Oxford Owls land in their own nest

(This story originally appeared in the Hesperia Star Tuesday, March 21, 2006)

Hesperia’s sixth graders got their own schools this year, separate from the student bodies of the city’s elementary and middle schools. But the best laid plans of mice and educators often go awry, and both sixth grade academies ended up living under the same roof due to construction delays.

That changed last week, when the sixth graders of Oxford Academy finally got to attend their own school next to Ranchero Middle School, instead of sharing space with Cypress Academy across town.

“Our teachers worked over the weekend, our administrators worked over the weekend, so it would look like a school on Monday,” Principal Patti Baer said last week.

“We actually got along very well with the Cypress campus. But our kids were far away from our homes, and I think they’ve been very excited to be close to their homes. … We now have walkers, whereas before everyone had to be bussed in.

“I think it’s a relief for a lot of the parents to have [their children] closer to them.”

The new sixth grade schools serve to give the Hesperia Unified School District a bit more elbow room in their elementary schools, but they also serve an academic purpose, Baer said.

“I personally think it’s been wonderful,” she said. “The students don’t have anybody to show off for as far as being the top man on the totem pole in the elementary school and they don’t have anybody to show off for as far as being the low man on the totem pole in middle school. They can concentrate on being 6th graders.”

The Oxford teaching staff, taking a page from the district’s college-preparatory AVID program, has been working to prepare the Oxford Academy Owls for more challenging classes in the years to come.

“We’ve tried to teach them things like taking notes so they can really be prepared to go onto the next level.”

When Baer and her other staff members worked at area elementary schools, they could see students grow up over seven years. At Oxford, though, the students will be in and out in a single year.

“We are going to be next door to the junior high that they’ll be going to, so hopefully we’ll see the fruits of our labor. But no, we’ll have a whole new crop of kids every year, and that’s something that will be hard to get used to,” Baer said.

The move-in hasn’t been without a few first week hiccups and additional details to be worked out.

“One of the reasons we wanted to move in before spring break was to figure out what needed to be done and figure out where the bugs would be,” Baer said. “We started out without phones Monday morning, so that was one of the issues.

“We’re working off on our drop-off and pick-up plans where the buses go. … Yesterday we had indoor lunches because they were pouring cement for the basketball courts.”

Oxford students also use Ranchero’s facilities for physical education classes and lunchtime, but at a different time of day than the middle school students do.

In addition to being one of the district’s first two sixth-grade only schools, Oxford Academy is also the first campus featuring a two-story portable building.

“When they were first craning the portables across the street, you never would have imagined it looks like it does,” Baer said. “It’s very solid. The walkways are all cement. Very wide staircases. We have staircases at either end. Right now, our elevator is non-functional.

“I think most of [the students] like it. I’ve heard a couple of comments from kids because they’re upset when they’re not on the second floor. We’ve got a beautiful view of the mountains, so that’s nice.”

The students got their first look at the campus on the March 10, after an orientation session at Ranchero Middle School, and then were shown the classrooms at Oxford they would be taught in for the rest of the year.

“I think they’re all very happy to be here, very happy to have their own place.”

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at beau@hesperiastar.com or by telephone at 956-7108.