Students at Saint Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, CA participated in various immersion experiences during Enrichment Week from February 28 through March 4.
The annual “E Week” began in the late 1970s as a program during which the entire school community moves beyond usual academic studies to a variety of more than 40 faculty-created courses in four categories: colleges/career exploration, educational/cultural experience, recreation/physical wellness, and service/spirituality. Students take a course from a different category each year.
For many students, Enrichment Week provides opportunities that take them outside their personal comfort zones to try new things, meet new people, learn about another culture, provide service to those in need, and more. Some groups travel long distances including to Greece, Rome, El Salvador, Washington D.C., Oregon, and Hawaii. One immersion group spent the week at San Miguel High School in Tucson, AZ to explore and deepen their understanding of the immigration issues that face border communities. A local news station followed students on that journey. Other courses kept students in the Bay Area for a wide variety of experiences including studying classic films, studying the environment, tutoring at schools and more.
After Enrichment Week, the school community gathered to share pictures and reflections on their experiences.
Students from Saint Mary’s and San Miguel High School in Tucson, AZ pause
to reflect on a migrant gravesite in the Arizona desert.
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and the worldwide headquarters of the Institute of the Brothers of the
Christian Schools.
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course site on the campus outdoor basketball court.