuse their passion for teaching into the climate of the classroom. At Live Oak, music is an integral part of the fabric of our school community. You’ll hear practice sessions from the music rooms, performances at assemblies and festivals, and humming from children as they skip through the halls. In this issue we share the “why” that defines our dynamic music program. Music connects our students to their stories and the stories of others.
We relish in the stories of our Live Oak alumni as they follow their passions and forge
the paths that reward their lives and contribute to the strength and beauty in their communities. Turn the pages of this magazine to catch up with a few whose enthusiasm for their interests have paved the way for their accomplishments in the arts, athletics, community service, and more.
Enjoy this Live Oak Magazine and find inspiration to pursue your purpose, your power, and your path!
Warmly,
Virginia Paik Head of School P ’20
Strategic Directions
Cracking the Code Fly Your Flag Turning Down the Heat on Climate Anxiety An Invitation to Shine A Noteworthy Quest for Connection
Embracing a Journey Belongingof Q&A: A Vision for the Changemaker Program Step Up & Graduation + Class of 2024 Reflections Alumni Spotlight Fueling
Reflection with Admissions
Passions Fueled by the Live Oak Fund Every Passion Helps Piece the Puzzle Together
Every day at Live Oak School students think deeply, follow their curiosity, and stretch themselves to master new skills. As part of a joyful community, they are known well and valued for who they are. Live Oak’s mission, vision, and values are strengths to be secured. The continuous development of Live Oak School and our academic program is rooted in five Strategic Directions. All of them ask that we extend the potential and promise of Live Oak School in new and exciting ways.
The Lightning cross country team took home team titles in the 7th/8th grade boys and girls divisions at this year’s SFAL finals in Golden Gate Park in November.
Nate S. finished in first place in the 7/8 boys race, while Shoshi K. (third place) claimed the Lightning’s top finish on the girls side in the final competition.
Frightfully Fun
JV Volleyball Plays for the Championship
Live Oak’s JV Green and JV White volleyball teams squared off against one another in the SFAL semifinals with the JV White advancing to play Burke’s in the league championship match, losing a close contest. The Lightning’s varsity squad also qualified for the playoffs, but lost to SF Friends in their quarterfinal matchup.
Live Oak students, staff, and families joined together on the court at Jackson Park to celebrate Halloweeen with our annual parade. Our masterfully dressed students took a lap around the park to show off their Halloween spirit to the Potrero Hill neighborhood before joining up to enjoy a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance from the middle schoolers.
At the Hop is a Blast from the Past
Live Oak’s middle school performing artists were boss in their fall performance of At the Hop, which played three sold-out shows in the Grand Hall. The play was set in the 1950s and followed a group of students through the fun and hijinx of the school day leading up to the big Sock Hop dance. We saw some spot-on lipsyncing to some classic 50s tunes, goofy jokes, silly characters, and lots of fun dancing.
Fall Sports Highlights
Community Engagement
Fall Sports Highlights
On Stage
Technology
Riding the Tech Wave
Celebrating Years at Live Oak
Adrian Takyi
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
5
Celebrating Years at Live Oak
Janeth Gutierrez Moreno
Receptionist
Lianna Kali Director of Instructional Innovation
Sharon Lee Fourth Grade Teacher
This year, all of Live Oak’s middle school students got their own Chromebooks to use. The move from iPads to Chromebooks allows for greater functionality within the school’s Google Education tech infrastructure and opens up a broader range of programs and applications that Live Oak faculty can engage their students with. Explains Director of Instructional Innovation Lianna Kali,
“Chromebooks are a great device for middle schoolers because they allow them to complete more sophisticated work than what can be done on a tablet. It helps their typing skills develop further and have deeper access to features in the Google Suite (like advanced sheets options, building Google Sites, and better slide editing capabilities).”
Professional Growth
PoCC is the Place to Be
Live Oak sent a contingent of 19 faculty and staff members to this year’s NAIS People of Color Conference in Denver, CO. The annual conference is one of Live Oak’s numerous professional development opportunities, providing rich and meaningful discourse, learning, and insight into culturally-responsive educational practices. Director of Extended Day Programs Dorothy Martinez hosted a table at the event entitled, “Strengthening BIPOC Leadership: Nurturing Career Paths for a Thriving Outside-of-Schooltime Workforce.”
LIVE OAK MAGAZINE
New Eighth Grade Civil Rights Trip
In late April, eighth graders will embark on a Civil Rights trip, the first of this kind for Live Oak School. In partnership with Academic Expeditions, the five-day bus tour will take students to many of the historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement, offering a rich historical experience filled with curricular touchpoints from their learning throughout the year. The trip is planned to make stops in Atlanta, Tuskegee, Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery along the way. This experience came out of programmatic discussions aimed at more deeply aligning our students’ learning with their formation as changemakers.
Hands-On Learning Making and Creating
Reaching New Heights Tinkerer’s Treasure Trove
This fall, the climbing wall in the gym was reactivated, giving middle school students opportunities to learn new skills in climbing and belaying. The wall has also allowed for a new Rock Climbing Club as part of the school’s Extended Day Programs offerings, further expanding the unique learning experiences that Live Oak students are able to enjoy and pursue.
In October, Live Oak’s ChangeMaker Lab was featured in a new book called, TheTinkeringWorkshop by Ryan Jenkins, co-founder of Wonderful Idea Co. The book showcased how the ChangeMaker Lab sets up its space to maximize student creativity and supports their STEM pursuits. Jenkins held his virtual book launch party in the Lab and led a class of Live Oak seventh graders through a making activity called “World on a String”, where they engineered unique “sky vehicles” that successfully balanced and rolled along a suspended string.
The Live Oak Magazine is a biannual publication produced by Live Oak’s Advancement Office. Formerly What’s Brewing, the publication took on the Live Oak Magazine title in the winter of 2022. We value the accuracy of the information published in our magazine, so please contact communications@liveoaksf.org if you notice any errors or omissions. We always welcome updates and content from our community far and wide; please submit story ideas and alumni updates to the email address above. Moved or planning to move? Provide us with your updated address and we will make sure you continue to receive the print issue of the magazine. The magazine is also available digitally on the Issuu. com platform.
