Educator Terry Wilson has witnessed plenty of change during her time at Ojai Valley School.
There have been fires and floods, lockdowns and earthquakes, awards and college recommendations, demolition and rebuilding.
Through it all, Mrs. Wilson has remained a constant in Ojai Valley School’s chaotic life. She has been a passionate equestrian, an inspiring teacher, and a friend to all. But now, 35 years after she first started serving OVS, she is in her final year as a full time faculty member.
“I have spent much of my life at OVS,” said Mrs. Wilson, who despite her “retirement” will teach an Equine Science class at the Upper Campus next year.
“These years have been filled with the joy of teaching and the opportunity to work with many outstanding young students both in the stables and in the classroom,” Mrs. Wilson added. “I will miss this life.”
Mrs. Wilson grew up in Ojai, received her first horse at eight years old, and graduated from Nordhoff High School. She described her younger self as being wild, always riding a horse on her parents’ ranch.
She would go on to graduate from UC Berkeley in 1962, with a dual major in United States History and English and Speech. Less than a year after graduating, at the age of 22, she began teaching.
She first taught at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek and then at the Castilija Girls School in Palo Alto. After some years, she arrived at Ojai Valley School, where she would touch the lives of many young students.
Sally McClenahan Dyer, now head of the OVS Board of Trustees, had Mrs. Wilson as a teacher from grades seven through twelve, and reflected on her impact.
“Mrs. Wilson is someone who profoundly shaped my youth and inspired me to always go above and beyond,” Dyer said. “Her attention, guidance, and genuine care for all of her students (and Horses!) is a shared experience by those under her stewardship. I am a better human because she was my coach.”
When she first started at OVS, Mrs. Wilson ran the equestrian program at both the Lower and Upper campuses. She witnessed the construction of the barn, as well as the burning down of the arena in a 1991 fire. During her extensive time at the OVS barn, she influenced many lucky young riders.
One of these lucky equestrians is Tiana Coudray, who would later go on to compete in the Olympics.
Coudray expressed her deep gratitude for Mrs. Wilson, stating, “I may have already had a passion for horses, but she lit a spark and fanned the flames for which I am forever truly grateful.”
Although Mrs. Wilson’s passion lies with equestrian and dressage, she was eventually convinced to begin teaching English by previous headmaster, Carl Cooper. In the course of her career, she has taught all four high school levels of English, and even branched out into expository writing and U.S. history. Her teaching has ignited a love for English within countless students.
OVS junior Celeste Ayala, who is considering an English-related major, is one of them.
“Her passion for literature and her commitment to educating my classmates and I has greatly affected us as young writers, and she consistently strives to push us to be the best that we can,” Celeste said.
Mrs. Wilson most enjoys sharing the writing from The Great Gatsby with her students during the school year. Her favorite part of teaching isn’t the curriculum, though; it’s watching her students’ success and passion grow.
“When you see their successes in college and after college, it just makes you feel good about what you do,” Mrs. Wilson remarked.
Ojai Valley School wouldn’t be the same wonderful and resilient campus without the influence of Mrs. Wilson. During the same 1991 fire that destroyed the Upper Campus arena, she exhibited unmatched bravery.
As the fire roared along the hillside, destroying anything it pleased, Mrs. Wilson stayed behind to save the horses. She worked calmly under tense circumstances to get a spooked horse loaded into a trailer. Her actions saved many horses and brought pride to Ojai Valley School and her family.
Her daughter, OVS Admission Director Tracy Wilson, expressed her pride and love for her mother.
“Whether standing in the riding arena or the front of her classroom, she always put her students first,” Tracy Wilson said. “As a mom, she was always there for me, but never in a hovering way, which really taught me to be independent.”
In addition to teaching one class next year, Mrs. Wilson says she hopes to spend plenty of time with family on her ranch during retirement.
She has been writing a book about the history of Ojai Valley School, covering the period from the Thomas Fire forward, that she hopes to get published in the future.
She also has had a dream for years to write a book about her grandfather, who was a surgeon in World War I. He kept a diary covering the rawness of war, but simultaneously sent letters to his wife, only expressing positivity. She hopes to tell this contradicting story of war in her final book.
She also hopes to stay in touch with her sorority sisters. Lifelong friends are a rare gift that Mrs. Wilson has been granted. After graduating from university, Mrs. Wilson and her sorority sisters continued to meet up annually in Lake Tahoe.
As time trudged on, these annual trips ended, but she and her friends met back up to spend an exhilarating month traveling Europe together. Despite her mother pushing her to join the sorority, Mrs. Wilson firmly stated, “I’m not sorry at all that I did.”
Her life has been wild, encompassing, and beautiful, and she will continue to live that way even in retirement.
“Mrs Wilson will be sorely missed around the campus,” said Craig Floyd, the Head of Ojai Valley School. “I want to thank her for her dedication and service to the students and school community.”
