Mary Ann Oppenheimer

Although Mary Ann Oppenheimer has lived in California for many years, her lovely southern accent reveals her South Carolina roots. From there to Washington, D.C. and then onto the San Fernando Valley, the Oppenheimer family landed at Oakwood on the recommendation of friends. Her son Michael started in second grade and remained at Oakwood through the eighth grade, and their second daughter Jane started in kindergarten. Mary Ann, a costume designer, and her husband Alan, an actor, became involved at the elementary school because they liked the environment as well the other parents, such as the Marshalls, and the Krafts, who became good friends.

Mary Ann recalls that the Parent Organization meetings were always held at someone's home, and it was such a small family-oriented group, that when she was president in 1968-69, she felt comfortable holding a meeting in her house just shortly after her youngest daughter Jennifer's birth. Mary Ann believed that the school reinforced the morals that children learned in their homes, and that all the lessons that they were taught were reinforced when they moved up to the secondary campus. She also remembers the discussions between parents who differed in opinion regarding how much the children should know about the war in Viet Nam, and how much they should be sheltered from that event. Mary Ann very fondly recalls Chris Holabird playing the bagpipes at the school Fair, and that it had such an impact on her daughter, that Jennifer had a bagpiper play at her wedding! The Oppenheimers, who have been married for forty-two years and are still very busy working, have three grandchildren.

Janet Muntner

One of Janet Muntner's most vivid recollections from her Oakwood years was, that "the women she met were outstanding people-smart, funny and that it was a wonderful time in her life." Janet served as elementary school president for two years-1975 to 1977-and, at the time, was a relative newcomer to both Oakwood and Los Angeles. She has very positive feelings about her family's time at Oakwood. Janet feels that in addition to her children, Nancy (a computer artist), and John ('90) (an aspiring actor), greatly benefiting from their years at Oakwood, she too profited from the experience. As a young mother she learned about parenting, and through her Parent Organization involvement, committee work, and board membership, acquired the skill of speaking in front of a large group of people. She also came to understand and appreciate the intangible qualities that make a school great.

After the earthquake the Muntners relocated to Toronto for four years before returning to Los Angeles and life on the West Side. Janet and her husband of thirty-seven years, Simon, a writer, enjoy traveling. Janet does one-on-one reading volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Club, and says that although her children are grown, after all these years, she still finds herself drawn toward home around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Betty Sherman

Betty Sherman's main involvement in the Parent Organization occurred when two of her three sons attended the secondary school, but she had also been an active participant in various parent activities during their elementary school years. Her term as secondary school parent organization president (1979-1980) coincided with the period when there was some turnover in the headmaster's office. She vividly remembers a Saturday morning meeting when there was a discussion regarding Jim Astman's assumption of the school leadership. Some of the older parents felt that perhaps Jim was too young, but Betty made some moving remarks and stated that his age should not be a factor as he was doing a wonderful job, and he would get older! The group voted, and Oakwood has benefited from Jim's guidance throughout the ensuing years. Betty felt that she knew Jim very well as he had been a wonderful instructor and strong principal, and that he did so much good for her children, as well as the other students. She was convinced that he was keeping the school on the right path and leading it in the right direction for the future.

Betty lives in Eureka with her current husband, Stan Millstein who retired from the aerospace industry. She has been the librarian at Eureka High School for the past fifteen years. Her son David ('81) is a teacher in Seattle; Ari ('77) is now an Oakwood parent and is active on the Alumni Council; and Randy is a professor of literature at the Madrid campus of St. Louis University and the father of a fourteen-year-old.

Brenda Fritz

Brenda Fritz recalls her days as an Oakwood parent as filled with activities that involved the entire family. It was more than a school, it was a lifestyle, and for the Fritzes it most certainly still is.

When they first applied to Oakwood, Suzanne was just six months old. Brenda started calling the school secretary every six months to put Suzanne on a "wait list' for kindergarten. The Fritzes were told that no such list existed, however when Suzanne was ready for school, and they attended the open house everyone knew about the family who had continued to call to save a place for their daughter!

