Dramatic Ending Keys Oak Creek Ranch School Boys Basketball Championship Victory

Before a wildly cheering crowd the OCRS Basketball Wildcats completed only the second perfect season in school history with a come-from-behind 59-56 victory over Tri-City Prep at the 2012 Northern Arizona Athletic Association championship tournament in Prescott, Arizona.  The Wildcats went into the tournament as the number one seed after finishing the regular season at 16-0.

In their first tournament game the Wildcats defeated Trinity Christian Academy 58-40.  Evan H led the scoring with 20 points and Kaden M chipped in 11.  Coach Galley used a balanced offensive attack that had five other players also scoring and a stingy defense to get the win.

Oak Creek’s victory over Trinity set up the final game against unbeaten Tri-City Prep who had defeated Rimrock High School 60 to 53 in their first game.  During the championship game the Wildcats trailed the taller Tri-City Prep team much of the time.  They trailed 26-18 at the half and 41-32 at the end of the third quarter.  The boys had played well but with Evan H out with an injury for the last six minutes of the game, they needed a spark.  With two minutes remaining, and the Wildcats trailing 56-55, Coach Galley called a timeout.  He reminded the team that this was their last game together.  He told them that the next two minutes of this game would be something they would remember forever and that it was up to them to determine what those memories would be.  After the timeout the boys played inspired basketball shutting down Tri-City’s offense and scoring the final four points of the game.  The final score read OCRS 59 Tri-City 56.

Kaden M. led all scorers with 24 points and was named to the All Tournament team. John D had twelve points, Evan H. had seven, Rob B had six, Brent C had three, Greg G had two and Eric L had one point to complete the scoring.

Athletic Director George Ireland commented that, “There are 16 schools in the league and 15 of them wish that they were Oak Creek Ranch School.  It was a great victory to end a great season!”.

Oak Creek Ranch School is an co-ed boarding school for teens, ages 13-19 (grades 7-12). For 40 years OCRS has specialized in helping ADD, ADHD, and undermotivated boys and girls become successful students. The Arizona Boarding School is located near Sedona, Arizona, 100 miles north of Phoenix. Enrollments are accepted year round. Three summer boarding school sessions are available that are tailored to help students with learning differences succeed. For more information please visit us online at http://www.ocrs.com

OCRS Girls Basketball Team Takes 4th Place

The Oak Creek Ranch School Girls Basketball Team concluded its season with a fourth place finish in the Championship Tournament in Prescott, Arizona.  The tournament was the end of a memorable season, not due to the won-loss record, but because of the way that the girls played all year.

Early in the season it became apparent that the Wildcats would be outnumbered in almost every game and that other teams would have taller and probably more experienced players.  The Oak Creek players, however, would never be outhustled.  The girls came together and played for the fun of the game, for each other and because they are extremely competitive. 

Coach Amber Randall did a wonderful job of preparing the girls and encouraging them all year.  With two players out with injury, the Wildcats came in with only five eligible players.  That meant that every girl would have to play the full forty minutes of every game.  Displaying their fiercely competitive spirit and great courage, the Wildcats played hard during every minute of every game and simply never quit.  They became crowd favorites. “It was amazing”, coach Amber said after the game.  “They were champions in the hearts of the fans and the other teams.  The never gave up.”  They were congratulated by some of the fans and members of the other teams.  As one opposing player put it, “They just wouldn’t quit”.

Members of the team included Megan M. (out with injury), Taylor W. (out with injury), Leah K., Sydney C., Mallory P. and Catarina G.  Jennifer A. had 18 points and was voted to the all-tournament team by the coaches and officials. 

In a show of great sportsmanship the Wildcats joined the members of two other teams and went out to dinner together after the last game. 

Oak Creek Ranch School is an co-ed boarding school for teens, ages 13-19 (grades 7-12). For 40 years OCRS has specialized in helping ADD, ADHD, and undermotivated boys and girls become successful students. The Arizona Boarding School is located near Sedona, Arizona, 100 miles north of Phoenix. Enrollments are accepted year round. Three summer boarding school sessions are available that are tailored to help students with learning differences succeed. For more information please visit us online at http://www.ocrs.com

OCRS Students Enjoy Team Building Retreat

Saturday, Oak Creek Ranch Students spent the day on campus participating in a Teambuilding Retreat. Students planned this event during coffee house, a weekly meeting where students have a voice in choosing positive programs, speakers and activities to help better their community. The group began by dividing the student body into groups, choosing students to lead each group,  and devising the day's schedule. They pulled from their personal experiences and what they felt would be beneficial for the OCRS boarding community.

Students participating in the planning of this event determined what they felt defined a healthy community:
    ⁃    Listening to one another, not just in words but also actions, reactions, responses and nonverbal communications
    ⁃    Work together to solve problems, mediate conflict, and help those that are struggling
    ⁃    Care about each other, take time to get to know each other
    ⁃    Trust each other
    ⁃    Have fun together
After defining a ‘healthy community,’ students suggested activities that would help build these qualities within the chosen groups.

