Ojai Valley School Admission

Before the graduation festivities yesterday, our senior class met to watch the sunrise together at Solimar Beach in Ventura.
The senior sunrise surf trip is a tradition for the high schoolers on the dawn of their graduation day. Some surfed, some swam, several went for a walk, but community was the focus, with time set aside to soak up some fresh air on the brink of their next chapters.
Conditions were as good as they get — with dolphins, glassy waves, and a spectacular light show, it was an idyllic sendoff.

This morning, our 24 seniors crossed the stage to accept their high school diplomas at the 62nd Commencement Ceremony.
We are so proud of these freshly-minted alumni! They are campus and community leaders, AP scholars, outdoor enthusiasts, sports champions, and most importantly, genuinely kind humans.
They now move on to colleges like UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, NYU, UCLA, Pomona College, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. We can’t wait to see what you do next!
Congratulations, Class of 2026!

It’s graduation and promotion season at OVS!
Over the last two days, we’ve celebrated our Lower Campus students in four ceremonies, as they’ve moved up grades and divisions.
Tomorrow’s the big show, with the Class of 2026 graduating from the Upper Campus in the Carl S. Cooper Amphitheater.
Congratulations to each and every one of you, Spuds!

The biggest rite of passage for our Kindergarteners came this week, when they hiked to Rose Valley Falls — nicknamed “Boney Bean” at OVS long ago.
Starting at the Rose Valley Campground, students hiked less than half a mile to the lower falls. Along the trail, students learned fun and important facts, like how to identify poison oak and how to use ceanothus flowers as soap. Then came the big test, as they crawled through the small, dark cave and emerged through the waterfall.
Lower Campus Outdoor Education Coordinator Matt Inman shared with the Kindergarteners that the Chumash used to crawl through this same cave as a rite of passage, marking their transition from child to adult. Every OVS kindergartener successfully completed the Boney Bean cave crawl (most more than once!), then headed back to the campground for lunch and free play.

For the first time in school history, OVS baseball is headed to the third round of the CIF playoffs, following a 2-0 home victory over San Bernardino High School on Tuesday. They’ll face the Webb School today at 3:15 p.m., in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division 9 CIF playoff.
As has been the case all season, the Spuds were led vs. San Bernardino by sophomore Archer Moller, who threw a complete game, striking out 16 batters and allowing just one in the shutout. He also accounted for both OVS hits and runs, including a towering 380-foot home run over the left field scoreboard.
“It felt great playing at home with all the fans cheering for the Spuds en route to victory,” Archer said. “While playing some of the best baseball of my life, it’s also good to know I lead younger players beside me.”
Read more from student journalist Akyra Wachter at oth.ovs.org

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Spuds baseball dominates in first round of playoffs – Host CIF-SS Round 2 today! The Omega League Champion Spuds baseball team thrilled hometown fans in their CIF-SS Division 9 Round 1 playoff game versus San Luis Obispo Classical Academy in Ojai on May 15.

Round 2 of the playoffs, here we come!
The OVS baseball team took a huge 16-0 victory over SLO Classical Academy last Friday in Round 1 of the CIF-SS playoffs.
“The Spuds were locked in from the first pitch and never looked back,” said Coach Hank Pankratz.
Leading the way on the mound was Archer Moller, who threw a no-hitter and set the tone for an incredible defensive performance by the entire squad. Offensively, the bats came alive as Renji Hanai, Jay Galgano, and Ash Combs all collected multiple hits and helped fuel the explosive Spuds offense throughout the afternoon.
“This team has shown grit, toughness, and heart all season long,” Coach P added.

Round 2 will be TOMORROW (Tuesday) at 3:15 p.m. at home, against San Bernardino High School.
Come out and join us, as we make some noise for the Spuds!

On Thursday, Upper Campus geology teacher Zach Byars stopped by the fourth grade classes to help them wrap up their unit on earth science and fossils. Armed with his geology students’ fossil projects and some fossils unearthed at the Upper Campus, Mr. Byars led the fourth grade in a hands-on lesson that found them analyzing and comparing the samples, then sharing their findings.
“We discussed how fossils form, the different ways that they can be created, and looked at some of our local sedimentary rock layers in the types of fossils they contain,” Mr. Byars said.
The older students’ projects were instrumental in the lesson, inspiring the fourth graders to use geologic terminology — and ask some great questions, too!

With the Omega League title in the bag, the OVS baseball team is prepping for the first round of the playoffs tomorrow!
Come out to the Upper Campus baseball field on Friday at 3:15 p.m. as the Spuds face off against SLO Classical Academy.

"The boys worked very hard this year to accomplish their individual goals and to win league," said Coach Hank Pankratz. "There was no quit in them, and they showed a lot of heart throughout the process. As the team says, 'You gotta start cold to get hot.' And they caught their stride at the right time."