When her daughters, Suzanne and Jenny attended elementary school it was truly a nurturing environment with "lots of kittens, rabbits, and chickens". The Fritzes, who have been married for thirty-nine years, are the kind of couple who approach everything jointly, and this included their involvement at Oakwood. Ken, along with some of the other fathers, built the original play structure. When a class trip was organized it was not uncommon for a group of parents to go along, too, and when there was an overnight or an evening event, everyone cooked. Taking Suzanne and Jenny to school entailed, "driving over the hill' and it was just as easy for Brenda to stay and work on campus in some capacity, as to drive back and forth. The Fritzes are very family oriented, and Brenda feels that has been wonderful for her children, who can truly understand and appreciate the concept of relationship and commitment. The dedication that the Oakwood parents made to the school and its community was deep and heartfelt. It was not a 'showy' place, and the parents did not feel that that the children needed to have a 'glitzy' environment in which to develop and be educated. The school was always a safe place for kids, and as Brenda says, "For us to." Suzanne, a lifer ('87) and Jenny attended school with the children of people who shared the same values as the Fritzes, and this was what was most important to Brenda and Ken. "Oakwood knew how to take care of its own community," such that if one of the families had a problem, there was a group of people who would come together, and could be counted on to help in any way they could. The Fritzes knew all of the kids, and the children in turn knew that this was a family that they could rely on. "Follow through with your swing," is a Fritz motto. Whatever it is you choose to do, follow through with it and see it to its end. Brenda declares that "Oakwood is the most inclusive school we have ever been involved in," and everyone is truly welcome to participate in some way. When Suzanne attended Kenyon College ('91) in Ohio, Brenda and Ken became the regional chairs of the parent association. Their long and positive association with the Oakwood community gave them all the background they needed to be involved in yet another educational institution.

As Parent Organization President, Brenda was the first to lead the jointly united group, which met together and also separately. She remembers those early years as terrific, when even the heated and emotional discussions were fun. The years of developing the philosophy of the school, and deciding what issues were really important for its future were critical for Oakwood's long-range success.

Brenda, whose major involvement for years was Oakwood, is now on the Board of the Women's Guild at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center where she co-chairs the Los Angeles Antique Show every May. She chaired the Oakwood Fair the first time it ever made a profit. The Fritzes developed the idea, and created the first Night in the Fast Lane, an Oakwood bowling fundraiser. Ken, who is a General Member of the Board of Trustees, is a music manager. Suzanne is a vice-president of marketing and public relations for a film company, and Jenny is a literary agent. Brenda's comment, "We came to Oakwood because we wanted a great place for our kids, and it became a great place for us!" sums up her family's connection to the school. "Ken is a lifetime member-we'll always be here!" How lucky that is for the Oakwood community at large.

Barbara Marshall

Throughout her family's association with Oakwood, Barbara Marshall has been a devoted supporter of almost every aspect of school life. She foresaw the need to provide for growth in the infrastructure of the school to make it long lasting, all the while remaining steadfastly true to its vision and philosophy. Her long history with the Parent Organization and her exemplary work with the Board of Trustees led to her election as General Member of the Board in the 1990s. This life term position is significant because it ensures that the Oakwood philosophy and educational goals will remain consistent with the founding families' vision for the school. Barbara takes the responsibility of her role as advisor and protector of Oakwood's values as seriously today as she did when she had three children at the school during the late 1960s and 1970s.

