The Happy Kid Project
Halloween Is a Wrap. No What Do We Do With All Those Wrappers? (5:17)
Season 4, Episode 4: Published November 10, 2023
According to the National Retail Federation's seasonal trends report, one hundred sixty million Americans bought candy this past Halloween, spending 2.6 million dollars over Halloween on candy alone. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and the candy-consuming giant Easter on the horizon, this country is producing hundreds of millions of tons of candy wrappers that are likely ending up in landfills. Thanks to a seventh grader at Oak Knoll with a bright idea and the partnership of the student-run Green Team at Oak Knoll, those wrappers are heading in a different direction. (5:17 mins)
Oak Knoll's Club Culture (7:05)
Season 4, Episode 3: Published October 5, 2023
Oak Knoll has an extremely robust offering of student-run clubs. With over 60 in the Upper School and dozens more in the Lower school, students with a particular passion they wish to share have the opportunity to propose their club, and if approved, rally other students to join them in that mission. In this short podcast we pop in on a recent Upper School Club Fair — where students promote their club offerings to their classmates. (7:05 mins)
Over 30 Centuries on a Bike (6:34)
Season 4, Episode 2: Published September 29, 2023
For an endurance bike rider, a "century" is the term for a 100 mile ride. Imagine performing over 30 centuries in six weeks! That's what Track and Field Coach Mickey Cassu undertook over the summer when he rode from coast to coast across the United States. Listen to Coach Cassu narrating his exciting trip in this short podcast. (6:34 mins)
Meet the Newbies(5:49)
Season 4, Episode 1: Published September 8, 2023
Welcome back to a whole new season of the Happy Kid Project. Throughout the upcoming school year, we hope to bring you a variety of student voices so you can hear in there own words how Oak Knoll is a school that cultivates people with purpose. But seeing as school only just began, we thought we’d use this episode to introduce you to some wonderful adults that are just joining the community. We couldn’t get to them all, but here are just a few of our new faculty and staff as we came together the week before school began to get to know each other and the school during orientation and in-service days. You will find a complete list of new faculty and staff, along with their credentials, here.
Building Momentum: Oak Knoll Track & Field Makes Its Presence Known (5:12)
Season 3, Episode 13: Published May 11, 2023
In the Spring of 2023, our 4x800 track and field relay team was proactively invited to compete in the historic Penn Relays — the country’s oldest and largest track and field competition. The invitation was an historic moment and further affirmation for our fleet-footed athletes. Whether it is cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, or track and field in the Spring, Oak Knoll is making its presence known. In this short podcast (5:12 mins), Coach Mickey Cassu and our Senior Team Captains share thoughts on why our teams are doing so well.
Oak Knoll Presents Powerhouse Women in Sports Panel (5:49)
Season 3, Episode 12: Published April 12, 2023
On Thursday night, April 20th at 7:00 pm a truly newsworthy event will take place in the Tisdall Hall gymnasium at Oak Knoll. In this short podcast, Kelly Childs, 7-year Oak Knoll Athletic Director, former Assistant Commissioner at the Big East Conference, and former Athletic Director for Marketing at Seton Hall University, tells us about the upcoming powerhouse women in sports panel entitled “Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX at Oak Knoll.” Register here.
Dance the Night Away
Season 3, Episode 11: Published March 28, 2023
Join us on Friday, April 21st at 7:00 pm in the Mother Mary Campion Performing Arts Center where multiple creative arts disciplines will converge for our annual Dance Concert. Listen to this short podcast as Creative Arts Teacher Carlee Bennett describes what's in store! Admission is free but reservations are recommended. Call 900-522-8150 or email carlee.bennett@oakknoll.org.
A Vision for Community Impact
Season 3, Episode 10: Published March 1, 2023
During a recent three-day Community Impact Symposium in Washington DC, four Oak Knoll High School students gathered with students from across the country to share ideas on how they could make more positive and systemic changes in their school and local communities. The goal was to work in teams to identify various approaches taken to local, state, and national levels and work with their schoolmates to draft a vision statement and action strategy to take back home to Oak Knoll.
James and the Giant Peach Spotlights Creative Arts at Oak Knoll
Season 3, Episode 9: Published February 22, 2023
With the addition of two new full-time faculty in the Upper School, the Creative Arts Department at Oak Knoll is spreading it’s wings. Music teacher Teresa Gotanco and Theater Teacher Lisa Bodollo joined the team for the 2022-2023 school year and they are collaborating with an ensemble of students to stage a particularly challenging musical, James and the Giant Peach. Here is Teresa Gotanco with some highlights including a sneak peak at the performance.
