Diamond Oaks Weekly Update
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Diamond Oaks Families, Students, and Staff,
What an energizing week it’s been at Diamond Oaks! Our students continue to show what it means to be NextReady—prepared, skilled, and confident as they move toward their future careers.
I’m excited to share that our Business Professionals of America (BPA) team brought home 2nd and 4th place finishes at the State Competition! Their hard work, teamwork, and professionalism truly reflect the level of excellence we aim for every day. Please join me in congratulating these outstanding students.
We’re also proud to recognize several of our Digital Arts & Design (DA&D) students, who have earned awards in the 2026 Print Excellence Awards, presented by the Graphic Media Alliance. This competition includes schools and companies across Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan—so being honored is a tremendous achievement. Their creativity and technical skills continue to shine.
Looking ahead, Career Day on March 6 will give all students the opportunity to practice interviewing skills, connect with college and career representatives, and participate in professional seminars—including sessions on entrepreneurship. This day is designed to support the NextReady mission by building confidence, communication skills, and real‑world readiness.
Students are also continuing their WebXam state tests and progressing toward their 12‑point industry credentialing. These assessments and certifications are essential steps on the pathway to graduation and career success, and we appreciate the focus and determination our students are showing as they prepare.
As always, thank you for partnering with us to support student success. Diamond Oaks students continue to prove that their futures are bright—and they’re just getting started.
Have a great week!
Scott Colliflower
Diamond Oaks Dean of Instruction
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Senior Ceremony is closer than you think! This year Diamond Oaks’ Senior Ceremony will be on May 12, at NKU, with the ceremony starting at 4:00 PM. As the date gets closer, more details will follow. Seniors will be required to wear a graduation gown to senior ceremony. Even if your student will not be participating in their homeschool graduation, he or she will still need to order a gown. If there are issues with ordering gowns, please contact your student’s counselor: Dr. Freeman, freemaka@greatoaks.com, Mr. Poehner, Poehner.Michael@greatoaks.com, or Ms. Chapman, Chapman.Tamar@greatoaks.com. |
- Friday, 3/20/2026, End of 3rd Quarter.
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Monday, 3/23/2026, NO SCHOOL due to a teacher workday.
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3/30/2026 - 4/3/2026, NO SCHOOL, due to Spring Break.
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On Monday, February 23, 2026, and Tuesday, February 24, 2026, five students from the Diamond Oaks chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA) competed at the Ohio BPA State Leadership Conference in Columbus, Ohio. These five students were:
- Taysean Irby, IT junior — Competed in Device Configuration and Troubleshooting
- D'nyla (Tori) Jordan, IT senior — Competed in Server Administration Using Microsoft
- Clayton Picchioni, IT senior — Competed in Linux Operating System Fundamentals
- Elijah Snyder, IT senior — Competed in Computer Network Technology
- Zander Wahl, IT senior — Competed in Linux Operating System Fundamentals
These students were all an excellent representation of the Diamond Oaks Information Technology program and they brought home the following awards from the Grand Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, February 24, 2026:
- Elijah Snyder — 4th Place — Computer Network Technology — Qualified to Competed at the BPA National Leadership Conference in Nashville, TN in May 2026
- Zander Wahl — 9th Place — Linux Operating System Fundamentals
- Elijah Snyder — 2nd Place — Information Technology Concepts (Open)
- Elijah Snyder — 10th Place — Administrative Support Concepts (Open)
Overall, this was an amazing accomplishment for Diamond Oaks BPA and we're ready to support Elijah in his quest at the BPA NLC in May!
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Great Oaks applications for the 2026–2027 school year are now open. Incoming juniors are encouraged to apply at https://apply.greatoaks.com/.
There are still openings in the following programs:
- Auto Refinishing & Collision Repair
- Aviation Exploration
- Aviation Maintenance Technician
- Construction Framing & Finishing Technologies
- Digital Arts & Design
- Equine & Livestock Management
- Information Technology
If you know a student who may be interested in enrolling in one of our programs, please encourage them to apply. For more information, contact Laura Domet at DometL@greatoaks.com or (513) 612‑7006.
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Are you—or is someone in your family—a Great Oaks graduate? We want to see where your journey has taken you since graduation!
