Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child
Encyclopedia
Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child is a Catholic
independent school in Summit
, New Jersey
, United States. It is coeducation
al from kindergarten to grade 6 and for young women in grades 7 to 12. The school operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1992.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 550 students and 80.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.8. Oak Knoll enrolls on average 240 students in the Lower School and 310 students in the Upper School. The Lower and Upper School student/faculty ratio is 8 to 1. The average class size in kindergarten is 11; for grades 1 through 6 the average class size is 17; and grades 7 through 12 the average class size 15. The school looks to enroll a select student population with a grade size of 32 to 36 in kindergarten through grade 8, and a grade size of 56 to 62 in grades 9 through 12.
Oak Knoll was founded in 1924 and is one of eleven schools in the Holy Child Network of Schools that provides independent Catholic education across the United States. The Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus
have also founded schools in England, Ireland, France, Nigeria, and Ghana. All Holy Child schools operate under the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, based in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
. Oak Knoll shares the goals of the Schools of the Holy Child Jesus.
The school is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
.
. Several properties were considered, and the estate of William Zebdee Larned was acquired in May 1924.
The 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) site included the stone manor house, "Stoneover" (now known as "Grace Hall"), built in 1887. A stable, located where Connelly Hall now stands, provided gym and classroom space for the Junior School. Two houses on Prospect Street also contained classrooms and convent space. In 1954, Bonaventura Hall was constructed for the elementary grades, and in 1956, construction on the new Upper School, Connelly Hall, was completed.
Renovation and growth characterized the 1990s, with the renovation of the Lower School Library in 1992, addition of the Tisdall Hall athletic complex and expansion of the Upper School Library in 1993, renovation of the Grace Hall Chapel in 1994, completion of the Campion Center for the Performing Arts in 1995, and modernization of the Aileen Maury Dining Hall in 1997. From modest beginnings, numbering just 17 students, Oak Knoll's current enrollment exceeds 500 students.
In 2004, Oak Knoll completed construction of athletic fields, located five miles (8 km) away in Chatham Township.
, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. Before the realignment in 2010, Oak Knoll School had participated in the Mountain Valley Conference
, which consisted of 16 public and parochial high schools covering Union County
and Essex County
in northern New Jersey.
The girls lacrosse team won the 2005 North B state championship with an 8-4 win over Mountain Lakes High School
.
In 2007, the field hockey team won the North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over Pompton Lakes High School
in the tournament final. The team moved on to win the Group I State Championship with a 2-1 win over Shore Regional High School
in the semis and a 4-0 win against Holy Cross High School in the finals.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
independent school in Summit
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States. It is coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al from kindergarten to grade 6 and for young women in grades 7 to 12. The school operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jersey counties of Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex .-History:Originally established as the Diocese of...
. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1992.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 550 students and 80.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.8. Oak Knoll enrolls on average 240 students in the Lower School and 310 students in the Upper School. The Lower and Upper School student/faculty ratio is 8 to 1. The average class size in kindergarten is 11; for grades 1 through 6 the average class size is 17; and grades 7 through 12 the average class size 15. The school looks to enroll a select student population with a grade size of 32 to 36 in kindergarten through grade 8, and a grade size of 56 to 62 in grades 9 through 12.
Oak Knoll was founded in 1924 and is one of eleven schools in the Holy Child Network of Schools that provides independent Catholic education across the United States. The Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus
Society of the Holy Child Jesus
The Society of the Holy Child Jesus is an international community of nuns that was founded in England in 1846 by Philadelphia-born Cornelia Connelly. Cornelia converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1835. The Society was approved in 1887 by Pope Leo XIII, and the rules and constitutions were...
have also founded schools in England, Ireland, France, Nigeria, and Ghana. All Holy Child schools operate under the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, based in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Drexel Hill is a census-designated place in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel Hill is located southwest of Center City, Philadelphia and is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area...
. Oak Knoll shares the goals of the Schools of the Holy Child Jesus.