This issue was designed by Yuxuan “Leona” Lei. In this issue we appreciated the photography contributions from the Live Oak community and beyond, including Roseanne Barry, Elizabeth Brown, Yoalli Correa, Tom Crabtree, Vincent Dimasaca, Catharyn Hayne, Sonia Kapoor, Renata Martin, Andrew Martinovsky, Justin Mears, Xiomara Meza, Nina Oberfest, David Pushia, Robbie Smiley, Audrey Soriano, Kara Suro, Stephanie Temple, Londynn Young, Carlos Zerzan, MugsyClicks Photography, New Conservatory Theatre Center, and Storey Publishing.
Making Music Meaningful
When Live Oak students pick up an instrument, they are doing so with the intention to do more than simply learn how to play it. They are learning how music has been–and continues to be–a powerful driving force throughout our society, discovering more about themselves, and gaining collaboration skills, all built around the passion Live Oak’s music faculty bring to their roles as music educators.
“It’s all about connections,” explains Middle School Music Teacher Amy Meyers, who caught the bug to be a Broadway star as a kid and still performs in local Bay Area musicals. “Connections to other pieces of academia; connections to history; connections that help build community; and connections to the throughlines that weave our curriculum together.”
To extend their students’ learning beyond the notes and techniques of music, Meyers and lower school music teachers Jill Pierce and Michael Martinez craft their music curriculum with a societal context in mind to give their students a well-rounded sense of why the songs they are learning matter and how the voices that contributed to them have left a lasting impact.
“We sang Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Everyday People’ with the fourth graders as part of their 1969 unit,” explains Pierce, who traces her love of music back to long car rides with her family singing church hymns.
“We watched clips of Quest Love’s documentary, ‘Summer of Soul’ and heard firsthand accounts of audience members seeing the first soul/rock band that had men and women instrumentalists, and black and white members.”
Similarly, Meyers recently collaborated with Live Oak Spanish teacher Camilo Coehlo to develop a seventh grade cross-curricular unit around Carlos Santana’s “Oye Como Va”, tying together students’ learning of Cuban culture with background on cha cha cha, introduction to playing that style of music, and a deep dive into the notable artists and culture of the genre.
In addition to the valuable historical education gained through the musical lens, the music faculty weave important service learning and socialemotional learning components into
the songs they craft for their classes. With second graders, Pierce and her music faculty colleagues penned the tune “Help The Earth” for Earth Day, while Pierce also teamed with former kindergarten teacher John Gaudino to write an original titled, “I Love Learning ‘Bout Me.”
“‘I Love Learning ‘Bout Me’ is a song that I enjoy singing along with our students,” explains Martinez, a drummer whose musical interest grew from playing with friends at his church growing up.
“It's a song that I believe subconsciously opens up our students’ minds and hearts to love themselves as well as realize that their likes and dislikes may change, and that's okay.”
Underlying the layers of music education is the deep passion that each music faculty brings to their class and the importance they see in the broad power of music to engage students in active learning and build valuable interpersonal connections.
“One thing I come back to time and time again is the connection between music
and community,” explains Pierce. “The two feed off each other in a wonderful way. If we are a kind and thoughtful community, where we listen to each other and lift one another up, encourage each other to take chances, then we make great music. And when we sing and play together–especially when we sing together as a community–it strengthens our connection to one another.”
“It’s fun to have conversations with the students about how music can and does play a big role in our society,” says Martinez, who has taken a lead role in integrating the Learning for Justice Standards into the music curriculum.
“We’re trying to piece small conversations together–especially for lower school–that help make small connections to the music we are teaching: How does this relate to your culture and family? How does it relate to your classmates? And how can you appreciate both?”
Whether expanding historical context, helping underscore a complex academic concept, or providing a vehicle for interpersonal connection, the fact remains: learning through music is just plain fun.
“It’s a way to get into your body and out of your head,” says Meyers. “Any time we’re moving with music, any time we’re singing, any time we’re playing and improvising, it gives the kids a break and they get to experience themselves in different ways.”
“The catchy melodies help kids remember information better, and singing together creates a sense of community and makes them more confident,” says Martinez.
“If I could have learned all the facts I needed to know through song, I’d still remember all of them,” says Pierce. “Music activates so much of our brains.”
Capturing Memories Through Music
The annual graduation tradition includes original songs written about the year and its graduates in collaboration between Live Oak’s music faculty, students, and classroom teachers. At the Step Up and Graduation ceremony, all students sing the songs in a final symbolic activity as one K-8 whole. Here’s how it works:
“Every spring, we ask students to think about the school year,” explains Lower School Music Teacher Jill Pierce. “We brainstorm the big ideas specific to their grade, but we make sure it’s an experience, lesson, or unit shared by everyone. Younger students come up with the experiences and teachers put them together in a couple of phrases. As students get older, they do more of the writing. We ask for details and encourage the students to rhyme.”
“We want students to feel involved and connected, have ownership of the song, and have an opportunity to remember and celebrate the school year.”
“The Step Up Song has some repeats [of melodies], but has different highlights. The Dedication Song speaks more directly to the graduates. We find a song to parody with a theme of moving on, or going to the next chapter, that is also timeless and musically solid. We take ideas from students for both
Excerpt from the 2024 Step Up song (performed to the tune of American Authors’“Best Day of My Life”:
We traveled SF neighborhoods Read Outsiders, camped Pinnacles 3.14159 (Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh) Yosemite, sheep in a jeep Budget project, first grade buddies Looooooooord of the flies (Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh)
Take a little look back - woah Look at what’s coming up, oh It’s happening right now
Passion with Purpose
Throughout the Live Oak community, diverse passions drive our students’ learning, our faculty’s ability to inspire and connect, and our alumni’s continued pursuit of growth. These interests are the seed for meaningful future opportunities, new ways of seeing the world and our place in it, and lasting influence that results in truly impactful results, both realized and ongoing.
Cracking the Code
Ella S. takes an active role in helping her peers tap into their unique potential in STEM.
Ella S. is helping pave the way for females in the computer science field. The eighth grader formed Girls Who Code during the 2023-24 school year to gather peers around Live Oak who were interested in collaboratively learning how to code and making headway in a traditionally maledominated field.
