Anonymous wrote:So we are not a Catholic family, we are Christian. Not particularly conservative in the political sense (we believe anybody should be able to love whomever they want regardless of gender, for example) but we are conservative in how we are raising our children: very little technology, no dating before 16, dressing modestly, etc— point is, we have traditional Christian values for our children, which is why we are even considering Catholic schools. However I have heard some unnerving things about Oakcrest and a lot of the teachers beliefs that they push on students. Our daughter is hopeful to go to the school for middle school if not high school, so we are just trying to gather information now before we actually apply in future years. I would really appreciate hearing from currently enrolled (or graduates from the last few years) about your opinion of the school. Positives, negatives, anything in between greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I don’t think it will work for you, even if you are conservative Christians. This is because, beyond Catholic, this is an Opus Dei school. More mainstream Catholics would be more accepting of (Evangelical) Christians in their school, but know your child may encounter questions; particularly around things like Communion, devotion to Virgin Mary, etc. Also, she could be viewed as a “hermana separada” which is a term loosely translated to “separated sister” and used to label Evangelical Christians as folks who strayed from the one true Church established by Jesus.
A big part of you choice is how your daughter/you will handle these differences in faith. For example, Catholics believe the Bible and Church Doctrine have equal weight and coexist. Christians rely solely on the Bible. Opus Dei additionally has books used from its founder, Jose Maria Escriba de Balaguer y Albas.
I think it’s important the level of involvement you’d like as it can be stifling on one end, but also quite virtues-led in the other.
A bit of my background- Went to private school but attended summer programs at Opus Dei as a child/teen. Used to be Catholic, now Evangelic Christian. I enjoy Opus Dei events when they focus on service but still cringe at other teachings.

There aren’t enough good girls schools in northern va. I really want this school to be awesome but such mixed reviews. I can’t tell if it’s the typical Catholic bashers that always respond on these boards about this school or ppl with firsthand experience. That being said I do think it needs a re-branding of sorts to attract the right kind of student. You can be a Catholic young woman and be a leader- fearless, bold, independent. I just wish I knew if these types go to this school. Anyone out there that actually attended that can weigh in?

hi there. i'm trying to reach the former teacher who posted here.
my name is heidi: heiditrabb@gmail.com. is it possible to contact me?

My mom's best friend is opus dei and sent her (many, lol) daughters to Oakcrest. The girls were/are very smart and driven and went to top tier graduate schools. They attended pretty good Catholic colleges. Some are married, some aren't. Not sure about the academics but I don't think they were pressured by their families to marry and become baby factories, even though their parents are opus dei and politically conservative.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have never forced anything on her re political or religious views. We have always just given her the tools and support she needs. She did attend a Christian based after school care for a couple of years.

She is an incredibly independent, thoughtful and fun young woman. She will do well wherever she goes.

We trust her. She trusts herself.

She will be fine is she chooses Oakcrest and will get out of it a that she can.

Give her the tools to make sure she researches Opus Dei.

+1. Sounds like the parent doesn't want to learn. Read the reviews here on niche by current students. https://www.niche.com/k12/oakcrest-school-vienna-va/reviews/. We made the mistake of sending our religious but not Catholic boy to the Heights. He was viciously bullied. I rue the day we let Catholic schools into our life. There are also old threads here on both the Heights (brother school/opus dei) and on Oakcrest, which parents should read. There is also a video of female students talking about indoctrination at Oakcrest. It's in the old threads. Google DCUrbanmoms and Oakcrest. But read the comments on the Heights too because it's the same environment.

Anti-conservative trolls. Heights and Oakcrest are overwhelming conservative (just like how some schools are liberal), but by no means is there some under the ground "indoctrination" going on. Sorry pal, stop pretending to be an NCIS detective whp uncovered something crazy, and just accept the fact that some people have different opinions!

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your daughter is interested in STEM, look at the number of course offerings. It is very limited at Oakcrest and was one of the deciding factors for my DD to attend another school that had a more robust offering of STEM courses.

