The Happy Kid Project

The Happy Kid Project — by Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, a private Catholic PK-12 school in Summit, New Jersey — explores how students grow into their most joyful, purposeful, and empowered selves.

Capping It Off with Milan Jones '25: Inside the Senior Capstone Experience 05/30/2025

Capping It Off with Milan Jones '25: Inside the Senior Capstone Experience In this special episode of The Happy Kid Project, host and senior Milan Jones '25 sits down with fellow Oak Knoll classmates to talk all things Capstone. From interning with a civil rights lawyer to redesigning interiors and supporting global girls' education, Bella, Kate, and Gwyn share the highs, challenges, and surprises of their senior projects. Whether you’re a rising senior or just curious about what it means to “cap off” your Oak Knoll journey with purpose, this episode offers firsthand insight and advice you won’t want to miss. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/36791985

Coaching for the Next Century (6:32 mins) 01/22/2025

Coaching for the Next Century (6:32 mins) For our first podcast of 2025, we launch a new four-part miniseries entitled "Our Second Century" in celebration of our centennial. Over the next four podcasts, we will talk to coaches, student leaders, administrative leaders, and members of our religion and campus ministry team about precious Oak Knoll tenets and how we carry those across the threshold into our next century as a school. We begin with members of our coaching staff. (6:32 mins) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/34960595

Meet the Oak Knoll Centennial Committee 07/22/2024

Meet the Oak Knoll Centennial Committee As the summer draws to a close and we enter the 2024-25 school year, Oak Knoll steps through a momentous threshold. We enter our 100th year as a Catholic educational institution indelibly connected to the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and the visionary pedagogical dreams of Cornelia Connelly. Delayed somewhat by the pandemic but kicking into full gear almost a year and a half ago, a centennial committee has been hard at work collaborating to ensure the coming school year is filled with fun events, a rich understanding of our history, and an exciting look ahead at the schools’ next century. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/32246122

An All-American Relay Team (4:18 mins.) 04/12/2024

An All-American Relay Team (4:18 mins.) Oak Knoll's 4x400 relay racers recently concluded what has become the winningest winter track season in Oak Knoll history. School and individual records were shattered right and left, and the relay team ended the Nike national meet by racing among the best in the country and being selected as All-American Athletes. (4:18 mins) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/30797768

The Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll (5:51 mins) 04/03/2024

The Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll (5:51 mins) For this edition of the Happy Kid Project, we thought we’d introduce you to some of the members of the Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll who recently helped the DEIJ Department organize a special assembly on African American Alumna in the Arts. The club was established at Oak Knoll well over a quarter of a century ago, and these current members tell us a little about what they think the club adds to the Oak Knoll community, and they share their thoughts on what the special assembly meant to them. (5:51 mins) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/30667833

Reflection Days: An Oak Knoll Tradition (5:06 mins) 03/01/2024

Reflection Days: An Oak Knoll Tradition (5:06 mins) We take a moment to share a longstanding tradition at Oak Knoll. Each year, a special day is designated for each grade level in the Upper School to get away from campus, slow down, and take stock of where they are as students and members of the larger community. Michele Van-Kalsbeck, Director of Campus Ministry, tells us why. (5:06 mins) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/30189768

Alumnae in the Arts Highlighted in Special Black History Month Assembly (39 mins) 02/23/2024

Alumnae in the Arts Highlighted in Special Black History Month Assembly (39 mins) On Thursday, February 22, the Black Scholars Club at Oak Knoll welcomed Upper School students to a special assembly celebrating African Americans and the Arts. From literature to performance, African Americans’ creativity has shaped culture, inspired generations, and enriched our lives. This special assembly presented an esteemed panel of alumnae who spoke about their journey, experiences, achievements, and the ongoing importance of diversity and representation in the arts. (39 mins) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/30085463

This Is Our House: Oak Knoll Launches Historic House System (4:48) 12/13/2023

This Is Our House: Oak Knoll Launches Historic House System (4:48) During the first weeks of the 2023-2024 school year, Oak Knoll unveiled and launched a new “house system" — which sets a historical precedent and will give students a joyous tradition for playful competition and familial pride for generations to come. In the short podcast, Assistant Athletic Director Melissa White explains the idea's origin and how the houses were chosen. You can also read about the new house system in this . (4:48 min) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/29062408