“I think it was important to have a space for girls who are not usually represented or told they’re capable enough to be in the STEM community,” says Ella. “Women are so often told that they’re not smart enough or they don’t have the experience or determination to do this, but they should be told the complete opposite.”
In its second year, the group has eight regular members who meet 3-4 times a month. No one in the group is an expert in coding. Instead, it’s a collective learning process using websites that are available for the public, like Mode to Code and Scratch. Ella seeks out input from the group to help tailor their learning towards the interests of their members. The club is studentrun, but has faculty support from Director of Instructional Innovation Lianna Kali.
“It’s creating a community for people to code,” says Grace Z., one of the group’s members. “It’s helpful if you want to pursue coding more.
I want to try learning other coding languages, like Java Script or Python, so I can actually use it in more realworld contexts.”
“I am not a born coder; it took me a minute,” adds Pascale C., another eighth grader who heeded Ella’s pitch to join Girls Who Code last year. “But then you look at the steps and those websites make it so easy to learn.”
Ella credits her brother, Jacob '22, who developed his own website, as an inspiration. In addition, she has solicited the expertise of an extended family member who is a software engineer at Yelp to come speak to the group.
“I think coding is such an important thing to understand because it’s so helpful with problem solving and it’s everywhere now,” explains Ella. “We use technology everyday, so I think it’s just something that we should all understand.”
Ella S. (back right) organized the Girls Who Code Club as a seventh grader to help empower her peers to learn a valuable skill and see coding as a potential career pathway.
So far, Girls Who Code has applied their skills in creating two noteworthy projects they have shared with the Live Oak community. In the spring of 2024, they created a digital remembrance wall to celebrate the life of former Facilities Manager Antonio Ampie. And this fall, they put together a digital complement to the school’s Gratitude Graffiti Project that highlighted the gratitude songs and raps that third graders created in music class.
“I hope that there are more sixth and seventh graders who will continue to carry on Girls Who Code at Live Oak,” says Ella, who plans to pursue a career as a software engineer. “I just think it’s so important for young girls to understand the power that they hold, that they can accomplish anything, and to be okay facing challenges.”
The Girls Who Code developed an interactive website for the Live Oak community to watch and listen to third graders’ songs of gratitude as part of the schoolwide Gratitude Graffiti Project.
Explore the Girls Who Code’s Gratitude Graffiti website for yourself:
Fly YourFlag
A lifelong love of sports drives Tanya Susoev’s competitive spirit on the field and helps shape the developing identity of tomorrow’s female athletes.
For the last decade, Tanya Susoev has been acting on her passion for sports by playing quarterback in the San Francisco Womxn’s Flag Football League. With the growth of flag football as a sanctioned girls sport, Susoev, Live Oak’s Head of Divisions, is applying her passion to inspire the next generation of female athletes.
“Being an athlete and being involved with sports has been an important part of who I am and how I show up most authentically,” says Susoev, who first participated in the sport through a women’s league that raised money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. Having participated in swimming, basketball, football, and softball growing up, watching football was a special connection Susoev shared with her late father, who passed away due to Alzheimer’s.
This past fall semester, Susoev led a girls flag football club at Live Oak and hopes to explore ways to continue to build a program moving forward. In addition to teaching fundamentals, Susoev hopes the exposure to new extracurriculars helps kids who may not have previously seen their potential in athletics, especially with flag football emerging as an Olympic sport and the rise of intercollegiate flag football programs offering scholarships.
“Access and representation in all sports is what drives my continued involvement in flag football,” says Susoev. “I want to continue to be part of this movement, empowering our girls to forge pathways to opportunity and belonging on every platform."
Susoev’s influence has extended to numerous Live Oak graduates who share her passion. Over the past two years, Susoev coached Live Oak alum Kei’yanii Dawson ‘23 at her alma mater of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, and
this past year coached University High’s first-ever flag team that included Makayla Lundy ‘23.
“Tanya not only taught me the basics of the game, but she taught me and others how important and special we all are as female athletes,” explains Lundy, who was elected as a team captain. “Tanya constantly reminded my teammates and I that we are setting the foundation for the program at University. She inspired me to always be strong and proud of the athlete I am, which I am able to take into my everyday life.”
A central element of Live Oak’s academic program is the practice of building empathy, of forming a more developed sense of your peers and members of your community. For Susoev, athletics adds those meaningful layers to her relationship with students.
“The opportunity to see and connect with students in this way has fostered much deeper relationships for me,” says Susoev. “You tap into a side of them that doesn’t necessarily shine in the classroom and they get to see you in such a fuller way as well.”
Looking beyond the X’s and O’s, Susoev is a strong advocate for the role athletics can fill in any student’s education.
“Though not exclusive to sports, experiences beyond the classroom have the potential to develop different types of relationships, find growth and challenge in new places, discover talents and passions that they might not have known or seen before,” explains Susoev. “Sports have the potential to tap into a different part of a student’s mind and heart–and that spark might change how a student engages in their experience overall.”
Kei’yanii Dawson ‘23 was a member of Susoev’s first flag team at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, where Susoev graduated in 2004.
Susoev coached the inaugural girls flag football team at San Francisco University High School, which featured Live Oak alum Makayla Lundy ‘23 (left) as a team captain.
Iris. E. recognizes that climate change is affecting more than just the environment and she is trying to do something about it. A member of Live Oak’s Green Team Leadership Crew, the eighth grader has been developing a website to help young people better understand climate change and relieve anxiety around its gloomy forecast.
Iris started taking personal note of the environment during trips with her family over the years. Exploring the mountains of Telluride, the vast deserts of Albuquerque, and countless other awe-inspiring landscapes, Iris developed an appreciation for the natural world, growing increasingly interested in the science behind the ecosystems. But this appreciation also came with the built in concern about what her generation’s future may look like.
“When I first joined the Green Team, I didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of climate change,” explains Iris. “As I began to learn more about the urgency of the situation, I became increasingly anxious. I spent hours looking for positive stories or hopeful news, but I found little to none. This led me to realize that many others were probably feeling the same sense of hopelessness.”
