Capital Campaign: Athletic Fields

TAKE IT TO THE FIELD!

Like everything we do at Oak Farm Montessori School, sports were added to our curriculum because they met a basic developmental need of our students. The teen years are a time when students are naturally spending more time in the world at large. Teens need socialization, physical activity, and a community outside of their home as they prepare for a healthy transition to the adult world. Athletics provide a safe environment for learning fundamentals while developing a strong sense of community and camaraderie.

As we Take it to the Field, we will ensure that the Montessori values, and those of our founder and Board of Directors, are implemented through athletic competition. Through a community-based campaign, we will take everything we know about educating young people and apply it fully to athletics. We will build athletic fields that benefit both our students and the surrounding community.

"My homeschooler was able to experience organized school sports
through OFMS. She loved being part of a team and being able to experience
the team feel without having to travel. We all appreciated the

experience." Dailey, mom of OFMS student athlete

We ask for your charitable investment to accomplish this important goal. Please use one of the options below to donate or email our Strategic Partnership Director, Kim Davidson, for more information.

FIND OUT MORE

Project Update

September 18th, 2024

It is hard to capture the momentum and progress that is being made daily at the sports complex in a single picture, so hopefully you have had the opportunity to be on campus and witness it first hand!

Since our last update, grading has been completed across the complex. For the tennis and pickleball courts, the stone and asphalt are done and fencing will be complete very soon. The west parking lot is stoned and light poles bases have been poured. The rest of the parking lots have been staked. The track has been stoned and is scheduled to be paved starting 9/23. Irrigation sleeves have been installed along with top soil on soccer fields and the electrical work continues. Light poles will ship in the next month or so and are scheduled to be installed before the end of the year. We received the final approval needed by the state when the concession stand plans were recently approved.

While all of this has been happening within eyeshot of the school, in the background our board continues to solicit donors to invest in the project. To date $6,400,600 (79%) of the $8 million needed to complete the project has been committed. We are incredibly thankful for those who have replied with a “Yes!” when asked to invest in our school. While many have a connection to the school, there are also others who do not.

All of our donors will be recognized at the completion of the project with the donor board that will be erected on the property. Today, I would like to extend appreciation to the organizations that have committed to invest in the sports complex since our last update: Olive B. Cole Foundation, People’s Charitable Foundation, SDI, Inc, Flat Roll Division, Jansen Family Dentistry, and Simplx Securities, LLC. Thank you for investing in the future of Oak Farm Montessori School and our athletic program!

Over the next few months, our board and our capital campaign team will continue to solicit donations from those within our school community and those in our extended community. If your family or business is interested in participating, please do not hesitate to contact me to learn more.

Complex Overview

Ways to Give

LET'S FIELD YOUR QUESTIONS!

What exactly is included in the scope of this campaign?

How do you know your students even want sports activities?

Their enthusiasm says it all! Since 2006 when we slowly began to build our athletics, our students have been all in. Students grades 5 through 12 currently have 19 different team opportunities with some playing multiple sports. Our sports teams operate with an open policy, meaning we welcome homeschool students and students from other private and public schools who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play on sports teams.

How have you planned this building project?

This project has been in the thinking stage for several years. Our Head of School, under the direction of our Board of Directors, has collaborated closely with our long-time school architect and engineering specialists. We have planned athletic facilities that will accommodate our students and our community and continue to meet their needs for the foreseeable future. We’ll use quality materials with long-term use in mind. We are mindful of the impact our facilities will have on the environment.

When will the building begin and what is the highest priority?

With the mild winter, we were able to break ground in February to begin building the basic infrastructure for the facility. If we continue to have good weather, it is our expectation that the tennis courts will be ready for our team in the fall of 2024 and the soccer field will be seeded in preparation for play in the fall of 2025. Our first focus, after infrastructure, will be the tennis courts and soccer fields. Once those are in place, we will continue to expand the other parts of the facility.

How will you ensure the community has access to the fields?