The Marshall family's association with Oakwood began when Lori, the oldest of their three children started kindergarten. When searching for a school for their daughter, they considered both private and public options. When they first visited Oakwood another parent confided that, "Although it looks a little shabby the kids are really happy." What the Marshalls saw during their first visit to the school was a campus where indeed very happy children were creatively pursuing their own ideas through artwork, in a stimulating educational environment. Barbara remembers that the school had a very warm feeling and that the level of parent participation in and out of the classroom seemed unusually high compared with other schools. They enrolled Lori in Oakwood, and soon after her two younger siblings, Kathleen and Scott, followed suit. For Barbara, one of her goals for Oakwood has always been to increase its fundraising. As Board chair for three years, she felt that the two parent associations needed to be joined together to provide unity to the school, as well as to be more effective in fundraising. For example, the Elementary School Fair first started as a family day at school, but eventually was turned into an annual fundraiser that built awareness in the community. Barbara felt that if each family contributed annually to the school it would help to make a tremendous difference in what the school could provide to its students. During her tenure on the Board, Barbara attended elementary grade meetings and urged parents to "become more involved in the school, not just financially, but also by coming to the campus, see what's going on. She added "Taking an active part in your school is taking an active part in the future of your children."

When Barbara was Parent Organization president she set the precedent for this person to attend the Board of Trustee meetings. This was one factor that led to her appointment as a General Member, which was significant considering the fact that previously all General Members had been the school's founders. According to Chuck Haas, one of the founders, he recalls that Barbara was the best choice to replace the resigning Ross Cabeen because she, "had been on the Board a long time; she understood the kind of school Oakwood is and believed it is needed in Los Angeles. She would guard the Oakwood philosophy, hold progressive educational ideals, be active in policy decisions and continue to remain interested even after her children graduated." Her own children also knew that after they graduated from Oakwood their mother would still be a part of the fabric of the school. Oakwood is very fortunate to have someone with Barbara's enthusiasm and idealism serve as an inspiring example to other parents. Barbara and her film director-and-writer husband, Garry, made a significant donation to the school in 1982, which lead to making the dream of purchasing more land to enlarge the secondary campus a reality. Barbara and Garry both believe that there's no better place to put one's money than into their children's school. They have also made donations to construct buildings at the Harvard-Westlake School and Northwestern University.

Barbara's long legacy at the school includes an oral history rich in details of the school's early years. Barbara remembers fondly the strength and vision of the first director, Marie Spottswood, and how things changed when she retired. Shortly after she left, teachers were allowed to decide what color to paint their classrooms, and were made a part of the admissions process. Barbara also was part of a parent group who moved to introduce more competitive sports at both campuses, when previously the focus had been on non-competitive activities like folk dancing.

Barbara has set a tremendous example for others in her devotion to Oakwood. In addition to her work with the school, s is a registered nurse and recently retired from a position with the Los Angeles Free Clinic's High Risk Program. She also can be seen in cameo parts in her husband's movies, where he often features other members of the Marshall clan. The Marshall children will no doubt carry on their mother's examples of devotion to education and volunteerism as they raise their own families. Their daughter, Lori and her husband Bill Fricker, now have twin girls in kindergarten at the San Francisco Day School. During a recent visit to the school, Barbara said it was the most like Oakwood of any school she has ever seen. Their other daughter Kathleen is an actress and producer at Toluca Lake's Falcon Theater. Scott ('87) a film director and actor, recently married Elissa Spivak ('88) who he first met at Oakwood in the fourth grade. For Barbara, her relationship with Oakwood has always been a family affair and she would not want to have it any other way.

Barbara Wilhelm

Barbara Wilhelm was Parent Organization president in 1985-86. She took on a leadership position as a result of spending several years participating in a number of school events and activities. He two daughters did not have the chance to graduate from Oakwood because the family relocated to Indiana.

Barbara first served as vice president, and then stepped into the role of president. She was the first vice president when the elementary and secondary parent groups merged into the Parent Organization. In the hopes of maintaining continuity as the positions changed through the years, it was decided that there should be as equal a representation on the board as possible; therefore if the president was an elementary school parent, then the vice president should be a secondary school parent. It was important to the parent body that although the campuses were separated physically, they were equal, and they endeavored to have balanced representation from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The Parent Organization wanted to reinforce the fact that this was one school, as in fact it had one headmaster and two principals. It took a great deal of effort to unify the campuses, but as Barbara states, "we had wonderful parents who worked very hard and the school administration was always open to, and accepting of, new ideas. This was a situation in which everyone benefited and it was a very rewarding experience."