Lol. My Oakcrest alum is a hard science major and minor at a sought after instate school in Virginia. And she is far from the only one. In her class, there are students in nursing programs, engineering schools, Ivy League schools, and other colleges that other people think are important. In the class ahead of her, there are students who are going to graduate from service academies and who have been accepted into 4+1 engineering degree plus masters programs. Her science teachers had masters degrees or a PhD and Oakcrest was the first ever all girls school and all girls team to earn a spot at the Virginia Science Olympiad competition. And they often compete again Thomas Jefferson at their regionals. They earned a spot in the state tournament 3 years in a row the last time I paid attention.

We are alum parents and Oakcrest was a great experience for our daughter. We are Catholic, not Opus Dei and not conservative. I loved one of her religion teachers very much and we disagreed about a lot. She wrote a *glowing* college recommendation for our daughter. And I mean glowing. There is daily mass and it is optional. If you don’t go to mass, you go to enrichment and read or you meet with teachers or your mentor as needed. Sometimes my daughter went to mass and sometimes she didn’t. It was totally up to her. Her science and math education were far and away better than mine and I graduated from FCPS in its heyday before NCLB. She played a varsity sport, participated in clubs, and was even in a couple of school plays. We really appreciated the 4 years of college counseling as well.

If you think you might be interested in the school, I highly recommend taking two tours - take your first one with a middle school guide and the second with a high school guide. You can see the beginning of the program and the end that way.

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your daughter is interested in STEM, look at the number of course offerings. It is very limited at Oakcrest and was one of the deciding factors for my DD to attend another school that had a more robust offering of STEM courses.

Definitely limited and check out also the most recent college acceptances. It is not top tier. We pulled out and went public

I know someone who went there for MS and she said it was like a cult. She left for HS.

Thank you PPs! My daughter has decided ON HER OWN that it is not the right school for her. After reading all your responses, I am relieved. Thank you for your responses and I hope it helps others considering the school as well. sincere thanks,
-OP

OP, if your daughter is interested in STEM, look at the number of course offerings. It is very limited at Oakcrest and was one of the deciding factors for my DD to attend another school that had a more robust offering of STEM courses.

Anonymous wrote:I visited this school for an open house. It was a tale of two schools (or maybe I felt this way because we had 2 tour guides who were very different in presentation). From one tour guide, I got the sense that the academics are really strong, and the students are pushed to be leaders. Very outgoing, affable, a light in her eyes, fire in her belly). The other was well- spoken and friendly as well but not as driven. There are different kinds of students in every school, of course, but my big hang up is that a decent proportion seemed more debutant-esque (come from families with $$$ will marry well and may or may not pursue careers). I can’t imagine paying this much for a school that seemingly doesn’t have a strong sense of wanting their girls to succeed in professional domains, as leaders, just as much as having the option to raise families. I feel both should be pushed equally, (maybe they are but I really am unsure. I didn’t get a clear sense of this). I also feel the school does not have a really strong “voice” and culture that ALL/ the majority of families buy into and respect. This is evident from the “burn book” type website that’s out there. I feel like there is a definite “finishing school vibe” and many wealthy non- Catholics feel this would be a very good fit for their daughters. I truly don’t know why the school accepts them or why people who do not share in the same belief system think that Catholic values and beliefs should change because it doesn’t jive with their own personal belief system. Of course all should be welcome, but realize the school isn’t changing for you. This leads young women feeling oppressed vs. supported, hence all the “bad press”. Just my 2 cents. If anyone has had first-hand experience can weigh in on if the girls are pushed to pursue careers and leadership positions, that would be really appreciated…

Former Oakcrest mom -the academics may be “strong” in your view, but college placements are not top-tier-and a lot of that might have to do with the dual message that Catholic motherhood is a perfectly acceptable option. But if you want your daughter to go Ivy or an equivalent, this is not the school for you. It is in many ways a finishing school for wives of the Heights men. And that is OK if you come from a Catholic family of means. In my family (not of “means”) we make sure all women are educated well and can be fully and well employed because you never know when divorce or tragedy may hit. That means a good BA or BS in an employable field and one in which you can regain entry should there be a divorce or financial disaster. That is not the way of many Heights and Oakcrest families who value early Catholic marriage and many children. Alas, we do not have the luxury of family money, so Oakcrest was a bad fit. And do NOT go if you are not even cafeteria Catholic -that is absurd. There are many other private Catholic and non-Catholic options in the VA/DC area. Nova/FCPS has some of the best publics in the United States. We took our daughter out of Oakcrest and she went to Langley public and is a much better person for the experience. Oakcrest and The Heights fit the need for only a particular type of Catholic family. It simply doesn’t work for Catholic-lite or non-Catholics but, please, OP, do your homework first. This is not a decision to be taken lightly … I don’t care how mature or wise you think your daughter is. This is an adult decision needing lots of research and footwork. You can’t delegate this decision to your young child while complimenting her maturity and decision making. She’s still a child! YOU are the discerning adult! In fact, when we toured Oakcrest we heard the comment over and over “after all, this is the education that you, the parents, selected for here”. That is the attitude there. It really doesn’t give a fig what your mature daughter thinks or believes. They are going to TELL her what to think and you have to be prepared for that. And yes there is daily mass. And pro-life marches. And a Hail Mary before the start of every class when ch is an embarrassing non-starter for the few non-Catholics. If your child is not Catholic, they will not feel uncomfortable. Why would you want this?