First off, having our campus be an asset to our community was part of our founder’s original vision for the school. With this in mind, inviting the community to use our facilities is a priority of our Board of Directors. We’re building the facilities with the community in mind. Then, we’re building a thought process that will allow that community participation to happen. Much like we do right now with our Wellness Center, the proposed athletic facilities will be available to rent when not in use by our students or athletic teams. Community organizations currently rent our facilities for practices and games. We envision that the outdoor athletic facilities, much like our current campus, would be available for families to enjoy in the evenings and on the weekend, if not in use by another organization. The cross country trails will provide walking paths through the prairie and woods.

Actual Numbers on Public and Private Use:
Currently our gym is rented out by an indoor soccer league and local parochial school for practice. During 2023-2024, we have rented the space for over 50 hours. We also have a partnership with the YMCA and offer classes to the local community each week. The Field of Your Dreams? We envision the community being able to use the complex beyond an evening walk, bike ride or family game of soccer. It is our hope that the local community will be able to add to their current offerings by using our fields for possible new community offerings such as flag football, youth soccer and other youth or adult sport programming needs they may have.

Drone aerial photo of OFMS Athletic fields

Athletic field update with black topped track

drone aerial photo of athletic fields with tennis courts

Students, faculty, and Community leaders

Project Progress Diary

May 15, 2024:

With student-athletes leading the way, we officially broke ground on the Oak Farm Sports Complex last Wednesday. The crowd of families, coaches, community members and students cheered as eight student-athletes, representing each sport that will call the complex home, officially turned the dirt to break ground. Josephine Pladys, Charlie Brubaker, Cohen McCreery, Nick Mains, Andrew McKinley, Derek Hale and Lily Moser donned orange construction hats for the special event. Along with OFMS coaches, Board President, Erica Dekko, Head of School, Candice Holbrook and Athletic Director, Donna Wolf, the leaders of several local community organizations joined us as well: Adam Dunlap, Avilla Town Manager, Tom Leedy and Greg Matney of the Dekko Foundation; Melanie Kellogg with Be Noble, Inc., and Lance Waters, Mayor of Kendallville.

July 8th, 2024

While the project continues to move forward, we have experienced a few delays due to the rain and some unexpected engineering changes on the light poles. Currently, the stone is being put down for the tennis and pickleball courts, drives, and parking areas. We are still hopeful that our tennis team can play on their new home courts this fall; however, the rain delays and the timeline for completing the courts may not make that possible.

Our board has been busy securing donations for the project. We are excited to share that as of today we have over $525,000 committed to the project, as well as, 100% of our Board Members having made financial commitments to the project.

Oak Farm Montessori School Celebrates Ribbon Cutting of New Sports Complex

On Monday, August 18, 2025, we at Oak Farm Montessori School (OFMS) celebrated the ribbon-cutting of our new Oak Farm Sports Complex, Home of the Falcons. After the ceremony, we proudly hosted our school’s first-ever home tennis match, a truly exciting milestone for our Oak Farm Montessori community.

The celebration also marked the launch of our Take It To The Field Campaign. Thanks to the generosity of our board of directors and supporters, we have secured 6.7 million dollars from over 30 individual donors and foundations. With $1.2 million left to raise, the event energized our community and inspired momentum toward completing this important project.

The Oak Farm Sports Complex was thoughtfully designed as an extension of our Montessori learning environment. It supports the whole child in mind, body, and spirit by encouraging independence, strengthening physical development, and promoting collaboration.

When complete, the complex will feature facilities for tennis, pickleball, cross-country, track and field, and soccer. The tennis and pickleball courts officially opened on August 18, 2025, and we anticipate the soccer fields will be ready by Fall 2026.

In line with our mission to serve the greater community, the Sports Complex will also be available for local teams, organizations, and individuals when not in use for school activities. For facility rental information, please reach out to our Athletic Director, Donna Wolfe.

We were thrilled to welcome families, alumni, and community members to this special celebration, and we can’t wait to see the many ways our new Sports Complex will benefit both our students and the wider community.

Ribbon-Cutting Celebration of the Oak Farm Sports Complex

Towels for out Take It To The Field Campaign

A couple members from the Board of Directors, Donor, and Head of School