Miracles occur at Oak Hill Academy on a daily basis. It is difficult to visit their Preston Hollow campus and not leave with a smile on your face, a tear in your eye, and a heart full of love for the students who make up their 170-member student body. Oak Hill Academy is a local private school whose peaceful campus is filled with inspirational stories of success and perseverance among a unique group of brave and courageous students.
Oak Hill specializes in serving students with learning differences, speech and language disorders, social communication disorders, and/or spectrum disorders. Each year, the school hosts their annual Literacy Live event in October to celebrate National Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia Awareness Month. For the event’s 10th anniversary, Oak Hill will host former Dallas Morning News theater critic, Nancy Churnin, who will present her award-winning picture book, Manjhi Moves a Mountain. The book highlights the topics of perseverance and community involvement, concepts not uncommon to Oak Hill students and their families. While each student has his or her unique challenges--from reading to solving math problems for some, to walking and talking for others--what bonds these students of the Oak Hill community is the fact that there are no easy days. Yet through it all, the students possess an unwavering love and compassion for others.
Churnin’s book tells the true story of a man who spent 22 years carving a path through a hill to make medical care, clean water, and schools more accessible to his home village in India. Oak Hill families have done the same. Students and their families spend a lifetime moving mountains of their own just to prepare for an independent life as successful, contributing members of society. And even with the hardships they face, they remain a loving and giving community, focused on helping others.
Inspired by Manjhi’s story, Oak Hill chose to collaborate with Vogel Alcove, whose mission is to help young children overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness. Oak Hill students will prepare Halloween-themed "Bye-Bye Bags" for Vogel Alcove students. These snack sacks provide additional nutrition when the children are away from Vogel Alcove, helping to bridge the gap between meals.
Similar to Manjhi, Oak Hill students inspire others to find the good in all situations with a disregard for their own personal challenges, while never losing sight of the importance of helping others. Our students’ kind hearts and resolute spirit must be witnessed in person to fully comprehend. Literacy Live will be held Tuesday, October 15 in the gym of the Oak Hill campus at 9407 Midway Road.
