The Bay School of San Francisco
Encyclopedia
The Bay School of San Francisco is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory high school that opened in 2004. The school moved into its current location in the Presidio of San Francisco
in 2005. It has as its three areas of core literacy science and technology, world religion, and ethics
.
and the Cathedral School for Boys
, conceived of the idea of a new high school. In 1996, the school became incorporated.
The school opened in 2004; at that time, a single class of freshman made up the student body. During the first school year, students attended classes in a temporary building, a "long, majestic white building on Schofield Road facing the bay". In August 2005, the school moved to its current (permanent) location on 35 Keyes Avenue.
's Main Post." Building 35 was built in 1912, initially to be used as cavalry barracks
, and later as bakers' and cooks' barracks, before becoming the headquarters for the U.S. IX Corps, which was responsible for all U.S. Army facilities within the Western United States
. After major renovation, Building 35 reopened as the Bay School's new campus in August 2005.
The building contains 62000 square feet (5,760 m²) of space, and features high ceilings, large spaces, and natural light and ventilation. Among other things, it houses a 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) library/media center and 4500 square feet (418.1 m²) student center on the ground floor. There are 21 classrooms on the second and third floors. Bay School offers state-of-the-art science laboratory classrooms (for physics, biology, and chemistry), a computer lab, and facilities for the school's music program.
Because of the school's young age, students at Bay have great power in shaping the curriculum and philosophy. A tradition is for the senior class to compose a new "guiding precept" during the Senior Retreat, to add to the other guiding precepts that the school offers to help students make responsible choices. In addition, a wide variety of non-traditional classes, exploring such issues as game theory
and the philosophical conundrum of evil, are offered depending on student interest.
Among the unique features of the school is the laptop program. Every student and teacher is given a Hewlett-Packard
laptop, and a significant percentage of classwork and homework is done electronically and submitted online. In 2008, the Bay School math department abandoned whiteboard lectures in favor of tablet PC
s and projectors. The math program also consists of "investigations," which encourage students to focus on writing instead of practicing the math.
Another unique program the school offers is the Senior Signature Projects Program. This senior project differs from similarly named programs at many other schools in both depth and duration; a minimum of 65 hours of field work is expected of all seniors in a topic of their choice, and a formal presentation and/or paper is expected at the end of the project. In the first year of the program (2008), topics of focus have ranged from engineering and particle physics to music production and fashion design.
The school also offers students a variety of athletic, arts, service learning, and internship opportunities. Among other things, it fields teams in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball
, volleyball
, boys and girls tennis
, boys and girls golf
, and baseball
. In addition, activities such as yoga
, dance
, martial arts
, rock climbing at Planet Granite, physical conditioning
and sailing
are offered. In the spring of 2011, Bay began a boys lacrosse after school activity, as a precursor to a boys varsity lacrosse team, which will start up in the following school year.
Complementing the precepts is group meditation, which usually occurs daily during morning gatherings. Typical morning meetings including ten minutes of a presentation or artistic performance (by students, faculty, staff, parents, or an outside speaker), followed by five minutes of meditation, and then the remaining time for all-school announcements. The school extols the value of meditation, citing that meditation has been demonstrated to improve the mental fitness and behavior of students. For instance, college undergraduates who practiced 20 minutes of meditation over a period of 5 days "showed greater improvement in conflict scores on the Attention Network Test, lower anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue, and higher vigor on the Profile of Mood States scale, a significant decrease in stress-related cortisol, and an increase in immunoreactivity" when compared to students who spent the same time just relaxing.
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
in 2005. It has as its three areas of core literacy science and technology, world religion, and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
.
History
In 1992, Malcolm Manson, a former headmaster of Marin Country Day SchoolMarin Country Day School
Marin Country Day School is an independent coeducational day school serving grades K-8 located in Corte Madera, California. The student body is made up of 540 students who are expected to follow the school's core values of "Respect, Responsibility, and Compassion".-History:Founded in 1956 by...
and the Cathedral School for Boys
Cathedral School for Boys
Cathedral School for Boys is a private boys' primary school located on Nob Hill in San Francisco, affiliated with Grace Cathedral. It was founded in 1957 and is notable for its choir, the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys...
