By Marina Budrys, Co-Pedagogical Administrator (Grades 6-12) and Faculty Member
Wow, I wish I had done this in high school.
This is such a unique and interesting experience!
They are so lucky.
These are just a few of the many observations I hear from onlookers during Experiential Interdisciplinary Week–often when students are immersed in something they have never done before, and may never do again.
Experiential Interdisciplinary, or EI Week, was born from the impulse that we do some of our best learning from being IN the world. We devote a full week of the high school curriculum to student-inspired workshops that expand learning in experiential, physical, and often unforgettable ways. Whether flying through the air in a trapeze studio, pushing one’s heart to the limit on a grueling upward climb on a mountain bike, or transforming thrift store clothing to what one imagined in their head, all of the workshops challenge students to grow. When I was a senior at WSP, I blew glass at a studio in Half Moon Bay, something I struggled through, and will never forget.
All of the activities are exciting and introduce new skill sets to students. But the activities aren’t just about their cool factor. Beyond the technical skill building is the growth that these young people do as friends, as leaders, and as members of society.
By being challenged to spend time with people who are not their closest friends, or working with new teachers in new situations, or encountering the discomfort that comes from being in less controlled environments than school, our students find ways to expand their self-confidence. What starts as I could never, I won’t, or I don’t think I can is transformed to: I can do.
Doing things IRL or “in real life” is essential to WSP’s high school curriculum. We want students to grow up to value the full spectrum of being human. In a moment where our attention is constantly drawn into the virtual world–this is even more significant. Mental and physical well-being depend on being a part of the world and we are on the precipice of understanding how costly it is to slip away from the real world, especially for young, developing people.
Being in our bodies and in our complicated beautiful world is what makes us feel the most alive and that is something we do not want to lose. WSP high school students are fortunate that their school values this.
Here are a few takeaways from students this year:
I loved moving all day and making new friends.
Learning trapeze was so fun, and being someone who is scared of heights, I thought it would be much scarier! 10/10
Doing something new–even though it was really scary—and overcoming that fear, that’s what it is all about.
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Students in the “Adrenaline” group taking a break from mountain biking.
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The Acrobatics group at the Circus Center in San Francisco.
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The “Reimagine" group gathering materials for sewing and upcycling projects.