Turning Down the Heat on Climate Anxiety
In the midst of an everconcerning environmental outlook, Iris E. is putting her emerging technical skills to work in sending a more hopeful message to her peers.
So Iris decided to take action and embarked on a project to create a space where people could step away from the overwhelming negativity and instead focus on hope, solutions, and the power we have to make a difference. The website she is developing is intended to counter the overwhelming negativity around climate change by highlighting practical ways to get involved, sharing success stories, and building a sense of community.
“I hope to remind everyone that while the challenges are immense, our collective efforts matter, turning feelings of helplessness into meaningful action,” says Iris, who pivoted from publishing a magazine to reaching for a broader audience online.
With her previous coding experience limited to simple projects, Iris started with sketches outlining her vision for the site before enrolling in self-paced classes, like Khan Academy. Admitting that the process has been more time consuming than she initially imagined, Iris eventually set up the structure of her website and has been steadily developing content for the site.
“I have enjoyed the new experience— and the challenges that come with
it—immensely, and I hope to inspire others to make a difference, even if they aren’t necessarily skilled in what they aim to do,” says Iris.
Embracing the technical challenges of learning how to create a website, while going up against a global issue as lofty as climate change, Iris is proceeding with focused ambitions to do her part in shifting the negatives to positives to inspire her generation.
“My goal is to form a network of individuals who want to make a difference and possibly organize coordinated action,” says Iris. “As I move forward, I hope to improve the accessibility of the website while expanding on tools for emotional well-being, community, support, and strategies for turning anxiety into motivation for meaningful change.”
An Invitation to ine
Shine
Stephanie Temple uses a love for performance to shine a light on Live Oak students’ hidden talents.
With over two decades leading Live Oak’s Drama Department, Stephanie Temple’s approach to teaching theater involves building independence and ownership, uncovering the skills and interests that lie within her students.
Temple got her start in performing by joining her first production as a dancer in her school’s musical before the directors realized she could sing, quickly revealing her talent for acting.
“It started with an invitation for me,” says Temple. “And that invitation is really important because sometimes that is all kids need. It unlocks a world for them and a passion that they didn’t even know they had.”
By design, Temple takes a very collaborative approach to her role, writing all of her own productions following a “devised theater” creative structure. Always responsive to her
students’ ideas, tastes, and voice, Temple typically introduces the outline of her stories before letting students add their creative stamps to the production.
“I’ll infuse what I already have with their language,” says Temple. “So it’s by kids, for kids, which is so important that it has their DNA in it.”
Temple’s experience in her college theater program laid important groundwork of learning by doing, exposing the immense creative power that came with having freedom in the theatrical space.
“Our instructors gave us the keys,” explains Temple, who has her students largely run Live Oak’s biannual performances themselves. “It was like, if you want to learn how to do this then get into the costume shop, get into the booth and figure out what all of those buttons do. It showed you the responsibility and the possibilities of all of it. I like to do that here at Live Oak.”
Because she works in theater professionally outside of Live Oak,
Sophia Patterson ‘17 (center) performed with Stephanie Temple in numerous productions at the New Conservatory Theatre Center, including The Emperor’s New Posts in the fall of 2019.
Temple is heavily invested in the next generation of performers, aiming to ensure there is a seat at the table for those who want to pursue it.
“Stephanie always made sure that everyone had a role, and that those roles had at least some fun line or moment,” says Cameron Reese ‘13, who has been performing and writing musicals in New York City since graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2021. “This was great for me because I wasn't very good at theater when I started at Live Oak. Once I got to high school I realized I actually knew what I was doing.”
Sophia Patterson ‘17, one of the numerous Live Oak alums who also performed with Stephanie at the New Conservatory Theatre Center, carries her own lessons from her time working with Temple: “One of the biggest things I took away was the ability to recognize my voice and standing out as a source of power rather than something I need to suppress. I am able to envision a future where my passion for creativity is not just a far off dream, but a reality.”
Stemming from her passion for the arts, Temple helps her students see themselves in new ways, building up independent, capable, and enthusiastic performers and professionals.
Lazlo Sin ‘24 has embarked on a quest. Now a freshman at The Nueva School, Sin is exploring his passion for music as part of Nueva’s Quest Project. The assignment is a year-long deep dive designed around encouraging students to pursue their interests– academic or otherwise–and demonstrate growth in that area. For his Quest, Sin is undertaking the challenge of composing his own symphony inspired by Olivia Rodrigo’s music.
“Quest Projects aren’t supposed to be easy,” explains Sin, who arranged a rendition of the classic “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saens while an eighth grader at Live Oak. “But no matter what, one would learn valuable skills. I chose to write a symphony based on Olivia Rodrigo’s songs because her music is fun and relatable. My goal is to spread my love for classical music to people who don’t listen to it often.”
Starting out by dabbling with music in seventh grade, Sin started composing more as a way to relax during some of the stressful periods of the high school application process. He has also found it to be a social outlet, often writing music with his friends at lunch and finding common ground in building relationships with his new peers.
Despite his passion for the creative process, Sin acknowledges the challenging nature of building an entire composition piece by piece. Expanding and lengthening his musical ideas has provided one obstacle to work through, as has translating his individual ideas into numerous formal parts for a cohesive symphony to perform.
A Noteworthy Quest
for
Connection
Believing that music can bring people together, Lazlo Sin ’24 embraces a symphonic challenge.
“I’ve never composed anything the size of a symphony, so I need to learn new techniques for a project of this scale,” says Sin, who also credits Live Oak Middle School Music Teacher Amy Meyers for support and mentorship in building his musical perspective. “While I can express some parts of a melody from my head onto the paper, I have trouble making it exactly how I want. In the past, I’ve tried improvising the melody on my piano, but now I can talk to teachers and my friends. This has helped me articulate my ideas better.”
As he proceeds through his individual musical journey, Sin does so with broader intentions in mind.
“I think that music is a powerful tool to connect people, no matter where they live or work,” explains Sin. “I want to be able to connect members of my community via music. I’ve already inspired my friends to create multiple bands and look forward to continue connecting people.”
Sin (right on piano) showcased his talents at Live Oak's annual Middle School Music Festival in 2023.
