Thanks to the annual MacMaster Grant, two Oak Knoll colleagues turned summer days into once-in-a-lifetime adventures — returning recharged, inspired, and ready to pour that wonder back into our community.

From Kilimanjaro’s foothills to Zanzibar’s shores

Security Officer Jean Sawadogo journeyed to Tanzania and Zanzibar, where he ventured to the base of the dormant volcano Mount Kilimanjaro, experienced a safari, and immersed himself in the region’s culture.

“I would like to sincerely thank the MacMaster family for the generous grant that enabled me to fulfill one of my greatest dreams,” Sawadogo said. “I am also deeply grateful to the Oak Knoll School administrators for their support in making this journey possible.

“I will also never forget the warm welcome of the Tanzanian people, the kindness of the Maasai community, the freshness of the natural food, the pure water of Zanzibar, and of course, the breathtaking wildlife,” he added. “Every moment was filled with beauty and wonder.”

Sawadogo expressed a hope to return to Tanzania one day.

A family voyage across the Caribbean

Kim Connolly, Lower School Associate Director of Innovation and Integration and Oak Knoll parent, set sail with her family on a Caribbean cruise. Departing from Galveston, Texas, they sampled new cuisines, snorkeled in turquoise waters, and capped their trip with a visit to the Houston Space Center.

“I am deeply grateful to the MacMaster family for their generosity in making this once-in-a-lifetime family experience possible,” Connolly said. “With the award, my husband, our four children, and I were able to embark on an extraordinary journey together, one filled with admiration, discovery, and joy.”

A Grant that Grows Our People and Mission

Established in memory of Katie MacMaster, a joyful Oak Knoll seventh grader who passed away in 2002, the MacMaster Grant honors her love for teachers, music, poetry, athletics, and life itself. Through the generosity of the Forbes and MacMaster families and many friends, the grant has, since 2002, opened doors for dozens of faculty and staff — and often their families — to explore the world for professional enrichment or personal renewal.

Recipients have celebrated a spouse’s birthday at the Grand Canyon, traced the roots of jazz in New Orleans, and joined a powerful European study tour led by a Holocaust survivor. Each journey broadens spiritual, intellectual, and cultural horizons of Oak Knoll’s faculty and staff — who, in turn, prepare students to embark on transformative experiences of their own.