List of 5 items.

• ALL SCHOOL ORIENTATION

  During the first week of school the faculty, staff and students head out on a two-day Orientation Ride & Overnight together. We mix sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grade students in “families” with SBMS faculty. This two-day journey serves as an orientation on how our outdoor expeditions work, and is a training ground for cycling safety and a chance for new students to bond with returning students, teachers, and staff. 

• 9TH GRADE CHANNEL ISLANDS PROGRAM

  CHANNEL ISLANDS PROGRAM

  Every year, the 9th grade Channel Islands trip “From The Vision To The Source” is an overwhelming success. For three weeks before the expedition, 9th graders study island ecology, marine biology, fisheries management, anthropology, and resource management to teach others about issues that affect the Channel Islands. 
  
  

  Students journey across the channel to a unique learning environment, where they put weeks of research into practical application. Days are filled with snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, and, quite importantly, student-led seminars about “all things island.” Lessons on early explorers are given at the Cabrillo monument, high on a wind-swept hill on San Miguel Island. Students give reports on kelp forests while sitting on top of the waving fronds. They also learn about the Chumash and their place on the islands while sitting in the dark with only the infinite stars to light the night sky. This unique learning environment is what most of our 9th graders remember as a peak experience.

• ALL SCHOOL FALL EXPEDITION

  The fall journey takes place in October for six days and is by bicycle, usually in the Central California region. The entire school travels together for all or part of the week as the theme always revolves around “teamwork.” It brings the entire school together. There is opportunity for the more experienced, returning students to mentor the new students to make sure that they learn “to do it right.” 

  Students are organized into “family groups” at the beginning of the trip. Families share rotating cooking duties, eat their evening meal together and participate in each day’s activity as a team. Family groups include one teacher, a student bike mechanics and often a parent. Each student chooses a partner within their family for the day’s ride. Generally, the students have the entire day to complete the ride. The goal is to start and finish every ride and to push oneself physically and emotionally.

• MID-YEAR EXPEDITIONS

  Early March is a perfect time to get the students out of the classroom and into nature for new growth and extended learning. Prior to departure, for four to ten consecutive Friday afternoons (varies by grade level and itinerary) all students participate in skill-acquisition and team-building programs. These expeditions do not necessarily involve bicycles. 

  
  

  Sixth grade students are involved in self-contained ‘Bikes and BOB trailers’.

  
  

  Grades seven through nine have a choice of journey, traveling in small groups of mixed grades and ages on Backpacking, Mountaineering, Kayaking, Canoeing, Cross Country Skiing, Fishing, Surfing or Mountain Biking.

• END-OF-YEAR JOURNEYS

  These expeditions are a keystone of our program. The classroom work culminates with a final journey: “Celebration and Completion–a Rite of Passage.” There are always two expeditions: an Upper and a Lower School journey. 

  In recent years, the Lower School Expedition has been mountain biking in Marin for ten days.
  The Upper School Expedition varies between 12-14 days and ventures out in alternating years to the Four Corners region in the Southwest or to Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, ending in Ashland for a Shakespearean experience.