Nomination Deadline: March 19, 2012
The Angela Metzger Memorial Award annually acknowledges exceptional members of Oak Knoll who exemplify the principles of Holy Child education and the mission statement and beliefs of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child.
Origin of the Award
Angela (nee Serpe) Metzger – homemaker, published writer, avid reader, active churchwoman, and volunteer – died on November 29, 2006, in Summit, New Jersey. For nearly half of her lifetime, Angela offered her gifts to Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child as a mother, an educator, a trustee, a fundraiser, and finally a grandmother. Angela Metzger encompassed the characteristics of a Holy Child woman – intelligent, compassionate, confident in her own voice, and determined to make a difference in our world.
Two weeks before her death, Angela wrote a letter of resignation from the Oak Knoll Board of Trustees. In it, she referred to the tenets of the school and its foundress, Cornelia Connelly:
“The religious component is so important – it gives the child a sense of worth (God loves you) and a sense of purpose (go into the world)…We need to pay heed to Cornelia’s words, indeed the words of Jesus: love God and love your neighbor as yourself…This grounded approach helps the child be all he or she can be…The ethos exists to give life to children under its care so they can be life givers on their own… Please be careful with Oak Knoll and its legacy …it is about whole persons who are children of God.”
The faculty, administration, and staff are legendary within our own circles for caring about and living the philosophy, but the task in today’s world is especially difficult. At a time of advancing technology, maintaining the vital human aspects of interactions in education is ever more difficult. In a world seemingly pushing towards dehumanizing, the challenge is to humanize.
To reward and enhance that commitment, it was decided after Angela’s death to establish a memorial fund. Two annual cash awards of $5,000 each will be available; one award will be made to a person associated with the Lower School and one to a person in the Upper School.