About Oakwood Adventist Academy."In the night season I was taken from place to place, from city to city, in the Southern field. I saw the great work to be done—the work that ought to have been done years ago. We seemed to be looking at many places. Our first interest was for the places where the work has already been established, and for the places where the way has opened for a beginning to be made. I saw the places in the South where institutions have been established for the advancement of the Lord's work. One of the places that I saw was Graysville, and another [was] Huntsville. The Lord led in the establishment of these schools. Their work is not to be discouraged, but encouraged. They are to receive encouragement and support. Both of these places have advantages of their own. There has been delay in pushing forward the work in these places. Let us delay no longer. At these schools students may gain an education that, with the blessing of God, will prepare them to win souls to Christ. If they unite with the Saviour, they will grow in spirituality, and will be prepared to present the truth to others." (EGW Manuscript, Volume 2)
Oakwood Adventist Academy, also referred to as Oakwood Academy, OAA, or The Academy, is a Seventh-day Adventist co-educational, K-12 school located on the beautiful campus of Oakwood University, in Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1896 as Oakwood Industrial School, Oakwood Adventist Academy was charged with the task of training young people of African American descent. The school consisted of sixteen students, four teachers, and four buildings on three hundred sixty acres of land. Oakwood Adventist Academy has had many names including Oakwood Manual Training School, Oakwood College Academy, Oakwood Christian Academy, and Oakwood Academy. Oakwood Adventist Academy has a rich history of tailoring its academic programs to meet the needs of the community it serves. The high school served as a boarding school and preparatory school operated by Oakwood College (now University) for the majority of its existence. In 1974, the academy became a day school operated by a local constituency of Seventh-day Adventist churches called the Huntsville Area Seventh-day Adventist (HASDA) School Board which continues to govern the school. The administration and constituency voted to change the name of the school to Oakwood Adventist Academy in 2002. Governed by the Huntsville Area Seventh-day Adventist Church (HASDA) School Board and the South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Oakwood Adventist Academy is the oldest and largest Black SDA school, and one of the largest continuously-operating Black private schools in both the State of Alabama and the United States. |
Established in 1995On April 3, 1994, the first planning meeting was called by Dr. Jessie Godley Bradley. Sixty-six alumnus met in the J. T. Stafford Building with the express purpose of organizing and planning the Oakwood Academy National Alumni Association. Over the next twelve months, a dedicated committee compiled the contact information of all former Academy alumnus.
One year later, on April 7, 1995, a second meeting was called by Dr. Bradley who reiterated her desire to start an alumni association for the then Oakwood Academy. The floor was opened for nominations for officers for the new association. After some discussion, nominations were made, a vote was taken, and the new officers of the newly-established Oakwood Academy National Alumni Association was invested. Pastor Steve Norman ('66) was elected as its first president. Chaplain Doug Simon (‘62) was elected the second president of the alumni association. On July 1, 2013, Dr. Everett Roper (‘88) was elected the third president of the alumni association and served effectively for six years. In 2018, Dr. Jarrod E. Patterson (‘92) was elected as the fourth president in the 25 year history of the alumni association. In a historic vote at the Alumni Constituency meeting on Sunday, September 1, 2019, constituents changed the official name to the National Oakwood Adventist Academy Alumni Association and voted to incorporate the organization once again. |
Our MissionThe National Oakwood Adventist Academy Alumni Association exists to support the advancement of Oakwood Adventist Academy (K-12), by promoting relationships and fellowship among alumnus, coordinating the establishment of the Alumni Chapters, maintaining the history of the Alumni Association, and generating financial contributions on behalf of Oakwood Adventist Academy.
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