Chasing Excellence and Finding Balance (5:15 mins) 11/30/2023

Chasing Excellence and Finding Balance (5:15 mins) In addition to academics, Oak Knoll has always placed a high value on social-emotional health. Zoe Harmaty '25 took it upon herself to add to available resources and instigated a brand new speaker series at Oak Knoll called “Chasing Excellence.” We like to say that Oak Knoll students live by faith, learn by doing, and lead by example. Harmaty is certainly an example of this. She’s a student with a passion and a purpose, and she’s proving that education is about being in community, and being in community is about caring for those around you. (5:15 mins) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/28862003

Halloween Is a Wrap. Now What Do We Do With All Those Wrappers? 11/10/2023

Halloween Is a Wrap. Now What Do We Do With All Those Wrappers? 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) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/28586013

Oak Knoll's Club Culture 10/05/2023

Oak Knoll's Club Culture 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) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/28236539

Over 30 Centuries on a Bike 09/29/2023

Over 30 Centuries on a Bike 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) /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/28179005

Meet the Newbies 09/08/2023

Meet the Newbies 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, . /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/27982152

Building Momentum: Oak Knoll Track & Field Makes Its Presence Known 05/11/2023

Building Momentum: Oak Knoll Track & Field Makes Its Presence Known 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 a watershed 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. . /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/26810976

Oak Knoll Presents Powerhouse Women in Sports Panel 04/12/2023

Oak Knoll Presents Powerhouse Women in Sports Panel 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.” . /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/26520249

Dance the Night Away 03/24/2023

Dance the Night Away 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 [email protected]. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/26331081

A Vision for Community Impact 03/01/2023

A Vision for Community Impact During a 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/26093889

James and the Giant Peach Spotlights Creative Arts at Oak Knoll 02/22/2023

James and the Giant Peach Spotlights Creative Arts at Oak Knoll 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. . /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/26014494

MLK Jr. — A Rhetorical Analysis 02/15/2023

MLK Jr. — A Rhetorical Analysis 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. I’ll let him first explain what rhetorical analysis means in this context and then how he is using it to alter the ways in which his students approach both the man and his written and spoken work. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/25943622

Maddi Niebanck ’13: A Stroke of Luck 01/24/2023

Maddi Niebanck ’13: A Stroke of Luck It was the summer after her graduation from Georgetown University. She was all set to enjoy a few months off and then start her professional career at a new job in Boston. She finally had some time to schedule corrective surgery for a Brain AVM that had been plaguing her with terrible migraines since the age of seven. Everything was about to change. At a special assembly, Oak Knoll graduate Maddi Niebanck ’13 shares her incredible journey after suffering a near-fatal stroke at the age of 22. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/25716183

Physics First: Why Oak Knoll Students Learn Physics in 9th Grade 01/18/2023

Physics First: Why Oak Knoll Students Learn Physics in 9th Grade 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/25647249

The Christmas Spirit: An Audio Postcard 12/22/2022

The Christmas Spirit: An Audio Postcard 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/25408410

Cracking the Code: Computer Science Education Week at Oak Knoll 12/12/2022

Cracking the Code: Computer Science Education Week at Oak Knoll 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/25303338

How Oak Knoll's Writing Center Cultivates Student Leadership 11/30/2022

How Oak Knoll's Writing Center Cultivates Student Leadership 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/25178829

Being in Community With Others - Service Day 11/16/2022

Being in Community With Others - Service Day 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/25040460

How Oak Knoll's Peer Leader Program Builds Confidence, Community 10/31/2022

How Oak Knoll's Peer Leader Program Builds Confidence, Community From Peer to Leader: We talk with Oak Knoll senior Laura R. '23, Peer Leader Head Coordinator, about how the program promotes social and emotional health and leadership skills in students. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/24852864

29th Annual Oak Knoll Royal Boutique 10/24/2022

29th Annual Oak Knoll Royal Boutique 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/24780795

Episode 6: Volunteering and Giving Back 09/09/2022

Episode 6: Volunteering and Giving Back Oak Knoll welcomed Richard Uniacke, President of , 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 . /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/24326238

Episode 5: Getting Involved at OKS 08/11/2022

Episode 5: Getting Involved at OKS 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/24028644

Episode 4: Mental Health and Athletics 05/18/2022

Episode 4: Mental Health and Athletics 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. /episode/index/show/oakknoll/id/23157593

The Happy Kid Project

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