When I am asked to describe Oakbrook to someone who is not familiar with the school, I am reminded of a passage from John (John 1: 37-39) when a couple of John’s disciples had heard of Jesus and came to find out if John’s witness were reliable. They said, “Rabbi, where dwellest thou?” Jesus’ response was simply: “Come and see.” We know what happened as a result of their experience.

Charles Dickens in Hard Times described the travails of poor Sissy Jupe who was relegated to a number in a school system that stifled creativity and independent learning. She was destined to be a robotic imitation of her instructors or to be cast aside as a failure without an opportunity to develop her talents and cast rays of sunshine on a bleak, forbidding world.

When you walk through the halls of Oakbrook, you will not find Sissy Jupe crying in the shadows of frustration and failure. Instead, you may find her on stage discovering her voice as an actress, in the band auditioning for All-state, in front of the classroom explaining the architectural designs of the Roman aqueducts, or driving nails to help build a Habitat for Humanity home. You may also find her mentoring a younger student to assist with a reading assignment or demonstrating the art of goal-keeping at a soccer clinic. You may also find her in a one-on-one conference with a teacher after class as she seeks help with a difficult math concept.

Sissy Jupe will be allowed to build on her dreams. She will receive the academic foundation that will be necessary for her to pursue a college education, but she will not have been subjected to a curriculum of rote memorization. She will have been encouraged to become an independent learner in an environment where she had the cooperative support of family, teachers, administrators, and peers. She will have been valued for being unique and will be able to leave Oakbrook with the confidence to find and follow God’s purpose for her life.

She will be “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” This is our vision of the Oakbrook experience. Come and see.

-Steve Smith