Grade Level Retreats

Middle School

• Sixth graders sail to Catalina for three days to snorkel, kayak, and learn about sea and wildlife. They explore tide pools and study various life forms around them as part of their Life Science curriculum. They laugh a lot, bond with teachers and friends, and become more unified as a class.
• In the seventh grade, students spend three days in the mountains as part of the Earth Science class. They learn about wildlife habitats, ecology, conservation, and topography. Astronomy takes center stage on a night hike to view the stars.
• Eighth graders extend their U.S. History study by visiting the historic east coast for seven days. In addition to visiting the traditional sites like Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Washington D.C., etc. Oaks students also explore various college opportunities and often receive tours by our very own Oaks alums.

High School

In the spirit of the independent school tradition, our students have the opportunity to grow in self-reliance and in building community through various class retreats.

• 9th Grade: As freshman, students travel down the Colorado river, learning about the environment, life, and one another. Faculty attend as chaperones, facilitating a "living curriculum" by modeling Christ to the students everyday and encouraging them all along the river. The trip is a great beginning of what surely can be a wonderful four-year experience for this great group of students.
• 10th Grade: During a one day retreat, students take a respite from the rigorous of academic life and spend time playing together and bonding as a sophomore class. The retreat includes individual and group times designed to nurture the soul and build community.
• 11th Grade: The junior retreat focuses on college selection. Each year, juniors spend a day visiting a local college. While more than 60 colleges and universities visit Oaks each year, juniors spend at least this one day visiting a southern California institution. They receive a comprehensive tour and meet with admission office personnel.
• Senior Retreat: Seniors take two days away from campus at the beautiful Oakbridge Young Life Camp to reflect on their collective experience at Oaks and have one last hoorah as a graduating class. One of the seminal moments occurs when each student reads a series of letters written to them by faculty, staff, parents, and fellow students. In the end, students are given the opportunity to receive encouragement from their mentors and friends and hear the reflections of their fellow classmates.