Oak Hill Truly was a Turning Point
by Dr. Wayne and Mrs. Ardena Landsman
Our daughter, Alexa, is a freshman at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, having graduated from high school as a member of the National Honor Society. Her story appears to be that of a typical honors student embarking on the next step in higher education. However, this story is incomplete. Alexa was not always an honors student. In fact, two and one-half years ago, she was a struggling student at a large North Carolina public school, Chapel Hill High. Bright kids who, for a variety of reasons, cannot learn in overcrowded, unstructured settings, often fall between the cracks at public high schools. Chapel Hill High is among the nation’s best, but as with many large public high schools, resources are simply unavailable to provide structured learning in smaller classes.

We and especially Alexa were frustrated, at a loss as how to make public high school work. We began to consider looking for a boarding school, not too far from home (within a day’s drive), which could provide the smaller classroom environment that Alexa would need to learn. Oak Hill Academy seemed to be a good choice that met our criteria. In the spring of 2004, the three of us drove up from Chapel Hill to the Oak Hill campus for an interview and visit. Dr. Michael Groves, president of Oak Hill, greeted us. He impressed upon us that Oak Hill not only could provide the learning environment Alexa needed, but he stressed that it was the school’s mission to help struggling students reach their potential. We were impressed by Dr. Groves’ passion for helping children succeed, his personal commitment to the school’s mission, and the honesty of his exchange with Alexa and us. We toured the campus, met Mrs. Groves, Oak Hill’s guidance counselor, and a few teachers and students, and went back to Chapel Hill in full agreement that we should give Oak Hill a try. We were grateful to receive the letter of admission from Dr. Groves a few weeks later!

Alexa arrived at Oak Hill in the fall of 2004, lacking self-confidence and withdrawn. When we arrived at campus for the first Parents’ Day in October, we were blown over by the news. Not only was Alexa earning straight A’s, but her teachers found her to be an outgoing contributor to classroom discussion. She had made several friends, and had a new sense of self-confidence and self-worth. Best of all, she was happy.

The rest, as they say is history. Alexa’s two years at Oak Hill helped transform her from a struggling student to an achieving student, and helped restore her love of learning that would be needed for college. But the Oak Hill experience did much more for her. Oak Hill has given her a sense of community and belief in goodness of others. These values are central to the school’s mission, its leadership, staff, and students. We had hoped Oak Hill would be a “turning point” academically for Alexa. Oak Hill was that and much more. It was a turning point in Alexa’s life, helping her to achieve personal growth and maturity along the way.

How does Oak Hill do it? Dr. Groves jokingly refers to “fairy dust” he waves over the students. The real answer is that everyone at Oak Hill embraces the school’s mission. The teachers work tirelessly with the students, while also demanding the best out of them. Mrs. Groves gives each student personal attention in selecting courses and finding the right fit for college. Unlike the typical high school, at Oak Hill, there simply are no cracks through which any student can fall.

It is common practice for Oak Hill kids to complain about the school’s isolation and their having to be away from home. We could only smile when our Meredith freshman remarked recently how much she missed “the Oak” and would love to visit. In fact, Alexa looks forward to attending graduation this coming spring so that she can visit and see several of her friends graduate.

Our gratitude to Oak Hill has led us to support the school financially, and we look forward to continuing doing so for many years to come. Quite simply, for our family, the Oak Hill experience was priceless.

The Landsman’s essay originally appeared in the winter 2006 issue of Oak Hill Academy’s newsletter, “The Arrow.”