OAKGROVE Information Page
Oakgrove is a student-led human relations program for high schools. The off-campus weekend retreat in the mountains provides students a forum to discuss their feelings and opinions openly and in a safe place, without fear of judgment.
OAKWOOD History
Dale Stuck, a teacher at Venice High School, started Oakgrove in 1972 to
address race relations on campus and lingering tensions following the Watts
Riots. When Dale retired, he passed Oakgrove on to David “Gardner” Graber.
From David Graber, it was passed to Mark Cohen, then Naomi Sugimoto, and Sam
Siegel. In 2007, the Los Angeles Unified School District changed it’s policy
regarding liability coverage for off-campus overnight activities. This,
unfortunately, led to the risk management office denying coverage for
Oakgrove retreats.
Sam (who served as a legislative deputy to then-Councilmember Eric Garcetti) turned to two colleagues who served on the board of The Wildwoods Foundation. Wildwoods’ mission, ideals and philosophies were a natural alignment with the Oakgrove program. Wildwoods welcomed Oakgrove as one of their programs in 2008. In the years since, Wildwoods has established Oakgrove in two other schools, Marshall High School in Los Feliz and the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in downtown LA.
Over the years, Oakgrove has been steered by the hands of many, many
dedicated volunteer alumni: Byron Najera, Sara Sweeney, Kim Grooms, Kaitlin
Amorde, Joseph Feinberg, Mari Ogino, Ariana Dunbar, Kate Bleyer, Nicole
Romanak and Jenni Fiederer.
Through all the changes and growth, Oakgrove has remained strong and stayed
true to Dale Stuck’s original fundamentals due to the loyal camper and
alumni involvement, and his wonderful creation has transcended his life.
Oakgrove is a student-led human relations program for high schools. The
off-campus weekend retreat in the mountains provides students a forum to
discuss their feelings and opinions openly and in a safe place, without fear
of judgment. Oakgrove builds community on the high school campus and helps
students develop leadership skills. Your SUPPORT HELPS
