FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR One year into my role here at Oakland School for the Arts, I continue to be inspired by the academic and artistic achievements of our student body. Our halls are filled with critical, collaborative, and imaginative thinkers and our students are proof that an arts education transforms lives. This report highlights a year of progress made possible by your commitment to Oakland School for the Arts. Some notable achievements include: • We served 733 Bay Area youth – the largest student body in the School’s history. • We hosted 42 performances and exhibitions around the Bay Area and beyond, highlighting the extraordinary work of our arts departments. • We expanded into the Newberry Building on Telegraph Avenue, providing a dedicated space for our School of Instrumental Music, as well as a Scene Shop for our School of Production Design, and our very first STEAM Lab. • We launched an after-school computer science program for Middle School students. • We reached 98 students through Step it Up, our free after-school arts program designed to give underserved Oakland youth specialized instruction in the arts. • We celebrated a 99% graduation rate, well above that of area schools, with students gaining admission to 2 and/or 4-year universities including: Columbia, UC Berkeley, Berklee College of Music, NYU, The Ailey School, Oberlin Conservatory and Cornell. • We are excited to announce that over the course of the 2017-2018 school year, OSA will transition its visual and performing arts departments to Career Technical Education (CTE). Nine OSA arts departments are engaged in the process of developing CTE pathways: Production Design, Theatre, Dance, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, Audio Production, Digital Media, Fashion Design, and Broadcasting. We are proud of our accomplishments and enormously grateful for the dedication and support from our faculty and staff, board, volunteers, partners, funders, and most importantly, our young artists and their families. We extend our deepest gratitude to our founder Governor Jerry Brown. OSA is thriving and the momentum is strong. This is a pivotal moment for us with extraordinary opportunities ahead! We thank our vibrant and generous community for your commitment to the success of OSA. Sincerely,
Brian Köhn OSA Executive Director
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