Beyond Westridge

Beyond Westridge

Though our campus is an intentional space for focused learning, from the youngest age we ask our students to look outward; to think about their role and agency in the world around them; to soak up educational opportunities outside of Madeline Drive; and, to make connections between what they are learning in class to the world around them. Our curriculum provides age-appropriate opportunities for learning beyond Westridge—experiential education opportunities for deep learning that engages the hearts, as well as the minds, of students.

Program Highlights

Research in Science 

The Research in Science elective provides seniors with hands-on research opportunities with universities and research institutions including California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Children’s Hospital, complemented with weekly on-campus seminar classes on scientific writing and presentation and other topics relevant to pursuing further education and careers in science. Westridge seniors have worked alongside top academics and professional scientists conducting research in such areas as cancer biology, economic theory, control and dynamical systems engineering, astrophysics, and organic chemistry. 

Above: Middle School students kayaking on a trip up the California coast.

Westridge School middle school soil unit garden

Above: The Soil Unit is an interdisciplinary unit combining 7th grade English, history, math, and science classes to explore topics related to soil and the way it shapes our ecosystem and society.

Research in Science

The Great Outdoors

Getting outdoors, removed from familiar environments and technology, can be a transformative experience. Students interact with each other in new ways, gain confidence by flexing totally new muscles, and learn to perceive the physical world differently.

CLASS TRIPS & RETREATS

Our class trips and retreats are intentionally designed to take students outside of the city, allowing them to build trust and bond with one another while connecting with the natural world. Each year, students participate in exciting, hands-on, outdoor activities through Discovery Week options for Upper School and Lower and Middle School class retreats at Pali Mountain, El Capitan, and Ojai (where students tackle high ropes courses, rock climbing, hiking, and more).

ECO-SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION

From the 6th grade Eco-Homes project and Middle School’s Soil Unit (an interdisciplinary unit focused on soil ecology), to our Upper School Permaculture Garden class (which is responsible for the design and maintenance of our sustainable garden on campus), understanding our relationship to and impact on the environment is woven into our core curriculum. While some classes—like our Environmental Science & Sustainability Advanced Course—teach students about the role the environment has on all aspects of human life through project-based learning, other classes ask students to take on the role of field researchers through off-campus trips and hands-on labs.

Discovery Week

Each year at Westridge the week before spring break (known as "Discovery Week") is devoted to experiential learning—on-campus for some of our younger students and off-campus for most.

For Lower School, this week combines hands-on creative learning on campus with day trips to local environments related to their projects. In Middle School, the 7th and 8th graders spend the week together in outdoor, technology-free educational experiences. In Upper School, trips range from day trips exploring different historical, cultural, and artistic themes in our own city and domestic travel (each year there are several outdoor experiences and subject-specific trips, such as a civil rights tour of the south by Upper School choral students who performed and collaborated with local choirs), and an array international educational and service trip options that students select based on their interests. 

Spotted: #WestridgeintheWild

Upper Schoolers in Yellowstone National Park during Discovery Week

An outdoor education-focused Olympic backpacking trip during Upper School Discovery Week

Upper School students on a trip to Thailand

The Upper School Chamber Orchestra on a performing arts-focused tour of Italy

Middle Schoolers on a backpacking trip through Yosemite National Park

Fourth graders explore San Diego during Discovery Week

Fifth graders are hosted by Discovery Cube's Ocean Quest in Newport Beach during Discovery Week

global initiative icon

Westridge Global Scholars

The Westridge Global Scholars Program allows Upper School students to create their own transdisciplinary study of a modern-day global issue.

Students propose a selection of Westridge classes relevant to their area of focus and over a minimum of two years complete coursework, conduct informational interviews and other research, and participate in related experiential learning such as internships and volunteering while documenting their experiences for an artifact such as a research paper, website, film, or art installation that demonstrates mastery of their topic. Upon completion, students defend their final project before a committee of Westridge faculty and staff and present their work in the annual Global Scholars Showcase. The program provides an in-depth learning opportunity for students interested in global studies with guidance from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, instilling in them an awareness of their role in the wider world and how their actions can contribute to a broader community of real change within a local-global context. Participating students receive a Global Scholar distinction on their diploma.

This student-centered program allows fellows with a deep interest in global issues to explore those interests through coursework and experiences that culminate in a well-researched project that informs the Westridge Community and prepares students for future research in higher education.