MLK Jr. — A Rhetorical Analysis
Season 3, Episode 8: Published February 15, 2023
Rhetoric. For many it sounds like a negative word. And yes, rhetoric can be used to persuade people to do very bad things. But on the flip side, Mr. Ben Oxford’s 11th grade AP Literature and Composition students are learning that rhetoric can often be deployed in very good and nuanced ways to bring about positive change. Though Mr. Oxford applies rhetorical analysis to many of his students projects, during Black History Month, he is asking his students to break down some famous works by Martin Luther King Jr.
Physics First: Why Oak Knoll Students Learn Physics in 9th Grade
Season 3, Episode 7: Published January 18, 2023
It seems that school's have been teaching the sciences in a certain order dating back to the launching of Sputnik and the cold war period, but Oak Knoll has decided to re-order that sequence in a way that makes more sense for students of today.
The Christmas Spirit: An Audio Postcard
Season 3, Episode 6: Published December 22, 2022
For this, our last podcast of the calendar year, we take you on an auditory tour through the month of December at Oak Knoll. Share in the Christmas spirit and enjoy this fun collage of activities – from decking the halls to icing gingerbread houses, from trees engineered out of books to pre-kindergarten singalongs. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Cracking the Code: Computer Science Education Week at Oak Knoll
Season 3, Episode 5: Published December 12, 2022
Audio postcards from Oak Knoll's Lower School as our youngest learners celebrate Computer Science Education Week. Gain an audio glimpse into our PK-6 classrooms as students delve into the world of coding, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
How Oak Knoll's Writing Center Cultivates Student Leadership
Season 3, Episode 4: Published November 30, 2022
Oak Knoll's Writing Center provides a unique opportunity for middle and high school students to take on leadership roles while supporting their peers. Hear how the Writing Center increases student confidence, leadership skills, and academic excellence in a safe and supportive space.
Being in Community With Others - Service Day
Season 3, Episode 3: Published November 16, 2022
Hear how Oak Knoll instills a sense of service in students, connecting their own experiences and the needs of the wider world. We sit down with Michele Van Kalsbeck, Oak Knoll's Director of Campus Ministry and Theology Teacher, about our annual day of service. During this episode, she talks about using this day as an essential jumping-off point to remind students that being in service is a mindset that should be ever-present rather than an activity performed for others.
29th Annual Oak Knoll Royal Boutique
Season 3, Episode 1: Published October 24, 2022
Oak Knoll invites members of the community to join us on campus for the 29th Annual Royal Boutique on November 3-5, 2022. More than 35 vendors from around the country participate, including homegoods, jewelry, holiday decor and gifts, and more.
Volunteering and Giving Back
Season 2, Episode 6: Published September 9, 2022
Oak Knoll welcomed Richard Uniacke, President of Bridges Outreach, to talk about how students can get involved in the fight to end homelessness, stand out and give back in a meaningful way, and support the organization's overall mission by participating in the upcoming Streets 2 Homes 5K event.
Getting Involved at OKS
Season 2, Episode 5: Published August 11, 2022
We chat with rising senior Zahra Jones '23 ahead of the 2022-23 school year about the many ways students can get involved at Oak Knoll.
Mental Health and Athletics
Season 2, Episode 4: Published May 18, 2022
A special Mental Health Awareness Month episode featuring a recent presentation on student-athletes and the pressures associated with competing in competitive sports. Featuring: Dr. Kelly Childs, Oak Knoll School Athletic Director; Dr. Melissa Maskery, Oak Knoll’s Athletic Trainer; Christine Mahoney, Oak Knoll's Upper School Counselor; and Dr. Ashley M. Zultanky, a Certified School Psychologist and clinical psychology postdoctoral Fellow at Behavior Therapy Associates.
The Importance of Black History Month
Season 2, Episode 3: Published February 15, 2022
Melissa Miller, Oak Knoll’s Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice sits down with Desiree Mitchell ’23, Oak Knoll junior and leader of the Black Scholars Club, discussing the importance of February’s Black History Month and celebrating Black history all year-round.
The Science of SEL
Season 2, Episode 2: Published January 19, 2022
Regina Cherill, Oak Knoll's Lower School Science Teacher for grades 4-6, talks about the importance of weaving social and emotional learning into the science and math curriculum.
Building Confidence in Middle School Girls
Season 2, Episode 1: Published September 26, 2021
After unveiling the school's new confidence-building signature program, EmpowHER, this fall, we caught up with Upper School Division Head Kathryn McGroarty to discuss the confidence gap in middle school girls and how Oak Knoll empowers its young students.About
The Happy Kid Project — the official podcast for Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, a private Catholic PK-12 school in Summit, New Jersey — will offer parents and caregivers helpful tips and vital, timely information necessary to raise happy and healthy kids
