Montanas

The Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana) is not the strongest oak, the tallest oak, or the straightest oak. It’s not that great for lumber, and its leaf doesn’t even look “oaky.” It has thick bark, which is sort of a boring fact.
What makes the chestnut unique among oak trees is how its roots prefer rock. Sometimes referred to simply as the rock oak, montanas are found growing on the sides of mountains with their roots gnarled around giant boulders, anchoring down into the soil.

The freshman year is one of foundations, whether we’re talking mathematically, literarily, athletically, relationally, or otherwise. It’s essential for young students to wrap their roots around the Rock (Mt 7:24-25) from the beginning of their high school careers. Envisioning freshmen as rock oaks is a helpful reminder, and a helpful corrective: Are we helping them to grow a foundation fixed on Christ and his Word?

Chestnut oaks are also particularly resilient. Chop a young montana down to the stump, and it will send new shoots back up. It’s a great picture of the typical freshman. They bring a passion and vibrancy to campus; some of them literally bounce! Our job at The Oaks is to harness that buoyant zeal for the sake of growth, learning, and the blessing of the whole student body.

Finally, chestnut oak foliage is actually distinctive. Picture an oak leaf for a minute. You probably visualized a red or white oak with deep lobes, perhaps points. Comparatively, a chestnut oak leaf looks a bit “underbaked” shape-wise. It’s a good reminder that the freshman year is the beginning, not the end. God has a lot of work left—a young man or woman grows into themselves so much during the four years of high school! We don’t fault a chestnut oak for having simple-shaped leaves—and we don’t fault a 14 year-old for being a freshman.