The school is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students...
.
History
Founded in 1924, Oak Knoll's roots go back to 1846, when Cornelia Connelly founded the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and opened her first school in England. The Provincial Council of the Society of the Holy Jesus responded to a need identified by the Bishop of Newark for a Catholic School for girls. In January 1924, the Society received permission from Rome to open a school in Summit, New JerseySummit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
. Several properties were considered, and the estate of William Zebdee Larned was acquired in May 1924.
The 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) site included the stone manor house, "Stoneover" (now known as "Grace Hall"), built in 1887. A stable, located where Connelly Hall now stands, provided gym and classroom space for the Junior School. Two houses on Prospect Street also contained classrooms and convent space. In 1954, Bonaventura Hall was constructed for the elementary grades, and in 1956, construction on the new Upper School, Connelly Hall, was completed.
Renovation and growth characterized the 1990s, with the renovation of the Lower School Library in 1992, addition of the Tisdall Hall athletic complex and expansion of the Upper School Library in 1993, renovation of the Grace Hall Chapel in 1994, completion of the Campion Center for the Performing Arts in 1995, and modernization of the Aileen Maury Dining Hall in 1997. From modest beginnings, numbering just 17 students, Oak Knoll's current enrollment exceeds 500 students.
In 2004, Oak Knoll completed construction of athletic fields, located five miles (8 km) away in Chatham Township.
Athletics
Oak Knoll School now competes in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic ConferenceUnion County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
The Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference is a New Jersey high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association...
, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
. Before the realignment in 2010, Oak Knoll School had participated in the Mountain Valley Conference
Mountain Valley Conference
The Mountain Valley Conference was a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . The conference consisted of sixteen public and parochial high schools covering Union County and Essex County in northern New Jersey...
, which consisted of 16 public and parochial high schools covering Union County
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...
and Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
in northern New Jersey.
The girls lacrosse team won the 2005 North B state championship with an 8-4 win over Mountain Lakes High School
Mountain Lakes High School
Mountain Lakes High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Mountain Lakes, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Mountain Lakes Schools...
.
In 2007, the field hockey team won the North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over Pompton Lakes High School
Pompton Lakes High School
Pompton Lakes High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the borough of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Pompton Lakes School District. The school accepts students from Pompton Lakes as well as those from Riverdale who attend as part of a...
in the tournament final. The team moved on to win the Group I State Championship with a 2-1 win over Shore Regional High School
Shore Regional High School
Shore Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students from four communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The high school serves students from the constituent municipalities of Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright and West Long Branch, where the school...
in the semis and a 4-0 win against Holy Cross High School in the finals.
Extracurricular activities
There are about 35 extracurricular activities available to Upper School students at Oak Knoll. Beginning in 7th grade the students can choose from many activities.Notable alumni
- Aileen QuinnAileen QuinnAileen Marie Quinn is an American actress. She is best-known for having played the title role in the film Annie .-Biography:...
(class of 1989), actress, best known for her role as the title character of the 1982 movie AnnieAnnie (film)Annie is a 1982 American musical film directed by John Huston and choreographed by Arlene Phillips. The film is an adaption of the 1977 stage musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the 1924 Little Orphan Annie comic strip by Harold Gray. The movie features music by Charles Strouse,...
. - Terri Trespicio (class of 1993), senior editor at Martha Stewart's Body+SoulBody+SoulWhole Living is a health and lifestyle magazine geared towards "natural health, personal growth, and well-being," a concept the publishers refer to as "whole living." The magazine became a part of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in August 2004....
magazine and the host of the daily radio show "Whole Living" on Sirius' Martha Stewart Living Radio. - Lori Trespicio (class of 1997), star of MTV's famed reality television shows: The Real World: Back to New YorkThe Real World: Back to New YorkThe Real World: Back to New York is the tenth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships...
(2001) and "RW/RR Battle of the Sexes" (2003).
External links
- School website
- Oak Knoll School Of The Holy Child, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
.