In order to facilitate communication and keep everyone up to date the Parent Organization started the Messenger, which in its inception was merely a postcard that went out to all the families detailing dates and events at both campuses. It proved to be a successful vehicle and has grown into a larger monthly publication.

Barbara currently does work for a financial advisor, and helps care for her mother. Her husband Jeff, a writer, is going to be attending the seminary to become an Episcopal priest. Their older daughter Katie, a graduate of Indiana University is attending medical school; her sister Nell, a teacher, graduated from Ball State in Indiana, and is now living in Los Angeles.

Linda Wasserman

Linda Anker Wasserman loves her life among the redwoods in Santa Cruz, where her home overlooks the river. When she left Oakwood and Southern California in 1983, she lived, with her current husband, on a wooden two-masted sailboat. They lived on the boat for eight years, and spent six of them sailing in the Mediterranean as far east as Turkey. Linda recalls her years as an Oakwood parent as busy, as she was very active in the Parent Organization, as well as on the Board of Trustees. Her two-year term as president at the elementary school began in 1982, while Paula Hold was serving at the secondary school. She fondly remembers the school's 30th anniversary celebration as a tremendously successful fundraiser, a gala evening at the Coconut Grove. Hosted by Garry and Barbara Marshall the event featured a star-studded cast including then parents Emmy Lou Harris and Jackson Browne. It garnered over forty thousand dollars, the largest amount of money ever raised up until that time.

Linda loves the beauty of Santa Cruz and most importantly, the fact that it is an academic community. She is extremely busy running conflict resolution workshops, as well as doing mediation for the courts. Since September 11th especially, as many children are feeling insecure and acting out in various ways, there is a need for conversation, and having a model for respectful resolution of conflicts. As she explains, conflicts are natural because people and cultures are different, however, the issue is not about getting rid of conflict, but moreover about how we can communicate so that in the end everyone feels good about the results.

Linda and her husband of eighteen years, Al, a retired school psychologist, have seven grandchildren. Linda's son, Robert ('86) who is the father of two daughters, is currently the high school principal at Campbell-Hall. He still maintains very close ties with his old Oakwood friends, and is active on the alumni council.

Brenda Abramson

One of Brenda Abramson's contributions to Oakwood is seen often and in many areas of school life-she is the creator of the Oakwood three-tree logo! The Parent Organization requested a symbol for the school that could be used to adorn sweatshirts that were going to be sold as a fundraiser, and today that symbol is Oakwood. Brenda's career as a graphic artist and a photographer led her to become involved in many school activities when her two daughters were young. She always felt that it was important to be aware of what one's children were doing at school and her involvement led her to be acquainted with some wonderful women who were a great group of leaders. Brenda chaired the holiday boutique; took family photographs for the Tribute Journal; photographed many school special events; and helped with the school plays. She admits that she "can't say no" and after working in many capacities she served as Parent Organization President from 198x to 198x. Brenda taught photography in the special studies program at the elementary school and remembers how much fun the kids had making pinhole cameras and then using the darkroom facilities at the secondary school to develop the pictures.

Brenda has always been involved in music and the arts and currently is doing work with architectural details in addition to her design and photography work. Her husband of thirty-three years, Alan is in real estate management and development. Their daughters, Carrie, a graduate of Ithaca College works for the Dodgers in marketing and special events, and Stefanie, a graduate of University of Colorado at Boulder, who is in animation production are both elementary school alumnae.

Judy Bush

Judy Bush has a long history of involvement with the Parent Organization. She is an incredibly dynamic woman and packs more energy per square inch than most nuclear reactions! Judy strongly believes in the educational philosophy of Oakwood and feels that it was a contributing factor to her son Adam's success at college. She and Michael are the parents of Josh, Yale (99), Adam ('99) a junior at Columbia, and Shana, a current ninth grader.