Embracing a Journey of Belonging Embracing a Journey of Belonging
Roseanne Barry, chair of Live Oak’s DEI Committee, grew up a product of New York City public schools. When her children Elizabeth ‘22 and Mackenzie ‘25 started at Live Oak, it was her first experience in the world of independent schools. Luckily, Roseanne and her family were warmly embraced within the Live Oak community, but the unfamiliar environment left Roseanne feeling out of place and completely unprepared for how different her children’s academic journey would be from her own. The amount of resources available to Live Oak students was not something to which Roseanne was even remotely familiar. Growing up, English was not Roseanne’s mother’s first language and she tried to imagine what it would have felt like for her mother to navigate a school like Live Oak, undoubtedly feeling intimidated, overwhelmed, and lacking belonging. It is through this lens that Roseanne anchors her leadership on the DEI Committee.
“It is my hope that we can help create a culture at our school where families feel like they have a place here no matter where they come from,” says Roseanne. “I don’t think I am alone when I say that the community is what attracted our family to Live Oak in the first place.”
Always drawn to efforts that challenge systemic inequities, Roseanne approaches her role with the DEI Committee as one of collaboration, connection, and learning. Now in her 12th year as a Live Oak parent, Roseanne has seen firsthand how a strong sense of
belonging encourages deep thinking on the part of the students, helping them find and develop their own voices and sense of agency, and in turn building the confidence it takes to drive change.
“I believe the work has the potential to leave an enduring impact far beyond the walls of Live Oak,” explains Roseanne. “ I see the DEI initiatives as part of a larger collective effort to advance social justice, and I am humbled to be a small part of that.”
This work toward building community has grown along with the size of the school, underscoring the necessity to expand the school’s affinity network offerings. When Roseanne’s family first started at Live Oak, the enrollment was half of the 426 students it is today and there was only one Families of Color Potluck event per year. The DEI Committee decided to see what it would look like if they broke this lone event into more intentional micro affinity events.
“We started with affinity events for our African American families and for our LatinX families,” explains Roseanne. “They were immediately successful and helped serve our
purpose of creating connection and community. We were able to build upon the success of those
Roseanne Barry steps into the shoes of her mother to inform her leadership with the DEI Committee and in helping champion community connections at Live Oak through affinity spaces.
A Spirit for Service
“16 Questions”
w/ Renata Martin w/ Karen Olson
Middle School Learning Specialist Karen Olson is passionate about using her expertise to help Live Oak students learn about themselves so that they can reach their full potential in and out of the classroom. We caught up with Karen to learn more about her and her drive for helping kids learn more effectively.
See some of her responses below and check out Karen’s full video here.
Philz or Peets?
Oh, definitely Peets.
Morning or night person?
Morning. Dark, quiet morning.
Bike or drive to school?
Drive, however this is my first year in 11 years I’m not driving a crazy carpool of Live Oak kids; just me and [my son] Trey.
What is your favorite part about working with middle schoolers?
I like that they are really receptive to strategies and ideas. They are willing to try and it’s fun.
What is a study skill every student should know?
I think the most important for them is planning and time management to really plan out the week with their busy extracurriculars.
Last year you did a professional development for staff about the brain. What is something about the brain that we should know?
I told them that the students’ amygdala–the part of the brain that controls their emotions–is full and ready to go, but that frontal lobe is just now developing, and it will happen over the next eight years, but we might as well start working on these skills now while their brain is totally ready to absorb this information.
A Vision for the
Changemaker Program Q&A
In her new role as Changemaker Program Coordinator, Renata Martin is leading Live Oak’s effort to unify and expand the school’s various service learning activities into a comprehensive program.
A science and humanities teacher at Live Oak since 2016, Martin has already played a large role in supporting student environmental advocacy as a faculty mentor for the Green Team Leadership Crew and the associated Green Team, which has grown from a fledgling group of four students to over 70 this year. Now, Martin has her sights set on further expanding the spirit and impact of service for the entire Live Oak community.
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Where did your passion for working on sustainability come from?
My undergraduate industrial design program at Rochester Institute of Technology taught us how to do true design thinking. I started noticing how we tend to approach design with a what ? lens, rather than a why ? lens, and vowed to always approach with the why. The idea of designing-for-solution means that our consumer product mindset ends up making people feel like they need the thing , rather than addressing what might be the actual challenge to begin with. That got me thinking about the way that we, as a society, tend to value materials, our planet, and each other, which is how I began my journey into environmental and social responsibility.
QDescribe your vision for the Changemaker Program.
We are building the Changemaker Program to empower our students to be true agents of change. There are so many ways we can work to make our world a more just and equitable place, to be an activist, and to advocate for positive change, whether that's through public speaking, creating art, making music, building, writing, protesting, organizing, teaching, or volunteering. We will be learning about how we can each lean into our strengths and grow beyond our comfort zones, figuring out how to work in solidarity with our communities and partnering with local organizations, and developing a sense of responsibility for ourselves and one another, in order to make our worlds better for everyone.
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QWhat prompted your motivation to form the Changemaker Program?
Seeking to connect the disparate but incredibly closely connected environmental and service projects our students and teachers were already working on, I began exploring how to integrate all of this great work into our curriculum, to make it truly a part of everything that we do, and not just an add-on. I went to the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education Service Learning Summit and connected with service learning directors and coordinators from all over the country, and was invigorated to establish our own service learning program, which we’re formalizing as our new Changemaker Program.
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How do you see the Changemaker Program intertwining with the core academic curriculum?
One example of what this could look like would be in science. Studying stream ecology from a text is learning , and picking up trash along the stream is service ; then, gathering data and presenting to the city council is where service learning comes in. Eventually, we are intending for service to be so integrated into our curriculum and our dayto-day existence at Live Oak that we don’t even think about it as being separate from learning.
What are some ways you are helping shape the direction of the Changemaker Program early on?
I’m working to establish ongoing community partnerships so that we can go deeper with these reciprocal relationships throughout the years. We’re exploring cross-division collaboration and building towards a school-wide scope and sequence where classes focus on different justice issues, and inviting students to engage with advocacy and activism through many different approaches, whether that's in writing or with their voice, with their technological prowess or their artistic touch. I'm also teaching a middle school Service Lab class where we discuss our purpose in and approach to service, apply design thinking to challenges in our community, and the students themselves step into the role of organizer for their class's service project.
