A Letter From OSA’s Executive Director, Mike Oz Dear OSA Supporters, Welcome to Oakland School for the Arts’ 2021–2022 Annual Report, where we celebrate the many achievements of the year and thank partners like you for your generosity. This year, we’re also marking 20 years of OSA as an anchor in the Oakland community. We are honored and humbled to provide a world-class arts education to 800 students annually, tuition free. Although I’m new as Executive Director, the thing I know for certain—garnered over my 16 years of involvement with the school—is that OSA is a unique and special place. It’s made up of passionate students, teachers, families, administrators, and community supporters. Without their contributions, we would not be celebrating 20 years of creativity and courage. The challenges of the 2021–22 school year brought our community to the point of collective exhaustion: navigating a return to in-person learning after 16 months away, supporting students in overcoming learning loss and anxiety, and grappling with the many ways that injustices, past and present, manifest in our community. In the midst of these challenges, OSA kept its focus on our students—delivering excellence in our arts and academic classrooms and working to ensure that each student had the tools they needed to succeed. AC H IEV EM EN TS WHI CH WE AR E PR OUD TO SHARE WITH YOU INCLU DE: • We added a JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Coordinator to our Senior Leadership Team; • 97% of our Class of 2022 graduated and, of these students, 87% applied to post-secondary programs; • 100% of students who chose to apply to post-secondary programs received acceptance letters; • OSA provided a Chromebook to every student in every grade; • We secured a lease and began renovation of much-needed new classroom space for our Visual Art and Media Arts students; • We welcomed five former OSA students to join our stellar arts faculty, staff, and board of directors; and • With the support of community partners, we enhanced our Student Support and Wellness Services. Now that we’re back and in motion, it is time for 10-20 year thinking. Our community is currently engaged in the creation of a 3-year strategic plan which will serve as a roadmap to ensure OSA further develops as a fixture in Oakland. Implementation will take intention, collaboration and focus. I invite you to join us in building the next iteration of Oakland School for the Arts—a vibrant, resilient, creative community, set to serve many future generations of young artists. Thank you for making OSA the beacon of arts education that it is today. Mike Oz Executive Director
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