Private Boarding School in New York State

Oakwood Friends School, New York:
Founded in 1796, Oakwood Friends School is New York State's oldest co-educational boarding and day school. Oakwood Friends School is an independent, college preparatory school serving grades 6-12. We are located in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County in New York's historic Hudson River Valley, midway between New York City and Albany, 136 miles north of New York City. The campus is approximately a 2 hour drive from New York City or Hartford, CT, and a 1 1/2 hour drive from Albany. Oakwood Friends School focuses on the individual learner and on cultivating a diversified community of students and staff in an atmosphere of mutual respect and enrichment. As a Quaker school, Oakwood gives every student an important voice in the life of our school community. We want students to get to know themselves, build a strong personal identity, develop healthy friendships, and gain leadership skills.

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* Provides rigorous academic preparation based on primary texts and hands-on learning.
* Respects the mind and imagination of students and focuses on intellectual skills and habits.
* Encourages powerful thinkers whose abilities are nurtured through artful teaching, thoughtful assessment, and individual attention.
* Fosters an accepting environment based upon the Quaker principle that each individual is worthy and capable of meaningful insight and truth.
* Provides an array of opportunities in the arts, athletics, and learning experiences beyond the campus to encourage creativity, self-expression, cooperation, and team-work.
* Guides students toward the responsibilities of community life and community involvement, through leadership and service both on the campus and beyond.
* Creates and sustains a vibrant residential and educational community that embraces students in grades six through twelve as well as faculty and families representing every stage of life and a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds.

Oakwood Friends School, guided by Quaker principles, educates and strengthens young people for lives of conscience, compassion and accomplishment. Students experience a challenging curriculum within a diverse community, dedicated to nurturing the spirit, the scholar, the artist and the athlete in each person.

Programs:
- Boarding Program for Grades 9-12
- Day Program for Grades 6-12
- Middle School
- Upper School

In addition to academic subjects such as Literature, writing, modern languages, history, mathematics, science and computer literacy we offer a full range of programs in music, drama, and visual arts, all of them emphasizing the process of creation.

Boarding facilities are availbel for upper school students. About half of our upper school students choose to board on campus either because their families live too far away from the school, or because they wish to use the time that would be otherwise spent commuting for study, athletics, arts and recreation. The residential community on campus numbers over 100 students and faculty, 12 dogs, many cats, and several farm animals.

The on-campus community becomes especially close by virtue of living together and sharing so many daily experiences. Many students find boarding life an excellent way to begin preparing for the independence of college. At the same time, travel home for weekends or vacations is convenient, given the school's proximity to train lines and other forms of transportation.

Boarding students are housed in Craig Dormitory, a friendly residence located near the campus dining hall. The dorm is also home to four faculty families who serve as dormitory parents, supported by four other teachers who live on campus. Students live in double rooms on single-sex hallways, with easy access to lounges, a kitchen, and laundry facilities. There is a computer laboratory in the dormitory as well as a wireless network.

The dining hall serves three nutritious meals each day and is a happy gathering place for students and faculty. Weekends include a variety of activities, including trips to local museums and points of interest, hikes or ski trips, excursions to Manhattan, athletic and theater events, or simply sleeping late, watching movies, and studying quietly.

All students at Oakwood are introduced to the history and testimonies of Quakerism through a regularly scheduled academic class, and all students and faculty participate together in weekly Meeting for Worship. This gathering, which lasts just over one half hour, takes the form of expectant silence, growing from the Quaker belief that each of us has a measure of divine spirit within. From time to time, a member of the gathered group – student or faculty member - may rise and share a brief message. There may also be long periods of silence. The gathering concludes when members greet one another with a handshake.

Members of the school community use this time in different ways. Some might say they reflect peacefully and quietly; some might say that they pray or meditate. Some find it a healthy way to settle their mind and to focus their attention. We ask simply that all members of the school community respect the silence and listen attentively and openly to spoken messages. All of us gain something from this time of stillness and reflection.

Graduates tell us that the personal and group affirmation brought about by the Quaker ethos of the school is one of Oakwood's most important qualities.

In keeping with Oakwood Friends School 's mission of educating and strengthening young people for lives of conscience, compassion and accomplishment, community service plays an integral role in the life of students and faculty. Whether it is through our bi-annual Workshare Day, grade level community service retreats, or weekly volunteer rotations off campus, students are finding ways to reach out beyond Oakwood's campus and make an impact on the surrounding community.