Oak Avenue Intermediate School

Oak Avenue Intermediate School
Location
6623 North Oak Avenue Temple City, California
Information
Type	Public
School district	Temple City Unified School District
Principal	Lawton Gray
Grades	7–8
Number of students	976
Color(s)	Royal blue and gold
Mascot	Royal Lion
Website	Oak Ave Intermediate School

Oak Avenue Intermediate School is a two-year public intermediate, junior high, or middle school, located in Temple City, California, in the west San Gabriel Valley.

Lawton Gray, formerly dean of students and assistant principal at Temple City High School, was named principal in April 2007.

Academics

Oak Avenue Intermediate School takes a non-traditional approach to its student body; students are grouped into 6 teams, 3 per year. The seventh grade teams are called Adventurers, Seekers, and Voyagers. The eighth grade teams are called Challengers, Explorers, and Mavericks. Each team is assigned the same teachers, whose classrooms are located near each other, minimizing travel issues. Exceptions are made for electives and Honors classes—classes offered to academically advance students. For example, seventh grade mathematics classes include Math 7, Pre-Algebra, and Honors Algebra; eighth grade mathematics classes include Algebra Foundations, Algebra 1A, Algebra 1, and Honors Geometry.

Along with the traditional curriculum of English, History, Mathematics, and Science, Oak Avenue also introduces electives to students, offering academic courses, such as student aid, athletics, such as auxiliaries and drill, or performing and visual arts, such as art and graphic design. The majority of electives do not have a dedicated teacher, enlisting teachers from the normal curriculum to take on additional duties; some athletics (auxiliaries and drill) and performing and visual arts (art, band, and orchestra) being the exceptions.

Electives

Students at Oak Avenue must take Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Science, and Physical Education for the full two years, but may choose an elective class. Most of these elective classes are offered during either the first or last period of the day. Typical elective classes include Art, Auxiliaries, Drill, Cheer, Computer Applications, Creative Thinking, Band, Graphic Communication, Drama, Music Appreciation, Newspaper, Orchestra, Speech, and Yearbook.

Performing arts

Oak Avenue's music program offers two departments; band, consisting woodwind instruments, such as such as the flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone (including alto, tenor, and baritone), the brass instruments: trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, baritone and percussion instruments starting at the Intermediate level (see below); while orchestra consists of strings, such as violin, viola, cello, and bass—a symphony orchestra, in contrast, combines winds, percussions, and strings into a single body.

Both departments have three levels of proficiency; beginning, intermediate, and advanced. The advanced band is given the further sobriquet of "Royals Concert Band". Each year the departments participate in different events. The Royals Band, for example, marches in various parades throughout the school's second semester. In 2006, the Royals Band won their first ever sweepstakes with a score of 92.2 and in 2007, they won another sweepstakes at Laguna Beach with a score of 90.6.

On March 28, 2006, Oak Avenue's various bands and orchestras received a rating of Superior or Excellent from The Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA). The ratings, assigned to numerous schools, forego any placement, therefore no school can "win." Possible ratings include (from highest to lowest) Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor. Although these ratings are set by experienced music educators, the ratings received are not as important as the learning process preceding performances. In March 2007, for the first time in Oak Avenue's history, all bands and orchestras received a unanimous Superior rating.

A setback for the Royals Marching Band came on February 22, 2007, when a presumable noise complaint has delayed any practice on the street they have practiced for over twenty years. Additionally, the last of the five events that the Royals Marching Band participates in has been terminated due to financial issues and the fact that only four bands (including the Royals Marching Band) were willing to participate. These two factors may end up hurting the 2007-2008 marching season, but will most probably not terminate it, as plans have already been made to prepare for the upcoming marching season including selection of drum majors.

Distinguished School Award

The Temple City Unified School District is recognized as "A District of Distinguished Schools" as all the public schools have been awarded the Distinguished School Award by the California Department of Education, placing each awarded school in the top five percent of California's public schools in the given year.

Oak Avenue Intermediate School (grades 7–8) and Temple City High School (grades 9–12), received the award in 1996 just a year after Cloverly Elementary School (grades 4–6) was the first to receive the award, in 1995. One year later, in 1997, both Emperor Elementary School (grades K–6) and La Rosa Elementary School (grades K–3) received the award, followed by Longden Elementary School (grades K–6) in 2004.

Differentiated Staffing

Differentiated staffing has been successfully implemented at Oak Avenue to such an extent that it has been use as an example in Differentiated Staffing in Schools. A Review of Current Policies and Programs by Joseph Stocker, published by National School Public Relations Assn., 1201 16th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036

California Academic Partnership Program

Oak Avenue is an active participant in the CSU California Academic Partnership Program with Lawton Gray of the Oak Avenue staff serving on the CAPP advisory committee.

External links

• City of Temple City (Official Website)

• Official Website
• SCSBOA
• Temple City Unified School District (Official Website)