There's not a day that goes by where I'm not reminded of how I've grown at Oxbow. As I apply to colleges and begin to build my portfolio, these reminders become more prevalent. Oxbow for me was the push that I needed to reach my full potential and to develop from a boy to an upstanding young man. Not only has the program you offered improved by artwork visually but my work, thanks to your guidance and the guidance of the staff, has given my work meaning. Oxbow has become a pivotal point in my life and without it I would not be the ambitious person that I am today. I feel deeply gracious and privileged to have experienced the Oxbow School.

We received word yesterday from School of the Art Institute of Chicago that our son was selected for a merit scholarship based on his "personal vision and obvious commitment to his work."

We are particularly indebted to Oxbow for this and I wanted to write to let you know how much his Oxbow experience has meant to him. Oxbow gave our son a voice and a community. Under the nurturing attention of his wonderful teachers he learned that he had the intellectual capability to express himself and that his unique point of view was, in fact, an asset. He found a group of friends who were like him and who continue to be his community. Some of them will be joining him at SAIC this fall and will, as Stephen said at graduation, be the art world's next generation. Our son’s merit scholarship has, of course, significant financial implications for which we are grateful. But more than that, it is recognition of the great work that he did at Oxbow, work that clearly stood out as conceptual, sophisticated and promising. Oxbow gave him the technical foundation he needed to be able to make that work and it supported him in taking risk and following his voice.

As parents, David and I are, of course proud of our son and his accomplishments. Most of all, I want you to know that we are keenly aware of the impact Oxbow has had and will, we hope, continue to have on his life as a student and beyond. We want to thank all of you for your support of our son and are so thankful for the gift that Oxbow has given him.

I have found myself closing the gap between the person I am when I am alone or in my head, and the person I am around my friends at Oxbow. As a consequence, I have found so many people who share my sense of humor, mental processes, or fears, to an extent that I feel I have made closer bonds here than anywhere else.

The richness of the students’ experience at oxbow prepares them for the intense academic and studio opportunities that follow at colleges like Rhode Island School of Design.

Before I say anything, I would just like to thank you for the amazing opportunity you helped give me by being my advisor at Oxbow last year. I grew in ways I would never have thought, and I will never forget the experience I had.

Over my time at Oxbow I learned about the importance of doing work that you are passionate about. I learned that when I truly love doing something, I will work harder, and the work I do will not only be much more fulfilling, but also be better in quality. I used this knowledge later in the school year, by putting twists on school projects that would allow me to do them in ways I would enjoy. The end product was both more satisfying and much better.

During my time at Oxbow, I was very involved in the English class, because it focused on the creative and analytical side of the subject rather that the more conventional academic side.

At Oxbow, we students were treated as equals by the faculty. When discussing my artwork, I didn’t feel like I was a kid being talked to by an adult. I felt like I was an artist having a consultation and critique with a more experienced artist.

Finally, I want to thank you for being a mentor throughout my Oxbow experience. It was very important to me that someone who was as calm, approachable, and just plain cool, though out the whole program.

In college I plan to integrate art, music and my other interests including science, computers, and entrepreneurship. I’m applying to Liberal Arts Colleges (Bard, Wesleyan, Oberlin) and to one program that seems to have been designed with me in mind. USC has a new degree - the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. It’s a collaborative program which focuses not just on art, music and design but on integrating those subjects with invention and conceptual thinking. It’s my dream school. I’m also very interested in Bard and Wesleyan.

Oxbow gave Will a voice and a community. Under the nurturing attention of his wonderful teachers, he learned that he had the intellectual capability to express himself and that his unique point of view was, in fact, an asset.

I would like to that you and everyone at Oxbow for EVERYTHING you guys did for me. My whole experience in Napa helped me out in indescribable ways in both short and long term. On a lower level, it gave me a well-needed break from Block Island, while in the bigger picture I gained more knowledge than I could have ever imagined. It was the best experience I have ever been a part of, especially in high school. All of the faculty and staff should be immensely commended for all that you do for every student who attends Oxbow. I thank each and every one of you so much! As much as I miss Oxbow, I am glad to be home with a clearer consciousness. My four months there made me a better student, artist, and taught me life skills that would have taken years to acquire on my own. The people I met were amazing. I gained friends and mentors who I will have for life.

My experience at Oxbow is still ever present in my daily life. It was at Oxbow that I realized how much I actually love learning, that school isn't something that I need to drag myself through. I thank everyone in Napa who helped me come to that realization. I have yet to make it to the West Coast since my semester ended, but am trying to go out for the alumni reunion. I hope everyone is well, and congratulations for making the ten year marker! I cannot express how proud I am to have been part of such a wonderful place!

Just wanted to give you an update on our daughter’s college choices. She applied to 6 schools, U of Oregon, Oregon State U., UC Santa Cruz, Loyola Marymount, UCLA, and USC. She was accepted into all of the schools, with the exception on LMU, where she was waitlisted.

We went down to LA this week to look at her top choices, USC and UCLA, as she was accepted into the Art program at both schools.

After going through both USC and UCLA’s program for accepted students she has decided to attend USC- She’s a Trojan! She is enrolled in the 5 year program. After 4 years, she will have a BA in Art, and a minor of her choice (she is thinking Women’s studies, but who knows?). She will then go back for the 5th year and do her student teaching and finish up. She will then have earned her Master’s in Education, as well as her California Teaching Credential. She will end up with a BA in Art, Minor of her choice, Master’s in Education and her California Teaching Credential. She is so happy and her future is looking very bright!

We are thrilled for her and again, 100% believe that it would not have been possible without her attendance at Oxbow. The growth she achieved both artistically, and emotionally has changed her life. We are forever thankful for all of the great work you do at Oxbow.

Today I was cleaning my room when I found the note I sent myself when I was still at Oxbow, that we all received 6 months later. It brought unfathomable nostalgia of the most important four months of my life, and reminded my distracted self to tell/talk to you about a couple things.

First, I wanted to thank you for the opportunity I was given during my time at oxbow. I really mean it when I say this. As you may remember, I neither came to Oxbow as an aspiring artist, nor with a devoted passion towards a specific medium of art. I am passionate about business, specifically entrepreneurship, and branching off from everyday school to step out of my comfort zone is one of the qualities to become one, and to become successful. I was struggling in school, not so much academically, but being confident and believing I can achieve. Oxbow taught me how to believe in myself. From the talks Mo gave me about what I am capable of, to the approach of projects through the encouragement of different teachers, and to the adamantine bond with each of my classmates. I spent endless hours on my final project, and was rewarded greatly through the outcome and praises I received for the plastered sculpture. It was that moment I realized I am just as capable as anyone else; that achieving is just a matter of devoted work and high ambitions.

I was able to collaborate with my classmates passionately about all different things. I got to experience what it was like to be successful as a team of different ambitions. I didn’t have to be aspiring in a field of art to be successful at the school. My inspiration was built around the people who surrounded me, who supported me unconditionally, and who helped me realize my purpose at the school.

I hope my note resonates with you, and shows you how grateful I am to have been a part of such a highly regarded school.

Our daughter's attendance at Oxbow will have positive effects on her life and her choices for many years to come. She gained confidence, true academic interest, increased artistic skill as well as learned how to handle all different types of personalities in her four months at Oxbow. She did not return home a different person but rather a more mature and better version of herself. Any school that causes a teenager to be more who she is rather than who she thinks she should be deserves five stars. My daughter's Oxbow experience has made senior year in high school about so much more than getting into the most prestigious college possible. I only hope college is as great an experience as Oxbow.