The Bushes feel that Oakwood's program combines a strong academic curriculum with a nurturing, friendly, and accepting environment. They have seen the honesty in this approach, and the influence that the instructors have on the students, as measured by their ability to go off to college and make the appropriate connections. For example, Adam, a psychology major, was the first freshman at Columbia to have an independent study, and the first student to have a jazz music concentration. He will be working this summer with Steve Isoardi doing research for Steve's new book. Jim Astman' s influence as an instructor, and his mentorship of Adam's senior project, was the deciding factor in Adam's choice of a major.

Judy believes that the strong community ties at Oakwood are a big factor in the school's success. With Sue Slotnick, Judy started the new parent reception evenings at the headmaster's to welcome new families to the school in a comfortable, social setting. Judy served two years as PO president from 1995 to 1997, and, in the years both before and after her term, worked closely with the Board of Trustees. During her tenure they began parent education evenings for the whole school, and instituted K-12 curriculum nights. Judy feels that it is important to view the school as whole, as it is one school, and not to get sidetracked by the fact that it exists on two campuses. She has worked hard on the idea of unification of the school, encouraging secondary school involvement at the Fair and promoting opportunities for elementary parents to visit the secondary campus.

Judy has been working with the Parent Organization on Oakwood's Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration. She has used her background as an actor and producer to start, Classic and Contemporary American Plays, at the Ford Theater, an outreach program to get LA Unified Students involved in theater production. The American Diabetes Association has just named Michael, the Clinical Chief of Endocrinology at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Father of the Year.

Lee Miller

The term "multi-tasking" is an understatement when referring to Lee Miller. She has the ability to work on so many projects at one time it is staggering. Her involvement at Oakwood is not merely limited to the time she served as Parent Organization president from 19 88 to 1990, but rather encompasses the many contributions that she and her family have made to the school over the past 18 years.

Steve, Lee's husband of twenty-seven years, edited the Messenger, and operated the sound system at the Fair for many years. They are the parents of three lifers; Jeff ('97) Ithaca College ('01), Brian ('01) currently a freshman at Colorado College, and David ('02) who will enter Washington University in St. Louis in the fall.

One of Lee's first undertakings at Oakwood was to start the Pizza Lunch Program at the elementary school to raise money to purchase computers, and Lee vividly remembers buying the computers one at a time as the funds were raised. Today, "Hot Lunch" still provides significant support for the computer program. During Lee's tenure as president, she founded CISPA, the Council of Independent School Parent Associations. This organization enables leaders of private school parent organizations to meet and discuss common issues.

At Oakwood, Lee was instrumental in starting the parent socials for each grade, the back-to-school parties at the elementary school, and the summer buddy program. She hopes that she will be remembered for trying to get as many people involved in as much as possible at school. "I was on a mission," she recalls, "if I didn't start the project, then I took it to the next level." With her great organizational skills Lee formalized and energized many school events. She was committed to keeping the PO meetings organized, productive, and positive, and to ensuring that the organization functioned as a supportive arm of the school, with a mission to be inclusive rather than exclusive.

With her extensive background in education as both a teacher and an administrator, Lee knows that no one school can be perfect. But she appreciates Oakwood's philosophy of respecting each child as an individual, knowing that it has benefited each of her three boys - seeing them as different kids with different needs. During his junior year Brian went to Argentina as an exchange student, and although this does not happen often, Oakwood made it work. The Millers in return twice hosted exchange students in their home who attended Oakwood. Brian co-founded Gorilla Radio, the student radio station, (currently managed by David). David is also involved with the Robotics Team and plays varsity tennis. Jeff was involved with the theater program and Arts Festival during his Oakwood years.

Lee says that through her Oakwood involvement she grew as an individual and the skills she learned as a volunteer are ones that she uses professionally today. As she says, "she certainly made mistakes but she loved learning, growing and contributing to Oakwood." Currently Lee is the director of permanent placement for Teachers on Reserve, a company that recruits nationally to place teachers and administrators in independent and private schools in California, including Oakwood. She is the co-chair of the Alumni Parents Committee and is on the PO Board as a general member. She and Steve are planning a trip to Greece and France in the fall, after they drop their last child off at college!