How to Enter:
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Step 1: Fill out this quick form: https://bit.ly/3LWFQYW
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Step 2: Upload a workplace-approved photo of you on the job.
- Think: Action shots, uniforms, tools, or your workspace. (No selfies, please!)
📢 Spread the Word!
Even if you aren’t a grad, you likely know one! Please forward this to family, friends, or neighbors who attended Great Oaks so we can feature their careers.
The Prize:
One submission from each lab will be selected to be featured in official Great Oaks marketing materials to inspire the next generation of students.
Show our current students what’s possible through CTE!
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The 2026 Diamond Oaks Senior Career Day is Friday, March 6th. Students will participate in mock interviews, visit a career/college fair with area employers and schools, and attend customized informational sessions about life after graduation. Students who complete all requirements for the day will be automatically entered into a prize drawing during senior lunch for gift cards, electronics, and more!
The event runs from 7:50am through senior lunch and takes the place of the regular AM schedule. All students in a regular English 12 class are required to attend as this event is the culminating grade for 3rd quarter. This includes placement and late arrival students who are in a regular class (not online). It is at the English teacher's discretion to exempt a student from the event. If you are unsure if your student is required to attend, please contact their English teacher.
Students are expected to dress professionally in interview attire for the event. We are welcoming 100+ community members to our campus and want to represent Diamond Oaks in the best way we can. If a student cannot wear interview attire, they are required to wear their official Diamond Oaks uniform.
If you have questions or would like to volunteer or contribute to the day's activities, please contact Anne Bangert at bangerta@greatoaks.com or (513) 612-7024. Thank you!
Sincerely,
The Diamond Oaks English Department
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The following homeschools will administer the ACT on the dates listed below. Students should report to their homeschool on their scheduled ACT testing day. Students will not report to Diamond Oaks on ACT testing days.
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Monday, March 2: NCH
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Tuesday, March 3: Princeton
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Wednesday, March 4: Reading
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Tuesday, March 10: Mt. Healthy (Please see Mt. Healthy's Communication attached to this Update.)
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Uniforms: We are noticing more student out of uniform as the year progresses. Please remind your student to be in uniform for the entire day.
Extra Help: Students have the opportunity to receive extra help from their instructors after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Students should make an appointment with their instructor in advance to stay after.
Diamond Oaks provides a shuttle bus for students who stay after school, transporting them back to their home schools.
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Tuesdays: Shuttle service to Finneytown, Mt. Healthy, and NCH
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Wednesdays: Shuttle service to Harrison, Oak Hills, and Taylor
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There has been lots of exciting news from the Digital Arts program since our last spotlight.
To begin with, we now have 19 new "Adobe Certified Professionals" in "Adobe Illustrator" in the Junior class. This is quite an accomplishment as they passed their exams after only 16 weeks in the program. Similarly, we had 11 new Adobe Certifications earned by the Seniors for "Adobe InDesign," and a few others were earned in "Adobe Illustrator" and "Adobe Animate." Furthermore, two DA&D Seniors earned all of their high school credentials by Dec. and met the requirements for "Early HS Graduation" by the end of 1st semester.
Following that, we are proud to announce that several DA&D students have been recognized from the 2026 Print Excellence Awards competition, presented by the Graphic Media Alliance (GMA) representing Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. This recognition reinforces the students’ reputation for delivering exceptional creativity and craftsmanship in print excellence. (2) Gold awards were given to Kaylin Gibson, Sr. (Taylor) for her two entries and (1) Gold award each was given to Macey Hunter, Sr. (Finneytown) and Astrid Rodriguez, Jr. (MTHS). Additionally, three Silver awards each were given to Anaia Henderson Sr. (OHHS), Luther Joyce, Jr. (OHHS), and Kierstyn Parker Jr. for their respective works.
DA&D Students of the Month who will be honored at the March luncheon are Finnegan O’Rourke, Senior (NCH) and Astrid Rodriguez, Jr. (MTHHS).
Finally, I am proud to have received this year’s nomination to represent Great Oaks as part of the Cincinnati/Munich Teacher exchange program sponsored by Hamilton County ESC. The Diamond Oaks campus will host the group for a visit on April 9th where sixteen local and international guests will spend the day touring the campus, learning about career technical education, and being treated to a special luncheon served by the Culinary program.
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If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links:
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