Dear Oxbow Friends,

As this year has already proven, this is a year of change! Whether you are waiting in a long line for a vaccination, peering at the snowdrift growing outside your window, or perusing newly published books for your next good read, I would like to share some good news from the Oxbow front with you:

• Our long-time Director of Admissions, Holly McVeigh, will be moving to Vermont with her partner. As she puts it, “I cannot believe it's been nearly a decade at Oxbow! My partner and I have decided to sell our home and explore new places and new adventures. I will be living in Vermont and working as the Digital Content Manager for Farmhouse Pottery.” Holly has been a valued employee and loyal friend at Oxbow, working diligently for many years to attract the best students from across the country to join the Oxbow community. Her recruitment efforts have altered the life path of hundreds of students and, in the course of bringing them to us, changed our lives for the better as well. We look forward to fostering a continued partnership with Holly in a different capacity as she will still be available for future portfolio consultation and college counseling services. We are deeply grateful for her leadership and wish her the best in her next endeavors.

• While our campus is still quiet due to California restrictions related to the pandemic, we are offering a Virtual Academic Institute for a small cohort. The course is an interdisciplinary course that intersects the academic disciplines of history and English. We are studying the Cold War era, posing overarching questions to guide our inquiry -- "How has the Cold War shaped the world we live in today? What are the lasting legacies of the Cold War on contemporary global politics?" "How was the Cold War fought and how was it resolved?” In addition to looking at the politics, literature, and art of this era, we are using this chapter in history as a portal to explore how history itself is shaped through the first person perspective, personal narration, and storytelling.

• And, in the spirit of looking for a good read, we are reading Aftershocks: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Identity by Nadia Owusu. After reading only a few pages, you will discover Owusu’s adept ability to connect with the reader through her lyrical use of imagery and poignant ability to reveal a scarred internal landscape as an adult reflecting back on her childhood memories. This memoir will be used as a framework to explore and write about our own memories and experiences in the virtual class described above.

• We are on track to open for the Summer Art Institute where we will host a small cohort of students for an immersive 8-week summer term in the studios overlooking the scenic Napa river.

We are so grateful for your continued support as we weather through the pandemic. If you would like to make a donation to the school, please do so here. Every contribution -- big or small -- counts towards ensuring the school’s legacy and lasting impact on students moving forward. Due to your generosity, we awarded $760,000 in tuition aid for students in need last year. Let’s work together to do the same next year!

Warm Regards,
Jennifer Jordan
Head of School

The Oxbow School is now accepting Semester and Gap applications for the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 Semesters. We also are accepting registrations for our NEW 8-week Oxbow Summer Art Institute for 2021!

Students interested in the Fall 2021 + Spring 2022 Semesters should try to complete all parts of their application by our February 15th, 2021 application priority date. Applicants that complete by this date are in the best standing for early acceptance and our largest scholarships. After that date and first round of reviews, we will move into rolling admissions and will continue to accept students until both semesters are fully enrolled.

APPLY NOW!

NEW OXBOW SUMMER ART INSTITUTE
At the Oxbow Summer Art Institute students will have the opportunity to have the social, intellectual, and art experience that Oxbow is so well known for! Young artists are invited to immerse themselves with a customized course of creative study rooted in deep intellectual inquiry. In partnership with veteran faculty, students will create work towards an art portfolio and conclude the program with a seminal final project. This 8-week intensive is open to students in grades 10-12 as well as those taking a gap year before college.

NEW GAP SEMESTER PROGRAM
The Oxbow School is now offering a one of a kind Gap Semester! A small cohort of post-graduate students will have the opportunity to live and study at The Oxbow School. Selected students will propose and execute multi-disciplinary projects of their own design.

Register now for an Admissions Virtual Open House using the link below OR email us at admissions@oxbowschool.org to request an individual virtual Q&A.

Any amount large or small makes a huge difference in the lives of young people! Please consider giving and helping Oxbow in continuing to offer students life changing opportunities.