, conceived of the idea of a new high school. In 1996, the school became incorporated.
The school opened in 2004; at that time, a single class of freshman made up the student body. During the first school year, students attended classes in a temporary building, a "long, majestic white building on Schofield Road facing the bay". In August 2005, the school moved to its current (permanent) location on 35 Keyes Avenue.
Campus
The Bay School of San Francisco utilizes "one of the largest and most historic buildings on the PresidioPresidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
's Main Post." Building 35 was built in 1912, initially to be used as cavalry barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
, and later as bakers' and cooks' barracks, before becoming the headquarters for the U.S. IX Corps, which was responsible for all U.S. Army facilities within the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. After major renovation, Building 35 reopened as the Bay School's new campus in August 2005.
The building contains 62000 square feet (5,760 m²) of space, and features high ceilings, large spaces, and natural light and ventilation. Among other things, it houses a 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) library/media center and 4500 square feet (418.1 m²) student center on the ground floor. There are 21 classrooms on the second and third floors. Bay School offers state-of-the-art science laboratory classrooms (for physics, biology, and chemistry), a computer lab, and facilities for the school's music program.
Students
The 2010-2011 academic year sees the student body grow to approximately 275 freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Students come not only from San Francisco but also from other parts of the Bay Area, including Marin County, the Peninsula, and the East Bay.Because of the school's young age, students at Bay have great power in shaping the curriculum and philosophy. A tradition is for the senior class to compose a new "guiding precept" during the Senior Retreat, to add to the other guiding precepts that the school offers to help students make responsible choices. In addition, a wide variety of non-traditional classes, exploring such issues as game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
and the philosophical conundrum of evil, are offered depending on student interest.
Curriculum and activities
The Bay School offers a college preparatory curriculum designed to prepare students for the 21st century. The Bay School is one of the few independent high schools in the Bay Area to offer a comprehensive 4-year program in Mandarin Chinese.Among the unique features of the school is the laptop program. Every student and teacher is given a Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
laptop, and a significant percentage of classwork and homework is done electronically and submitted online. In 2008, the Bay School math department abandoned whiteboard lectures in favor of tablet PC
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
s and projectors. The math program also consists of "investigations," which encourage students to focus on writing instead of practicing the math.
Another unique program the school offers is the Senior Signature Projects Program. This senior project differs from similarly named programs at many other schools in both depth and duration; a minimum of 65 hours of field work is expected of all seniors in a topic of their choice, and a formal presentation and/or paper is expected at the end of the project. In the first year of the program (2008), topics of focus have ranged from engineering and particle physics to music production and fashion design.
The school also offers students a variety of athletic, arts, service learning, and internship opportunities. Among other things, it fields teams in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, boys and girls tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, boys and girls golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. In addition, activities such as yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, rock climbing at Planet Granite, physical conditioning
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
are offered. In the spring of 2011, Bay began a boys lacrosse after school activity, as a precursor to a boys varsity lacrosse team, which will start up in the following school year.
Precepts and meditation
One well-known feature of the Bay School is a collection of "precepts" that are indicative of various ethical areas students and other members of the community should be mindful of (including relationships with others, the best ways to learn, and how to treat the earth).Complementing the precepts is group meditation, which usually occurs daily during morning gatherings. Typical morning meetings including ten minutes of a presentation or artistic performance (by students, faculty, staff, parents, or an outside speaker), followed by five minutes of meditation, and then the remaining time for all-school announcements. The school extols the value of meditation, citing that meditation has been demonstrated to improve the mental fitness and behavior of students. For instance, college undergraduates who practiced 20 minutes of meditation over a period of 5 days "showed greater improvement in conflict scores on the Attention Network Test, lower anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue, and higher vigor on the Profile of Mood States scale, a significant decrease in stress-related cortisol, and an increase in immunoreactivity" when compared to students who spent the same time just relaxing.