The Bay School of San Francisco is an independent high school where innovative teaching and learning is grounded in mindfulness, equity, and community.
Academic Dean Andy Shaw returns to our blog with another in-depth look at academics at Bay. In this post, Andy shares how Bay students learn to reflect on their work in meaningful ways, beginning in their 9th-grade year. When talking about Bay’s notion of “rigor with purpose,” I see a lot of nodding heads when …
Continue reading "The Difference Between “Doing Something” and “Doing Something Well”"
Last Monday, students in the Artist as Activist class ventured to Oakland to visit with local artist Evan Bissell in his studio. Students were struck by Evan’s work, and especially his public projects, as each piece requires a tremendous amount of research, active collaboration and a balance between aesthetic and activist intentions. “Activist art can …
Continue reading "Aesthetics and Activism: Visiting an Artist’s Studio in Oakland"
It’s not every day that you get to learn from a teacher that speaks Sanskrit, plays jazz bass and has a deep knowledge of all things history…unless you’re Colin Williams’ student, of course. Colin, who teaches both Humanities and music at Bay, loves sharing his talents in the classroom. As he explains, “Teaching Humanities at …
Continue reading "“It Feels Good to Dig In”: Colin Williams on Humanities at Bay"
The Painting 1B artists have just finished a project titled Fur, Feathered and Scaled. Students were inspired by the textures, forms and patterns of animals, and especially by the studio's four special visitors: a bittern, a bobcat, a rattlesnake and a barn owl from the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. We also looked at artists who use …
Continue reading "Getting In Touch With Their Wild Sides: Painting 1B’s New Project"
What’s it like to have been involved in every Bay musical? “Well, it’s been a very Bay School experience,” laughs Katherine Riley, drama and humanities faculty and director of Bay’s musicals. “I’ve learned a lot…When I started, I wasn’t flying blind, because I had directed musicals before, but not here, not in a small school.” …
Continue reading "Katherine Riley on Directing Musicals at Bay"
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