"Oakland School for the Arts has made a big impact on Oakland— such an impact that the city of Oakland recently granted OSA the honor of renaming the stretch of Telegraph Ave in front of the school to “OSA Way” on Wednesday, August 19th."--Adela Orozco, 7th grade
Oakland School for the Arts has made a big impact on Oakland— such an impact that the city of Oakland recently granted OSA the honor of renaming the street of Telegraph Ave in front of the school to “OSA Way” on Wednesday, August 19th. This was a special moment for OSA, especially as it's the school’s 25th Anniversary.
Mike Oz, the Executive Director of OSA was a big part of making all of this happen. His vision has always been about making sure that there was a “ positive school community where our students take care of each other and support each other," says Oz.
But, how does one get a street named after them?
When they decided to do this, it actually started out as kind of a joke, but then they realized they actually wanted to do this. So Mike Oz texted Carroll Fife, one of the council members of Oakland, “What do we have to do to get a street named OSA Way? And she just said yeah I’ll back you up. So while the students were off for summer we went to the city council and we did it and I love it,” says Oz.
OSA Way is the name for the school’s mission statement: value, uplift, and honor. So by putting OSA Way on the street sign, the school is putting its stamp on Downtown Oakland.“Through thriving times and more challenging times, OSA has consistently brought positivity to the neighborhood and provided a reminder of how we all benefit when we feed the artistic development of our young people,” said Oz.
Oz and Representative Fife made speeches during the celebration. Along with speeches, there were performances from OSA students, including a band, the step team, and vocalists.
OSA made sure that students, staff, parents, and the public could be part of this celebration, which continued from the front of the school to Cloud Park, across the street on 19th.
Students were impressed with everything, too. “It was a large group of people; some were just standing or walking around Cloud Park and there were also people dancing and singing. I liked it very much. Also, there were some people playing instruments on a stage that was set up,” says Willa Stone, a 6th grader in Literary Arts.
Violet Hirsch, a 7th Grader in Literary Arts, thinks it's great that the street is now called the OSA Way. “I feel like we are deserving of it, as we all work hard to make this school a good place. It's amazing that the city has recognized us for it!”
For people who have been part of OSA for a long time, like founding faculty member, Cava Menzies, the moment was particularly special. She has gone through many roles in the school during her career here, but has always stayed somewhere in the Music department. Her goal as an educator and as an OSA community member is to "create [a]safe and inspiring space for the students.”
“We wanted to not only focus on academics but also the arts,” said Menzies. “We wanted them to develop a love for the arts.”
The staff and educators at OSA who have been here for some time truly wanted to celebrate the history and the meaning behind OSA.
It's taken a long time to get to the “OSA Way.” There was a time when the school day had to be held in the basement, portable buildings, and even tents due to the lack of space. The lack of space was definitely a challenge for a school that wanted to make a big impact in the Oakland community.
Today, many in the OSA community have potentially heard about the curbside coffee that happens every Friday morning. Well, OSA started that because they wanted to show Downtown Oakland that there’s a community here, that they are a school.
Oz has three key ingredients to create something as special as OSA. “OSA is so special because it combines three critical things: Oakland and all the power that it embodies; The important role of public education in a diverse community; The intrinsic value of the arts and its impact on youth development. These three ingredients, when combined in the heart of Downtown Oakland to create something much greater than the sum of its parts. We are all lucky to be part of this unique recipe,” Oz said.
Thanks to dedicated teachers and staff and talented students, OSA has come a long way since its early days. This school has made a significant mark on Oakland, OSA Way is just another way of showing it.
Mike Oz, the Executive Director of OSA was a big part of making all of this happen. His vision has always been about making sure that there was a “ positive school community where our students take care of each other and support each other," says Oz.
But, how does one get a street named after them?
When they decided to do this, it actually started out as kind of a joke, but then they realized they actually wanted to do this. So Mike Oz texted Carroll Fife, one of the council members of Oakland, “What do we have to do to get a street named OSA Way? And she just said yeah I’ll back you up. So while the students were off for summer we went to the city council and we did it and I love it,” says Oz.
OSA Way is the name for the school’s mission statement: value, uplift, and honor. So by putting OSA Way on the street sign, the school is putting its stamp on Downtown Oakland.“Through thriving times and more challenging times, OSA has consistently brought positivity to the neighborhood and provided a reminder of how we all benefit when we feed the artistic development of our young people,” said Oz.
Oz and Representative Fife made speeches during the celebration. Along with speeches, there were performances from OSA students, including a band, the step team, and vocalists.
OSA made sure that students, staff, parents, and the public could be part of this celebration, which continued from the front of the school to Cloud Park, across the street on 19th.
Students were impressed with everything, too. “It was a large group of people; some were just standing or walking around Cloud Park and there were also people dancing and singing. I liked it very much. Also, there were some people playing instruments on a stage that was set up,” says Willa Stone, a 6th grader in Literary Arts.
Violet Hirsch, a 7th Grader in Literary Arts, thinks it's great that the street is now called the OSA Way. “I feel like we are deserving of it, as we all work hard to make this school a good place. It's amazing that the city has recognized us for it!”
For people who have been part of OSA for a long time, like founding faculty member, Cava Menzies, the moment was particularly special. She has gone through many roles in the school during her career here, but has always stayed somewhere in the Music department. Her goal as an educator and as an OSA community member is to "create [a]safe and inspiring space for the students.”
“We wanted to not only focus on academics but also the arts,” said Menzies. “We wanted them to develop a love for the arts.”
The staff and educators at OSA who have been here for some time truly wanted to celebrate the history and the meaning behind OSA.
It's taken a long time to get to the “OSA Way.” There was a time when the school day had to be held in the basement, portable buildings, and even tents due to the lack of space. The lack of space was definitely a challenge for a school that wanted to make a big impact in the Oakland community.
Today, many in the OSA community have potentially heard about the curbside coffee that happens every Friday morning. Well, OSA started that because they wanted to show Downtown Oakland that there’s a community here, that they are a school.
Oz has three key ingredients to create something as special as OSA. “OSA is so special because it combines three critical things: Oakland and all the power that it embodies; The important role of public education in a diverse community; The intrinsic value of the arts and its impact on youth development. These three ingredients, when combined in the heart of Downtown Oakland to create something much greater than the sum of its parts. We are all lucky to be part of this unique recipe,” Oz said.
Thanks to dedicated teachers and staff and talented students, OSA has come a long way since its early days. This school has made a significant mark on Oakland, OSA Way is just another way of showing it.