Finish this sentence: The key to delivering truly impactful change in the world is…….
to listen generously, to choose curiosity, and to embrace discomfort–it might be uncomfortable to rock the boat, but it also might be the only way to make waves!
CLASS OF CLASS OF 2024 2024
The Class of 2024 is making an impact at the following high schools…
Amelia Baker
Everett Baker
Braxton Barr
Kai Bassett
Fifer Bates
Gabriela Borgiotti
Khloe Broussard
Jaylon Chin
Shaila Clark
DeWayne Colbert
Ellis Coleman
Marlise del Real
Isabella Dimitre
Andrea Fuentes
Kyelle Goonetileke
Sarah Halstead
Isa Hayes
Camila Joaquim
Seren Jones
Yini Kang
Saira Kapoor
Jacob Kellerman
Kaitlyn Leung
Lavinia Lin
Abe Linn
Jessica Long
Rory Madway
Caitlin McCrath
Saint Ignatius College Prep
S.F. University High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Saint Ignatius College Prep
Lowell High School
S.F. University High School
Dunn School
S.F. University High School
Urban School
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Urban School
Ruth Asawa School of the Arts
Urban School
Lowell High School
Lowell High School
Urban School
Ruth Asawa School of the Arts
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Drew School
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep
Lowell High School
International High School
S.F. University High School
Convent of the Sacred Heart HS
Urban School
Branson School
Lachlan McGrath
Wheeler Michaels
Chelsea Mickles
Olive Miskie
Daisy Mortillaro
Ryth Nguyen
Ellis Olson
Harry Oltmans
Tao Ong
Ethan Pearlmutter
Zoe Pointdexter
Marc Rios-Lopez
Alexandra Salky
Preethi Satya
Jackie Schiffner
JT Scott
Noe Shoemaker
Lazlo Sin
Asher Soukup
Raphael Kaufmann
Madeleine Starling
Charlie Truslow
Julian Vergara
Addison Villanueva
Felix Vogl
Hannah Weinberg
Zoe Wilson
Paxson Smith
Branson School (IMG)
Urban School
Saint Ignatius College Prep
Drew School
Saint Ignatius College Prep
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep
Lick-Wilmerding High School
S.F. University High School
Jewish Community High School
S.F. University High School
St. Mary's
Urban School
Urban School
S.F. University High School
Bay School of SF
Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)
Nueva School
Oceana High School (Pacifica)
Urban School
Grier School (PA)
Urban School
S.F. University High School
Drew School
Georgetown Day School (DC)
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Drew School
Lowell High School
DeWayne Colbert III, Eighth Grade Speaker
“The community I’ve found at Live Oak—where I don’t feel judged, where I don’t have to be doing more to be doing enough, where I don’t have to put on a mask to fit in—has allowed me to grow into a person I am proud of. These communities helped me become the person you see at this podium—hard-working, dedicated, educated, authentic, honest, creative, and enthusiastic. I choose to simply be what I define for my life, and because of Live Oak, I can simply be me.”
“As I stand before you, I know what Holly stood for: integrity, kindness, and a love of learning. One of my first memories at Live Oak is about learning about the gold rush in kindergarten and panning for gold at Camp. This showed me that learning could be fun. Instead of sitting in a classroom all day, we could apply our learning outside of class. It made me love learning. The Live Oak community surrounds all of us with these values that Holly Horton upheld, and now we can take what we’ve learned out into the world.”
To the graduates, you can expect your time at Live Oak to influence you in many positive ways as you move forward. The education you've received here goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. It’s an education of the heart and mind. You have been equipped with the skills to think critically, to approach problems creatively, and to act with empathy and integrity. These qualities will serve you well in high school and beyond.
Shaila Clark, Holly Horton Award Recipient
Luke O’Brien ‘20, Alumni Speaker
Class of 2024
GRATITUDE REFLECTIONS
At the start of their eighth grade year, the Class of 2024 wrote a personal gratitude letter to their parents and guardians. When their parents/guardians receive these letters, they are able to get an intimate first-person glimpse into their child’s growth, development, and evolution over the course of their Live Oak education. These letters are often filled with heartfelt emotion, unfiltered appreciation for the multitude of opportunities their parents/guardians have provided them over the years, and students’ hopes for their impending high school transition. It is a space for thoughtful introspection on the part of the soon-to-be graduates and for parents/guardians, a lens into the developing values of their children. The passages on these pages are anonymous excerpts from these Class of 2024 reflection letters.
“Live Oak School has not only made me more mature, it has made me kinder and more aware of my abilities. During my time at Live Oak, I discovered who I am as a learner and artist. With the warm community, I was able to try so many new things without being scared. In high school and beyond, I hope that the things I love because of Live Oak will still be a part of my life.”
“Live Oak has taught me so many things about the world and my community around me. Live Oak has helped me find my love for volleyball, as well as math. When a challenge comes up in my life, Live Oak is there to support me and guide me through it.”
“As a student here at Live Oak, I have learned so much. I have improved in so many things, like volleyball, basketball, and art. I have learned that I am much more capable of a lot of things I never thought I would be capable of.”
“I have grown so much at Live Oak School, from a four-foot kindergartner to a tall eighth grader passing down the Sunflower rite. Live Oak has taught me so much about our world and its flaws, as well as showing its beauties. Thank you for always supporting me and believing I can be the best version of myself.”
“Live Oak has taught me to treat others with kindness, how to create change, and skills that I will carry with me for the future.”
me to a school where I always feel like I belong and where I always feel supported. I’ve learned how to be a good friend, a good person, a good learner, but most of all–a good student.”
“I feel like I became a lot more confident throughout Live Oak, and my public speaking has significantly improved. Live Oak will certainly affect my life in the future because of how much it has helped me grow. I appreciate all the effort you
“Thank you for bringing me to Live Oak. I learned that even the worst subjects can be fun to learn. In all of the challenges, I have gotten past them and learned a lot. I have learned that I love a good challenge.”
“I’m so grateful for all your love and support through the years at Live Oak School. Live Oak has been a place where I have learned a lot about myself and identity.”