Paula Holt

Paula Holt so loves Oakwood that she served as both president of the Parent Organization (1980-83) and as chairperson of the Board of Trustees (1986-87) - and stays connected to the school to this day. Paula recalls that the PO always directed a tremendous amount of energy to fundraising: additional dollars were needed to compensate the quality faculty that the school desired; to keep classes small; and to encourage economic and ethnic diversity. During her nine years on the Board of Trustees, one of the issues was the purchase of the Calabasas property, and its subsequent sale. The proceeds from that sale went into the Capital Fund, which was then augmented by the efforts of the Capital Campaign committee. All of this led to purchase of the land on Magnolia, which allowed for the expansion of the secondary school.

Paula has always shown a lot of interest in Oakwood and had a great willingness to work on its behalf. As she says, "it definitely gets under your skin," and "is a lifelong relationship, even after your children graduate." Paula experienced first hand the openness between the Oakwood faculty and school families that encourages parents to become involved at school - though sometimes your children may not appreciate it at the time. Working freelance for a literary agent gave Paula the ability to be a full time mom when her children were growing up. This dynamic woman is the artistic director and president, as well as the founder of the Tiffany Theater, a small live theater complex, which she opened in 1984. Paula's daughter, Alexis ('90) a lifer, attended the University of the Pacific and is in marketing. Her son Clayton ('87) an Emory University alum, left the entertainment industry to embark on a new career as a firefighter in El Segundo.

Betty Rae Brown

We recently located Betty Rae Brown, one of the earliest presidents of the Parent Association at the elementary school. Betty Rae served in the mid-sixties. She came to Oakwood at the suggestion of some friends, Jessica and Robert Ryan, one of the school's founding families. Betty Rae remembers those early years on the Moorpark campus as being filled with "lots of nice activities, very nice parents and lots of friends." She recalls various sewing and crochet projects, as well as helping out answering the school office phone. Her term as president coincided with the offices held by her husband, Marvin who was treasurer and then president of the Board of Directors. Marvin, who is retired from the manufacturing business, remembers the attempt to run the earliest meetings by the Quaker mode with a circle meeting. This arrangement was soon replaced by a more traditional arrangement. The Browns, who have been married for 27years, are the parents of Dr. Bruce Allen Brown, an orthopedic surgeon in Santa Monica. Betty Rae, who retired from working at UCLA, still keeps herself busy cooking, baking, going to classes and volunteering at Valley Beth Shalom. Marvin also does volunteer work and still enjoys photography. He recently donated some snapshots of Oakwood's early to the archives.

Peggy Levine

Peggy Levine, a Special Education Teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, said that being President of the Parent Organization was not only interesting, she also learned a great deal about how schools function. Peg said that this increased her awareness of school operations, and she then had more of an appreciation for the various aspects of school life. Peggy was involved in the compilation of the second of the Oakwood cookbooks.Two of her three children are "lifers", Matthew ('01) and Marisa ('98) who both attend the University of Southern California, and her youngest, Molly is currently a 6th grader.

Rory Firestein

Rory Firestein, president of the Oakwood Parent Organization from 1990 to 1993, was the catalyst for developing many events and programs that have now become Oakwood traditions. After serving a three-year term she went on to serve two terms on the Board of Trustees. Recognizing that a thorough education requires a partnership between the school and family, Rory worked tirelessly to make the Oakwood Fair a successful, family event. She helped to develop the lunch program at the elementary school campus and set the groundwork for the secondary school program. The Parent Organization By-laws were assessed during her tenure and the role of the Parent Organization was clarified. Her family also supported her involvement. Her husband, Martin, served as Parent Organization treasurer while her children Carly, class of 1996 and Mitchell, class of 2001, were always seen assisting with the Fair, the picnic or any place they were needed.

Today, Carly a graduate of the University of Puget Sound, works as a teacher's assistant at the elementary school, and will be attending Law School in the fall. Mitchell just finished his freshman year at Tulane University. Rory now owns and operates her own custom wood furniture company, Heartwood Industries, where she designs and constructs furniture and cabinetry. If you spend time on the elementary campus, you will still see her, as she is photographing events and students for the yearbook. She remains involved with Oakwood School and is dedicated to its philosophy to this day.

