Oregon Episcopal School

For the past 19 years at OES, Upper School Spanish Teacher and Community Engagement Coordinator, Maria McIvor, has helped students build meaningful connections through service, language, leadership, and cultural exchange. Her work reflects a deep commitment to learning alongside the community.

"Community engagement is never a ‘one and done’ task. The most powerful form of community engagement is being in partnership with other people," Maria says. Through programs like the Vose Elementary Spanish learning exchange and the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship course, Maria continues to help students connect language, leadership, and service in meaningful ways at OES.

McIvor has also led Winterim trips around the world, creating opportunities for students to connect across cultures through language and shared experiences. "My goal is to foster partnerships where students both contribute their talents and receive the gifts of collaboration. That is how students truly learn to use their power for good."

Read more about Maria in the latest OES Spotlight: https://www.oes.edu/board-posts/~board/aardvark-posts-content/post/oes-spotlight-maria-mcivor-believes-in-building-community-through-partnership.

At OES, ambitious student-athletes don’t have to choose between elite academics and elite athletics. Through The Scholar’s Edge Program, students have direct access to the training environment of Oregon Fencing Alliance—widely recognized as one of the most successful fencing clubs in the United States. Embedded directly on the OES campus, this partnership creates a seamless balance between excellent academics and world-class athletic development.

Leading that experience is Adam Skarbonkiewicz, former U.S. National Sabre Champion and internationally respected coach. A longtime student and assistant to legendary Olympic coach Ed Korfanty, Adam has spent more than two decades developing some of the sport’s top athletes, including Caitlyn Thompson, a Cadet, Junior and Senior World champion, Siobhan Sullivan, a 2022 world silver medalist and Division I national champion, and U.S. National Team members and World Championship medal winners, including Chloe Fox-Gitomer, Avery Zuck, Eileen Hassett, Mara Keltner, Elliott Clinton, and Sarah Borrmann. His coaching accomplishments also include guiding his daughter, Magda Skarbonkiewicz, to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, along with multiple world championship titles at the cadet and junior levels.

The Scholar’s Edge Program gives dedicated fencers the opportunity to train under a coach with proven international success while thriving in a school community built around character, connection, and growth. For students pursuing excellence both on the strip and in the classroom, this is an environment designed to help them reach their highest potential.

Join us for our upcoming virtual information session on June 9 at 6 p.m. Sign up at www.oes.edu/fencing.