“Through Live Oak I have grown as a person in many ways. I made friends I never thought I would be friends with. Thank you for supporting me in every way possible.”
ALUMNI NEWS & UPDATES
Nina Oberfest ‘20 attended the EF Pathfinder gap semester program during the fall of 2024. This 10 week long program exposes students to other cultures through travel around Western Europe. Oberfest visited nine cities throughout Europe. “Some of my favorites were Lucerne, Lisbon, Paris, and Florence,” she said. “I had the chance to make some amazing lifelong friends on this trip.”
“Scott’s class was always full of music, laughter, and prioritized the expression of whatever wacky things middle school brains can cook up,” recalls Meza. “It was also my first introduction to many of the materials I use today and helped me to gain confidence in trying out new mediums without fear of failure.”
“When Xiomara was in my class, we did an effigy unit where we made voodoo dolls,” explains Wilber. “We were referencing a tradition that a lot of cultures use and that is to pull from ancestors and tell stories about them through these tools. Years later, Xiomara contacted me and shared how that unit really left a huge impact on her.”
Andrew Martinovsky
‘23 has been active in The College Preparatory School’s CPS Community Action Team (CCAT) where he joins peer leaders in facilitating groups of students to volunteer at various community support activities around Oakland and the broader Bay Area. During the fall semester, Andrew and the CCAT made over 200 meals for Oakland Town Fridges, volunteered at City Team (a shelter for unhoused people), and planted trees with Oakland Parks and Rec’s Urban Forest program. Outside of volunteer work, Andrew has competed with College Prep’s cross country team and raced in the 800m at the New Balance Nationals in the summer of 2024.
The photos shown are of a set of Fantastic Mr. Fox dolls I created for an issue of “Layered Butter” dedicated to Wes Anderson–one of my all time favorite directors! Being part of a stop motion film in any capacity is my biggest goal, and I look forward to continuing to build my skills to get to that point!
Explore Xiomara’s work on Instagram
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
- Xiomara Meza ‘13 -
Xiomara Meza ‘13 works as a full-time mixed media artist based out of San Francisco, creating sculptures and digital art based on fantasy, films, and folklore. She showcases her creations through her online shop Travesuras, which has its roots in Scott Wilber’s art class while Meza was a middle school student at Live Oak.
Coming from a public elementary school in the Mission District, Meza remembers how one of the first pieces of comfort she found at Live Oak was seeing the student art all over the walls, serving as a reflection of the vibrance that Meza would see walking around the Mission and throughout the City.
Nowadays, in keeping with her experience at Live Oak where a variety of backgrounds, identities, and cultures are celebrated, Meza’s awareness of her own artistic identity has taken shape by embracing the various layers of her background and life experience.
“I struggled to identify as an artist up until recently because I felt that to be a successful Latina artist my art had to be a reflection of my ethnicity,” explains Meza. “In reality, art can be a reflection of any and all of one’s identities. Everything about what I love and who I am informs each other.”
Travesuras, which loosely translates into “mischief” in English, has steadily grown into Meza’s outlet for her creative passions.
The majority of her clients inquire about her characteristic goulish dolls, but in between commissions Meza has the chance to create collections based on her own interests and share them via social media.
“My work is entirely influenced by whatever I’m currently obsessed with,” says Meza. “Whether it’s stop motion films, new folklore I’ve read, horror movies I watched with the lights on–it all shines through my work fully. I find that moving through life I am constantly picking up bits and pieces I want to bring into my studio. Above all, my intention with my art is to create from a place of joy and wonder.”
As she continues to find new, personal outlets for her creativity, Meza’s artistic ambitions are simple and harken back to the interests that laid her creative foundation as a student: “My dream is to be able to continue to refine my skills and one day create for the kinds of projects I would’ve been obsessed with as a kid.”
Dagny Suro ‘23 completed a 14 hour10 minute-55 second swim across the English Channel in August 2024. A club swimmer since the fifth grade with some open water experience, Suro started seriously open-water swimming in February of 2024 with the “Keck Crew” swim team. After landing a spot on the Channel relay team following an impressive boat swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to Angel Island in May, Suro and her team set out to traverse the Channel at 8:09pm on August 5, continuing through the night. Suro’s first leg of the relay spanned the 10-11pm hour that night as she endured numerous jellyfish stings along the way. She jumped back in the water at 6am to swim another hour-long leg. While the channel is only 21.5 miles across at its shortest point, strong currents and winds forced Suro and her team to cover 37 miles of open water. Suro has her sights set on several more open water relays–specifically the Catalina Channel and Maui Channel–as she embarks on a challenge to swim as many of the “Oceans Seven” open water swims as she can. “What motivated me to swim the English Channel was honestly just the challenge of it,” said Suro. “I learned a lot about myself and what I can accomplish. This experience also created a drive in me to continue facing challenges like this.”
Eliminating theAdmissionsApplicationFee
Maurice “Mo” Hill, Jr.
By / Director of Enrollment Management and Admissions
Our application for entry into the following school year typically goes live on September 1. An email announcement to the eager beavers in the pool would be sent, and, like clockwork, a family would reach out to me.
“Dear Mo:
I hope you’re doing well. Our family is experiencing financial hardship and we would like to request an application fee waiver. We hope to attend Live Oak next year!”
Naturally, I don’t ask any followup questions and quickly reply with the same waiver code the school has used for ages. At some schools, it’ll usually be a combination of the school’s acronym and may include the word “waive.” If a school really wanted to get jazzy with it, they might include the current academic year or the year the school was founded. A trained admissions officer would always specify the capitalized letters or risk getting the “it doesn’t work” email. At Live Oak School, ours was WAIVELOS. All caps.
In 2014, Live Oak’s Board of Trustees voted to increase enrollment from 230 to 420 students and expand our campus spaces. Their decision was informed by the reality that so many families wanted to access our incredible program, and we wanted to say yes. By 2022, we achieved that goal.
