Head of School’s Message

Putting Roots in the Ground

In one of my many welcome meetings to the Ojai Valley this summer, an OVS alum and I were talking about the strength of the OVS community, the school’s deep ties to the land, and its unflagging belief in each individual. He asked if I had read Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I hadn’t, though I’m now working through it and finding it to be an engaging read. In the book, Kimmerer observes: “Sweetgrass is best planted not by seed, but by putting roots directly in the ground. Thus the plant is passed from hand to earth to hand across years and generations. Its favored habitat is sunny, well-watered meadows. It thrives along disturbed edges.”

I love that idea, of putting roots in the ground, of being passed from hand to earth to hand in a continuous cycle, of the intentionality of a purposeful, nurturing cycle instead of the random successes of a disjointed approach that is all too often seen in educational circles today. And, as an educator who has observed students thriving when placed in challenging or unsettled situations, the concept of disturbed edges being a location where they can thrive resonates as well.

Intent, nurture, disturbed edges: good for sweetgrass, and good for children.

So what then to make of how an OVS education helps children put roots in the ground? And what then of a newly arrived Head of School, one fresh from the snowy environs of upstate New York (and very happy to have used his last set of snow tires!); what will he bring to the school community to further that common purpose? Channel Islands National Park and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, our deep ties to the local agricultural community, and our commitment to sustainable practices with solar and the reuse of fallen wood in our century-old woodshop.

And, of course, our promise to the possibility of each student is found in challenging programs in academics, the arts, athletics, and our collective willingness to support student interests and passions.

As Nick Thacher, Chair of the Board of Trustees, notes in his adjacent article, there is much to celebrate at this point in the Ojai Valley School’s history, and there is a lot of inspiring work ahead as we chart a course forward from full accreditation, to enrich and diversify our community, maintain a healthy enrollment, and strengthen our educational program.

I think you will find in me a commitment to community, to the land, to the pursuit of academic excellence, and to the possibility embodied by each student, a shared commitment heard again and again in my conversations with OVS constituents.

When we speak of community, it is often evidenced in many small ways: the warm greetings teachers and students exchange, the confident announcements directed by student leaders at All School meetings, the life-long friendships students and their families form while at OVS, and myriad other ways. OVS Founder Edward Yeomans said: “Unless a community is a good place for children, unless it can take care of their growth intelligently, it cannot stand the test of time.” It is my hope that our time together will be marked by its commitment to each child, to a set of timeless values embodied in our mission, to an intentional, nurturing, and challenging approach, and that as we work hand to hand, these values will be able to take root.

All the best,

The commitment to the land is found in distinctive OVS elements such as our Outdoor Education program, the hands-on-the-land restoration work with the Lars Kuelling Head of School, Ojai Valley School