While the day started with varying degrees of interest (or disinterest), the student leaders did a great job pulling their teams together. The groups started off by creating team names and designing a team logo. The logo had to represent something they each brought to their group and the community. Names varied from Real Talk, ELE (everybody loves everybody), and Peace, Love and Unity. Activities included the Magic Carpet, Toxic Dump, Blind Shapes, Led through Dangerous Country (at the Corral), and Drawing Blind. After each activity, the groups answered a series of question to help them relate their experience to making the community a better place.

The retreat ended with the activity "Cross the Line". Students and staff stood together and were asked to cross a line on the field if the statement read applied to them. This helped students see how many of their peers and teachers have had similar life experiences as them. It was a very meaningful way in which to close the event.

It was exciting to watch as the groups laughed, struggled, cried and experienced success throughout the day. I am extremely proud of the student leaders who put this event together and the student body for making it a success.

Life is Good!

Kim Hollingsworth
Assistant Dean of Residential Life

Oak Creek Ranch School is an co-ed boarding school for teens, ages 13-19 (grades 7-12). For 40 years OCRS has specialized in helping ADD, ADHD, and undermotivated boys and girls become successful students. The Arizona Boarding School is located near Sedona, Arizona, 100 miles north of Phoenix. Enrollments are accepted year round. Three summer boarding school sessions are available that are tailored to help students with learning differences succeed. For more information please visit us online at http://www.ocrs.com

Oak Creek Ranch School Student Council Volunteers Make a Difference

It’s a marathon, ladies and gentlemen – 26.2 miles. It’s the distance from Sedona to Cottonwood, and back. For most it’s a chance to prove their gusto, whether it be an athletic prowess or mental tenacity. For others, like the 56-year old female runner that sat at the Elk’s Lodge pasta feed the night before the Sedona Marathon, it’s a chance to achieve a goal – specifically, running 200 marathons before her 60th birthday (she’s on pace to accomplish that goal at one marathon a week). Or maybe it’s simply running a marathon in every state. Fifty states, 50 marathons. Simple, right. Well, the OCRS Student Council didn’t partake in any of these affairs, however, they played an even more important role as volunteers.

“Volunteerism is playing a vital role in the council this year,” says advisor and teacher Nathan Hansen. “These students are learning to put receiving on the back burner. Instead, these young people are learning what it’s like to give, and give with all their heart. It’s great to see a sense of altruism in our young adults, as it’s here it all begins.”

Oak Creek Ranch School Student Council, which has already played roles in nonprofits “Homes for Heroes,” as well as “Toys for Tots,” woke early the morning of Saturday, February 4th and worked at the 13.1 mile turnaround point where all marathoners were logged in and cheered on. They worked tirelessly, nonstop, from six until eleven, giving their all, just as the runners did.

“You would have thought each runner, from first place to last, was the champion, they cheered so hard,” Hansen says. “One runner even commented, mid-stride, how he would have loved to have such ambitious fans along the entire route.”

Over thirteen miles of fans like OCRS students? Might be a little loud, but we’d take them any day. To have that many people committed to a concept of giving … what can’t be done?

Note on Photos (above): Ed W., Taylor W., Evan H., and Jen A. cheer runners on. Kaitlin M. sitting with fellow NAU volunteers logging in runners.

Oak Creek Ranch School is an co-ed boarding school for teens, ages 13-19 (grades 7-12). For 40 years OCRS has specialized in helping ADD, ADHD, and undermotivated boys and girls become successful students. The Arizona Boarding School is located near Sedona, Arizona, 100 miles north of Phoenix. Enrollments are accepted year round. Three summer boarding school sessions are available that are tailored to help students with learning differences succeed. For more information please visit us online at http://www.ocrs.com

OCRS welcomes new faculty member Ms. Krystina Karczewski

OCRS is pleased to announce that Ms. Krystina Karczewski has joined our faculty.

Ms. Karczewski is a  graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a B.S. In Biology and a minor in Environmental Science. During her time at the University of Wisconsin, she was involved in two extremely important research projects, Flooding Reoccurrence and Consumer Water Reports.

Ms. Karczewski will be teaching chemistry this semester, an  important component of the research she conducted during her time at the University of Wisconsin.

When asked why she considered joining OCRS, Ms. Karczewski, explained, "When I first went to college, I was diagnosed with ADD. This surprising diagnosis explained why my high school years were full of struggle and confusion.  Even though my struggles continued through college, at least I knew why I was having such a difficult time learning, During this period of time,  I gained many valuable skills that I know will make learning easier for OCRS students like me.  My goal is to let everyone with ADD to know that in no way means we  can't learn - it simply means that we learn differently."

In her free time Ms. Karczewski enjoys playing a wide variety of sports and can be found at lunch time, playing soccer with students on the lower campus.

Please join me in welcoming Ms. Karczewski to Oak Creek Ranch School!

Oak Creek Ranch School is an co-ed boarding school for teens, ages 13-19 (grades 7-12). For 40 years OCRS has specialized in helping ADD, ADHD, and undermotivated boys and girls become successful students. The Arizona Boarding School is located near Sedona, Arizona, 100 miles north of Phoenix. Enrollments are accepted year round. Three summer boarding school sessions are available that are tailored to help students with learning differences succeed. For more information please visit us online at http://www.ocrs.com