2020–2021 SCHOOL PROFILE The Bay School of San Francisco, founded in 2004, is a co-educational, independent, college preparatory day school located in the scenic Presidio National Park. Bay enrolls 398 students in grades 9–12, offering students a challenging curriculum that emphasizes depth over breadth, rigor, and discipline in mastering detail; cultivates depth of synthesis and analysis; demands authentic inquiry; and emphasizes examination of pressing global issues. Director of College Counseling Gina Meneni gmeneni@bayschoolsf.org, ext. 107 Associate Director of College Counseling Erick Núñez enunez@bayschoolsf.org, ext. 144 Habla español Assistant Director of College Counseling Ashley Terry ‘11 aterry@bayschoolsf.org, ext. 179 35 Keyes Avenue San Francisco, CA 94129 Phone 415-561-5800 Fax 415-561-5808 www.bayschoolsf.org CEEB Number: 053985 Accreditation: WASC, CAIS Member School: NAIS, NACAC, WACAC
CLASS OF
2021
The Bay School uses an unweighted GPA, does not calculate class rank, and does not award any academic honors or distinctions.
108 SENIORS
Highest GPA: 3.99 Lowest GPA: 2.50 COVID-19 CURRICULUM CHANGES In response to COVID-19, Bay closed for in-person learning on March 12, 2020. On March 16 we began distance learning, one day prior to when the San Francisco Shelter in Place order took effect. In accordance with Governor Newsom’s July order regarding counties on California’s watch list, The Bay School has begun the 2020-2021 academic year in our distance learning model.
MISSION At The Bay School, we balance challenging academics and innovative thinking with a mindful approach to learning and life. Our goal is to see students unlock their individual and collective potential so they begin to realize their roles in a dynamic world. CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS In 2018-2019 Bay moved from a block trimester calendar to a semester schedule, punctuated by two 3-week immersive terms. In each semester, students take five courses that meet three times per week, for 80 minutes at a time, in a rotating weekly block schedule. In each Immersive, students take one course all day, every day. The goal is to provide a schedule that increases opportunities for experiential, project-based, and interdisciplinary learning. The Bay School of San Francisco (Bay) does not prescribe to/offer an AP or IB curriculum. Bay has placed limits for the maximum number of honors courses a student can take in each year (1.5 credits in the junior year, 3 credits in the senior year).
IMMERSIVE TERM An Immersive meets for the equivalent number of hours as a semester course. Each Immersive course carries the same academic weight as a semester course. The kinds of teaching and learning that occur in each term differ, but the academic richness is the same. Immersive courses are affiliated with academic departments—often in interdisciplinary ways—and fulfill graduation requirements in those departments just as a semester-long course does. Please note that due to Covid-19, the 2020 spring Immersive term was cancelled, which will not adversely impact the fulfilment of graduation requirements for the classes of 2021, 2022 and 2023. There is enough flexibility in Bay’s curriculum and schedule to allow for a loss of one semester of credit that the Immerisve term provides without losing the ability to fulfill all graduation requirements. For the Classes of 2021, 2022 and 2023: 12th graders are not required to take a spring
Immersive during their 12th grade year. To make up for the lost opportunity of the cancelation of the 2020 spring Immersive term, these graduating classes will be allowed to “opt-in” to take a spring immersive term at the end of their 12th grade year. Students in these classes who decide not to opt in to a spring Immersive in the 12th grade will be allowed to graduate with 23 credits.
INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSES Bay understands the need to push the boundaries of the traditional classroom setting in order to ensure our students are given the tools needed to thrive in the 21st century. Because of this, Bay offers a host of interdisciplinary courses—in both the semester and immersive terms—co-taught by two instructors of different disciplines. These courses combine curriculum from each discipline to create an innovative, in-depth, and well-rounded approach to learning. SENIOR SIGNATURE PROJECTS A highlight of each student’s 12th-grade year, the Senior Signature Project (SSP) program is designed to be the culminating experience of a Bay education. In this program, students embark on a journey of personal investigation and discovery. The Bay School’s program is a requirement for graduation and involves extensive field work for which students earn full academic credit for a two-term course. The program offers a meaningful opportunity for each senior to explore a passion in depth through the lens of a young professional working in a field rather than a high school student studying a topic. Each student works with an adult mentor who provides expertise and guidance. Projects in recent years have included redesigning the waiting area of a health clinic for low-income families to reduce patient anxiety, creating a course reader about LGBTQ+ history and identity as a supplementary resource for high school teachers, teaching week-long astronomy courses for middle school students to expose them to a branch of science typically not covered in depth at that level, and designing a prototype running shoe with replaceable, interchangeable soles. The diversity of projects reflects the diversity of students and their interests.