Pam Fefferman

Pam Fefferman was Parent Organization president in 1987, and one of her recollections about Oakwood school life was the full time involvement that was needed to prepare for the Fair that for the first time ever was to involve both the elementary and secondary schools. Because the Fair had generally been viewed as an elementary campus event, it took persuasion and perseverance to sell the idea of involvement in this event to secondary families.

The Feffermans felt that the education one needed was of the type that allowed children, and later adults, to feel comfortable with people in everyday life in all areas of study. She feels that Oakwood's curriculum and philosophy allow for inter-relation of various subjects, and that her sons are well equipped because their Oakwood teachers had expertise in all the academic areas that students need. Pam recalls that there was a continuing effort to attract and retain high quality instructors, as Oakwood wanted to have its students proficient in multiple academic areas. Pam feels that the success of this ideal is that Oakwood is recognized by all colleges as providing its students a superior education. Pam continues her support of important causes, as a long-time volunteer at the Music Center. Her husband, Richard, is a pediatric endocrinologist. Both of the Fefferman boys were Oakwood lifers; Michael, ('89) is a salesperson for a website of golf-related items, and Andrew ('98) is a junior at Swarthmore College, majoring in physics.

Lisi Teller

Lisi Teller will have the distinction of having led the Parent Organization at the dawn of the 21st Century. She is an experienced volunteer who knows how to get things done. This background has propelled her as she has infused the PO with renewed purpose and vigor - especially in the community service sector, as evidenced by Oakwood's outstanding involvement in activities such as the Revlon Walk/Run for Women. She has left her mark in other areas too. The new Oakwood cookbook honoring the past presidents of the PO, and its companion aprons and cookbook holders are practical mementos that celebrate the hands-on involvement that these women who have been president have demonstrated. Part of their legacy is both the cookbook and the revenue it raises which helps fund the good works done by this organization.

Lisi's involvement began when friend Beverly Gruber told the Tellers that Oakwood would be a great place for their son Jordan to attend Kindergarten. With his acceptance, Lisi began her "career," first working in the classroom, then the library, serving Hot Lunch, and co-chairing the Fair during Judy Bush's term as president. Lisi then chaired the Fair for two years, the Winter Event, the Library Tribute, and Grandparents' Day. She has gained experience in all areas of committee work and this is evident in her effective and successful leadership of the Parent Organization. Lisi has grown up with a history of volunteerism in the community: her great-grandparents founded the first conservative synagogue in the San Fernando Valley, and her parents, Annette and Leonard Shapiro are extremely active in many areas philanthropic ventures, including the City of Hope. Lisi, and Steve, her husband of nineteen years, have been very active members of Concern II, a non-profit organization that funds cancer research, since its inception.

Lisi is strongly driven to make sure that everyone who wants to be involved at Oakwood has that opportunity. She learned from her mother, who has authored a book on volunteerism, that a leader should give her chair people the freedom to do what they want, and be available to give them guidance. Lisi still adheres to the belief that you can't just go to an event, you need to get there early to set up, and to be there until the last door is locked. She is very proud of all the Oakwood events, but she particularly loves Grandparents' Day and Teacher Appreciation Day. She also feels that the fundraising events really bring the community together, as Oakwood did to send donations after September 11. The Revlon Walk has come to be something that is very important to her personally, as well as a very successful school-wide effort.

Lisi's affection for Oakwood has made it her second home. The friendships that she and her family have made are strong, and she is proud of the commitments that Jordan, 9th grade, and Courtney, 5th grade, have made to various school events. Jordan has worked at the Fair for years, and now Courtney, too, is working. Steve has been a member of the Board of Trustees for many years and has chaired many special committees. When the Tellers are not busy at Oakwood they enjoy sports, UCLA basketball, the Lakers, and family vacations. And although her term as president has come to an end, there will no end in sight to her continued commitment and involvement at Oakwood.