Today, I’m proud to say the school has reached its highest enrollment of 426 students! This past admissions season, compared to the 2022-23
season, our applications increased by almost 20%, and our yield increased by 10%. We enrolled the highest number of new families (84) the school has ever enrolled. As we’ve expanded enrollment, we have also made strides in making our program more accessible to a socio-economically diverse community. Our tuition ranges from $500 to $44,395, Live Oak’s tuition is inclusive of any expenses associated with field trips, school supplies, technology resources, and lunch. Earlier this year, we received a $1.2 million multi-year grant to support our Adjusted Tuition program. Access is part of Live Oak’s ethos. We are doing the work and have no intention of slowing down; we must keep moving forward.
Beginning this year, Live Oak has decided to eliminate the application fee for all applicants seeking admission to our school. We do not believe that a family, regardless of their ability, should pay to be considered for admission. Consequently, as our application numbers continue to increase, we will no longer see the financial benefits of our $100 application fee. But we know it’s worth it because it aligns with our values as a school.
I hope my message is clear: Live Oak wants to continue eliminating as many barriers to our program as possible. An application fee is nothing more than a paywall that reinforces the sentiment that independent schools are only accessible to individuals who can afford it.
Yes, families could’ve kept requesting the fee waiver code, and we would’ve fallen in line with the norm, but as independent schools, we have to answer the question: Should families, regardless of their ability, have to pay to apply to our schools?
Empowering Every Learner
Thanks to generous contributions, Live Oak's Learning Services Program has evolved significantly, transforming to meet a wide range of student needs. Prior to the 2022-23 school year, only $40,000 was allocated to supporting learning services outside the standard school day. Today, that figure has grown to $150,000, allowing Live Oak to provide robust wraparound services, including tutoring and specialized support.
With this increased funding, access to critical resources like in-school tutoring has doubled for Middle School students, especially those unable to pursue private options. The Middle School Learning Services team has also expanded now with two fulltime specialists and an after-school tutor. Beyond direct student support, the program has enhanced professional development, equipping faculty to better serve students.
Reflecting on the program’s impact, Warren McFarlan, GP ‘24, ‘26 shared, “Our grandchildren’s educational experience at Live Oak has been deeply enhanced by access to services now embedded in Live Oak’s Learning Services Program. Their diverse learning needs were fully accommodated, becoming the cornerstone of a positive experience at Live Oak and beyond. My wife and I hope our gift will help all students who have diverse learning needs have access to the services made available to our grandson.”
Every Passion Helps
Investing in Excellence
Exceptional educators are the cornerstone of our students' development into thoughtful, engaged citizens. Our commitment to attracting and retaining top-tier faculty is evident in our competitive compensation packages, which are benchmarked at or above the 75th percentile compared to similar institutions. We also invest in comprehensive professional development, covering all expenses for faculty and staff to attend conferences and workshops, including registration, travel, lodging, and meals. Last year, 100% of faculty participated in professional development, participating in over 96 workshops, conferences, and training.
Ani Kumarasamy and Maood Qazi P ‘31 shared, "Teaching is one of the hardest jobs. We give to support faculty salaries and development so that the faculty can focus on what they do best— teaching our kids to become thoughtful adults fulfilling their civic duties, engaging their communities, and thinking for themselves." This dedication ensures that our educators have the resources to inspire and support every student, helping them grow into independent thinkers and active members of their communities.
Flipping the Script on Middle School
At Live Oak, the middle school years are a time of meaningful knowledge and purposeful learning. Our students build relationships with peers and faculty, gaining a strong understanding of themselves and how to interact with their world. Investments in our program allow for small class sizes, differentiated instruction, and a right-sized, challenging curriculum. “Live Oak's values align with my own about giving kids the best so that they can become the best versions of themselves possible,” shares Nancy Arms Simon P ’22. “The middle school years are so important in a young person's life and for the development of their mind at that age. Every kid deserves an education like the one Live Oak offers.”
Piece the Puzzle Together
The Class of 2024 Legacy Gift unlocked new possibilities for the ChangeMaker Lab by establishing a foundational endowment to support its growth and impact. This space empowers students to learn, create, and solve real-world problems, preparing them to address the challenges of today and tomorrow. Thanks to the collective generosity of the Class of 2024, the ChangeMaker Lab endowment launched with $270,283.
Looking ahead, this endowment ensures the Lab will continue to inspire innovation across all grade levels by funding cutting-edge STEM curriculum, bringing in guest experts, expanding real-world learning opportunities, and providing the tools and technology needed to keep the Lab at the forefront of creative exploration.
“This initiative will provide Live Oak students with greater access to the technology, resources, and collaborative spaces that foster the risks they take in problem solving. By nurturing inquirybased innovation, we can ensure Live Oak continues to graduate changemakers who see endless possibilities,” reflect Dan and Elana Weinberg P’24, ‘26. “This is why we were excited to lead this effort—to ensure future generations of students have the tools and opportunities to make a meaningful difference in the world.”
May 9, 2025
Grandparents & Special Friends Day
May 21, 2025
Class of 2021 Reunion
Jackson Park: Our Neighborhood Space to Explore, Play & Connect
At Live Oak School we deeply believe in the symbiotic relationship between each individual and their community. This guiding principle reminds us that when we support each person’s ability to grow, we strengthen the collective well-being for all.
Since moving to our current home on Mariposa Street in 2002, Live Oak has enjoyed a valuable partnership with neighboring Jackson Park. For decades, we have also served as the stewards of the Potrero Hill Learning Garden, continuing our longstanding tradition of nurturing outdoor learning and community engagement. For many in our neighborhood, Jackson Park is a central gathering place that sparks curiosity, healthy activity, and a sense of belonging.
Beginning this school year, Live Oak is supporting the proposed renovation of Jackson Park by committing up to $250,000 on behalf of the school. Over the next three years, we will dedicate a portion of donations from the Live Oak Fund toward this project. By investing in this initiative, we’re doing our part to ensure that Jackson Park remains a welcoming space for exploration, play, and connection–benefitting all who call this neighborhood home. You can learn more about this project and initiative on our website.
You Need, The World Needs
We believe deeply in the symbiotic relationship between each individual and their communities—their school, their neighborhood, their city, and ultimately the whole world.
Our Mission and Values emanate out from that essential truth — helping the individual access everything that they need to flourish necessarily benefits the entire group, and practicing compassion for those around us necessarily benefits each individual.