I visited this school for an open house. It was a tale of two schools (or maybe I felt this way because we had 2 tour guides who were very different in presentation). From one tour guide, I got the sense that the academics are really strong, and the students are pushed to be leaders. Very outgoing, affable, a light in her eyes, fire in her belly). The other was well- spoken and friendly as well but not as driven. There are different kinds of students in every school, of course, but my big hang up is that a decent proportion seemed more debutant-esque (come from families with $$$ will marry well and may or may not pursue careers). I can’t imagine paying this much for a school that seemingly doesn’t have a strong sense of wanting their girls to succeed in professional domains, as leaders, just as much as having the option to raise families. I feel both should be pushed equally, (maybe they are but I really am unsure. I didn’t get a clear sense of this). I also feel the school does not have a really strong “voice” and culture that ALL/ the majority of families buy into and respect. This is evident from the “burn book” type website that’s out there. I feel like there is a definite “finishing school vibe” and many wealthy non- Catholics feel this would be a very good fit for their daughters. I truly don’t know why the school accepts them or why people who do not share in the same belief system think that Catholic values and beliefs should change because it doesn’t jive with their own personal belief system. Of course all should be welcome, but realize the school isn’t changing for you. This leads young women feeling oppressed vs. supported, hence all the “bad press”. Just my 2 cents. If anyone has had first-hand experience can weigh in on if the girls are pushed to pursue careers and leadership positions, that would be really appreciated…

Anonymous wrote:Former Oakcrest staff member and student here. The girls are mostly lovely and dedicated students. A lot of the education there is rigorous and students can be really exceptional and go on to excellent colleges.

It is intensely Catholic, but of a certain type. Much more anti-abortion than, say, welcoming the stranger. It will definitely not be a welcoming environment for someone who is LGBTQ or supports LGBTQ rights. It would mostly be clear that these views are wrong throughout the school community, although you will likely find a few (particularly older) students or families with these views. I know of a teacher who led her students in prayer for a certain political candidate to win. Humanities (literature and history) will also be much more classical in nature (a lot fewer non-western works or history than you'd find most elsewhere, including more mainstream Catholic schools).

While I have many positive memories, given where I am now in life I could never imagine going there or working there again.

Former Staff/Student again - I'd also think clearly if you want such a specific conservative mindset guiding what they can expect with sex/relationships/marriage/motherhood. I'm not affiliated with this group, but you can see numerous comments from alums on the Oaks for Change Instagram page. They all ring true to what I've seen in my experiences there.

Anonymous wrote:Former Oakcrest staff member and student here. The girls are mostly lovely and dedicated students. A lot of the education there is rigorous and students can be really exceptional and go on to excellent colleges.

It is intensely Catholic, but of a certain type. Much more anti-abortion than, say, welcoming the stranger. It will definitely not be a welcoming environment for someone who is LGBTQ or supports LGBTQ rights. It would mostly be clear that these views are wrong throughout the school community, although you will likely find a few (particularly older) students or families with these views. I know of a teacher who led her students in prayer for a certain political candidate to win. Humanities (literature and history) will also be much more classical in nature (a lot fewer non-western works or history than you'd find most elsewhere, including more mainstream Catholic schools).

While I have many positive memories, given where I am now in life I could never imagine going there or working there again.

This is exactly the type of poster I was hoping to hear from. Thank you so much for taking the time to write! You are truly helping inform our decision, and I appreciate your honesty.
-OP