The Happy Kid Project

What's student life at Oak Knoll really like? In this episode, MarCom student interns who have attended OKS since kindergarten share their perspectives on academics, activities, friendships, traditions, and the moments that make the Oak Knoll experience unique.

Ever wonder what it's really like to be an Oak Knoll student? In this bonus episode, two Marcom student interns answer your burning questions and give an honest look at life on campus — from classes and clubs to friendships and favorite traditions.

Join host Milan Jones '25, recent Oak Knoll graduate and former Marketing & Communications intern, as she sits down with our Lower and Upper School Admission Directors to tackle the biggest questions families have about the admission process. From application tips to what really matters most, get the inside scoop straight from the experts — and discover the truth behind the myths.

In this special episode of The Happy Kid Project , host and senior Milan Jones '25 sits down with fellow Oak Knoll classmates to talk all things Capstone. From interning with a civil rights lawyer to redesigning interiors and supporting global girls' education, Bella, Kate, and Gwyn share the highs, challenges, and surprises of their senior projects. Whether you're a rising senior or just curious...

For our first podcast of 2025, we launch a new four-part miniseries entitled "Our Second Century" in celebration of our centennial. Over the next four podcasts, we will talk to coaches, student leaders, administrative leaders, and members of our religion and campus ministry team about precious Oak Knoll tenets and how we carry those across the threshold into our next century as a school. We begin...

As the summer draws to a close and we enter the 2024-25 school year, Oak Knoll steps through a momentous threshold. We enter our 100 th year as a Catholic educational institution indelibly connected to the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and the visionary pedagogical dreams of Cornelia Connelly. Delayed somewhat by the pandemic but kicking into full gear almost a year and a half ago, a centennial...

Oak Knoll's 4x400 relay racers recently concluded what has become the winningest winter track season in Oak Knoll history. School and individual records were shattered right and left, and the relay team ended the Nike national meet by racing among the best in the country and being selected as All-American Athletes. (4:18 mins)

For this edition of the Happy Kid Project, we thought we'd introduce you to some of the members of the Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll who recently helped the DEIJ Department organize a special assembly on African American Alumna in the Arts. The club was established at Oak Knoll well over a quarter of a century ago, and these current members tell us a little about what they think the club adds t...

We take a moment to share a longstanding tradition at Oak Knoll. Each year, a special day is designated for each grade level in the Upper School to get away from campus, slow down, and take stock of where they are as students and members of the larger community. Michele Van-Kalsbeck, Director of Campus Ministry, tells us why. (5:06 mins)

On Thursday, February 22, the Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll welcomed Upper School students to a special assembly celebrating African Americans and the Arts. From literature to performance, African Americans' creativity has shaped culture, inspired generations, and enriched our lives. This special assembly presented an esteemed panel of alumnae who spoke about their journey, experiences, achieve...

During the first weeks of the 2023-2024 school year, Oak Knoll unveiled and launched a new "house system" — which sets a historical precedent and will give students a joyous tradition for playful competition and familial pride for generations to come. In the short podcast, Assistant Athletic Director Melissa White explains the idea's origin and how the houses were chosen. You can also read about t...

In addition to academics, Oak Knoll has always placed a high value on social-emotional health. Zoe Harmaty '25 took it upon herself to add to available resources and instigated a brand new speaker series at Oak Knoll called "Chasing Excellence." We like to say that Oak Knoll students live by faith, learn by doing, and lead by example. Harmaty is certainly an example of this. She's a student with a...

According to the National Retail Federation's seasonal trends report, one hundred sixty million Americans bought candy this past Halloween, spending 2.6 million dollars over Halloween on candy alone. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and the candy-consuming giant Easter on the horizon, this country is producing hundreds of millions of tons of candy wrappers that are likely ending up in lan...

Oak Knoll has an extremely robust offering of student-run clubs. With over 60 in the Upper School and dozens more in the Lower school, students with a particular passion they wish to share have the opportunity to propose their club, and if approved, rally other students to join them in that mission. In this short podcast we pop in on a recent Upper School Club Fair — where students promote their c...

For an endurance bike rider, a "century" is the term for a 100 mile ride. Imagine performing over 30 centuries in six weeks! That's what Track and Field Coach Mickey Cassu undertook over the summer when he rode from coast to coast across the United States. Listen to Coach Cassu narrating his exciting trip in this short podcast. (6:34 mins)

Welcome back to a whole new season of the Happy Kid Project. Throughout the upcoming school year, we hope to bring you a variety of student voices so you can hear in there own words how Oak Knoll is a school that cultivates people with purpose. But seeing as school only just began, we thought we'd use this episode to introduce you to some wonderful adults that are just joining the community. We co...

In the Spring of 2023, our 4x800 track and field relay team was proactively invited to compete in the historic Penn Relays — the country's oldest and largest track and field competition. The invitation was a watershed moment and further affirmation for our fleet-footed athletes. Whether it is cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, or track and field in the Spring, Oak Knoll is maki...

On Thursday night, April 20th at 7:00 pm a truly newsworthy event will take place in the Tisdall Hall gymnasium at Oak Knoll. In this short podcast, Kelly Childs, 7-year Oak Knoll Athletic Director, former Assistant Commissioner at the Big East Conference, and former Athletic Director for Marketing at Seton Hall University, tells us about the upcoming powerhouse women in sports panel entitled "Cel...

Join us on Friday, April 21st at 7:00 pm in the Mother Mary Campion Performing Arts Center where multiple creative arts disciplines will converge for our annual Dance Concert. Listen to this short podcast as Creative Arts Teacher Carlee Bennett describes what's in store! Admission is free but reservations are recommended. Call 900-522-8150 or email carlee.bennett@oakknoll.org.

During a three-day Community Impact Symposium in Washington DC, four Oak Knoll high school students gathered with students from across the country to share ideas on how they could make more positive and systemic changes in their school and local communities. The goal was to work in teams to identify various approaches taken to local, state, and national levels and work with their schoolmates to dr...

With the addition of two new full-time faculty in the Upper School, the Creative Arts Department at Oak Knoll is spreading it's wings. Music teacher Teresa Gotanco and Theater Teacher Lisa Bodollo joined the team for the 2022-2023 school year and they are collaborating with an ensemble of students to stage a particularly challenging musical, James and the Giant Peach. Here is Teresa Gotanco with s...

Rhetoric. For many it sounds like a negative word. And yes, rhetoric can be used to persuade people to do very bad things. But on the flip side, Mr. Ben Oxford's 11 th grade AP Literature and Composition students are learning that rhetoric can often be deployed in very good and nuanced ways to bring about positive change. Though Mr. Oxford applies rhetorical analysis to many of his students projec...

It was the summer after her graduation from Georgetown University. She was all set to enjoy a few months off and then start her professional career at a new job in Boston. She finally had some time to schedule corrective surgery for a Brain AVM that had been plaguing her with terrible migraines since the age of seven. Everything was about to change. At a special assembly, Oak Knoll graduate Maddi...

It seems that school's have been teaching the sciences in a certain order dating back to the launching of Sputnik and the cold war period, but Oak Knoll has decided to re-order that sequence in a way that makes more sense for students of today.

For this, our last podcast of the calendar year, we take you on an auditory tour through the month of December at Oak Knoll. Share in the Christmas spirit and enjoy this fun collage of activities – from decking the halls to icing gingerbread houses, from trees engineered out of books to pre-kindergarten singalongs. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.