Oakwood School

Oakwood School is a nonprofit, private, rural/suburban school (about 500 students, preschool - 12th grade) serving the community of Morgan Hill. The school's STEM curriculum includes lab science in kindergarten and college prep courses for middle and high school students and extracurricular activities in STEM-related subjects (robotics and astronomy). During the past school year, in preparation for the ARISS contact, the school instituted a Year in Space Program for all grades. The class curriculum included new STEM courses that focused on space-related studies as well as enhancements to the existing STEM courses. This year-long program benefited from a number of volunteers from the space industry who provided class presentations and student activities in the fields of: radio communication (amateur radio and radio astronomy), astronomy, computer science, engineering, and robotics. High school students from the Astronomy Club will assist amateur radio operator volunteers in integration and testing of the ARISS contact's backup radio station, and will help in setup of the ground station. In addition to incorporating amateur-related ideas into after-school STEM programs, the school's amateur radio volunteer, who advises the school amateur radio and astronomy clubs, hosted ham radio testing for middle and elementary grade students.