We had another great week at OA, and I want to take a minute to recognize some of the awesome things happening on campus!

We recently hosted our Spartan Achievement Awards, and it was fantastic to see so many families come out to celebrate our students. We’re incredibly proud to share that nearly two-thirds of our students earned Academic Awards for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher—an amazing accomplishment! We also celebrated individual subject excellence in Spartan Achievement Awards as well as PSAT and AP Scholars. We wrapped up the day with an energetic rally that brought the whole school community together to celebrate Spartan pride. If you missed it, be sure to check out the highlight video filmed by our Spartan Print and Media students, which captures the spirit of the day perfectly!

With the arrival of spring, our Track and Field, Swim, Boys Golf, Boys Tennis, Softball, Baseball, and Boys Volleyball teams are all officially in full stride. It’s a busy and exciting time of year for Spartan athletics, and we encourage everyone to come out and support our teams as they compete! If you’re looking for game times and locations, you can find the full sports schedule here (included a few photos of teams courtesy of our Yearbook crew below).

We also want to highlight the incredible success our boys volleyball team who is making headlines with an impressive 17-3 record so far this season! Their hard work and determination were featured in the Santa Maria Times and Max Preps this past week, and you can read the articles here and here. If you haven’t caught a match yet, now’s the time to come out and cheer them on as they continue their winning season!

Olivia has been in robotics for 4 years, Freshman Connect Crew (FCC) for 2 years and National Honors Society (NHS) for 2 years. She’s also a member of Surf Club and president of the Garden Club. She has a 4.52 GPA!!! and has been finishing high school out strong, while making time for her friends in her downtime.

Great work, Olivia!

Matteo has been on the varsity soccer team for 4 years, in band for 4 years, and jazz band for 4 years. He had also been soccer captain and has a 4.35 GPA.

Congratulations, Matteo!

This week’s spotlight is on Mr. Dell’Armo, who teaches Algebra 1, Geometry, Calculus AB, and BC. He graduated from Cal Poly with degrees in mechanical engineering and earned his teaching credential at Brandman University.

Outside the classroom, he coaches boys varsity basketball and has led swim teams in past seasons. Some of his favorite memories are taking teams to CIF. His advice? Get involved, but don’t rush through high school—enjoy it!

Thanks, Mr. Dell’Armo, for all you do!

This week’s spotlight is on Mr. McReynolds, who teaches English 10 Honors, AP Psychology, and Yearbook.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cal State Channel Islands, received his English teaching credential from Cal Poly, and later completed a master’s in English Language Learning from Western Governors University.

Some of his favorite OA memories include taking the Civic Leaders of America Club on field trips and attending the Film Festival, both of which have helped him connect with students outside the classroom.

If he weren’t teaching, he could see himself working as a therapist—or possibly even a lawyer. His advice to students: Be the best version of yourself wherever you are, whether that’s in class, on the field, or in a club.

Thanks, Mr. McReynolds, for all you do!

Civic Leaders of America (CLA) members attended a Chapter Convention at LA City Hall on Saturday, March 15th! They also had a memorable time connecting with young leaders + campaigners and listening to Assembly member José Luis Solache Jr. speak about his experience as a leader. Having the chance to step inside the Council Chambers at LA City Hall was an unforgettable memory for all those who attended!!i

Honorable Mention:

Ashley Han won Best Speaker Award for her debate on “Debate: Resolved, Cancel Culture is just a PR timeout, not real accountability or removal.” Huge congrats to her!!

Thank you to everyone who attended debated!!!

At OA, we want every student focused and engaged in learning. One simple way to make that happen is by putting cell phones away during class time. Keeping phones out of sight helps minimize distractions—for you and those around you—so everyone can get the most out of each lesson. Let’s all do our part to stay present and make the most of our time together!

Sincerely,

Rhett Carter