Archie Williams offers unique academic opportunities for students wanting to explore their passions in and outside of the classroom. Academies are two-year programs for juniors and seniors who move together through core and extracurricular classes devoted to similar interests. The three academies at Archie Williams focus on environmental and social justice issues; filmmaking and communication; and outdoor exploration.

One of the academies offered at Archie Williams is the Social and Environmental Academy-Dedicated to Improving School and Community (SEA-DISC). This environmental and social justice academy focuses on solving real-world problems through taking action and conducting research to help promote environmental sustainability.

“A focus of SEA-DISC is our community; how we work together as students for the school, but also for the greater community. We look at environmental science and social justice through project-based learning,” said SEA-DISC teacher Clarke Bugbee.

Courses required for students in the SEA-DISC academy include U.S. History, Economics/ U.S. Government, AP Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Work Place Learning. These courses are taken during the student’s two years in the academy, along with their required general education classes.

“We have eight projects over the two years that are all built around the AP Environmental Science (APES) curriculum. APES is really the driver of the content and gives us a lot of our structure… and we can piece in social justice, social studies, government, economics, and history,” said SEA-DISC teacher Michael Rawlins.

SEA-DISC follows a hands-on approach to learning and the academy develops a tight-knit community during unique field trips. Recent field trips include the Oakland Zoo, various camping locations, SPAWN Restoration Site and Nursery, the Environmental Film Festival, and Green Gulch Farm.

“My favorite part of SEA-DISC is being able to learn outside of the classroom. We get to take all that we learn inside the room and take it outside,” said SEA-DISC senior Loretta Hovey. 

With a focus on marine biology, endangered species, climate change, and other environmental issues, SEA-DISC students complete projects to create local change for large-scale issues. One major SEA-DISC project is creek restoration, during which they work to revegetate the Sleepy Hollow Creek that runs through the AWHS campus, protecting it from invasive species. 

“We love getting outside and getting off-campus… We like to explore the world and not just read about it,” Rawlins said. 

Communications Academy (ComAcad), another academy offered at Archie Williams, focuses on communications studies and aims to provide a way for juniors and seniors to combine academics with a project-based program centered around filmmaking.

“Join ComAcad if you have any interest whatsoever in making short films, if you think films are cool, if you like acting, editing, or the idea of being able to shoot films and learn how film works. If you are interested in being able to create your own short films and become a better filmmaker, maybe even going into the industry, join ComAcad,” said ComAcad junior Roy Quaas.

Courses required for ComAcad students include U.S. History, Economics/ U.S. Government, American Literature, Humanities, 20th Century Literature, and two years of Digital Communications.

“ComAcad is focused on teaching students digital communication skills, particularly filmmaking, and combining those skills with the curriculum in English and social studies so they get to make real-world products that are shown to a real audience. They get to do it all while learning the regular curriculum,” said ComAcad teacher Francie Salle.

ComAcad is best suited for students interested in filmmaking, photography, sound design, and animation; but it is a welcoming space for anyone looking for a close-knit community, regardless of their experience in film. 

“One of the things that makes ComAcad unique is the opportunity to do shows where all sorts of people get to see your work, which doesn’t happen often in school. We do original short films and every year we sell out with huge numbers of people coming to see them. We also make documentary films, films for non-profits, political ads, and all of those have an audience so people can come and watch, and that’s really unique,” Salle said.

Along with SEA-DISC and ComAcad, Archie Williams offers the Team academy which combines outdoor activities like backpacking, camping, community service, internships, and academics. Team aims to provide students with real-world experiences that connect them with the outdoors and a close community of peers and teachers.

“The Team academy is all about outdoor adventure and workplace learning, like internships and community service, and getting a close-knit community at school. I call it a balance between outdoor education and experiential education mixed with a traditional academic course model. The best part is that you’re part of a small cohort for three classes all together all day long for multiple days a week,” said Team teacher Diana Goldberg. 

Classes required for Team students include Humanities and World Literature, Wilderness Medicine, Art, and Workplace Learning. Additionally, it includes a Team specific student-run leadership classes to help students prepare for upcoming trips and are part of committees for outreach and fundraising. 

Team requires the Workplace Learning course, community service, and internship placements during senior year. In the fall semester, seniors choose a community service placement to volunteer at for three or four hours a week during seventh period. Then, in the spring, they choose an internship. This provides Team students with unique opportunities to delve into a subject of interest in a workplace setting.

“You just get to experience something that is life-changing that most people would never get to experience in their life,” said Team senior Kacia Walker.

Team hosts four camping trips annually: two in the fall and two in the spring, with one trip exclusively for the seniors. Team’s trips to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Joshua Tree National Park, Humboldt County’s Lost Coast, Angel Island, and monthly hikes in Marin’s open space set it apart from any other program in the district. 

“Team is good for anyone. You don’t need any hiking experience… It’s a type of learning that’s beyond four walls,” Goldberg said.

The unique opportunities in all three academies come with their own challenges and benefits. Each academy aims to provide students hands-on learning and experiences focused on their interests. However, challenging scheduling factors can influence students’ decision to join an academy. 

“Academies make your schedule a little less flexible… To me, that’s really the only downside… If there’s a wide variety of things you want to take, by doing any of the three academies, you’re going to have to make a few sacrifices,” said Archie Williams counselor Kyle Kassebaum. 

Academies can create scheduling difficulties for students who wish to take multiple AP classes or a range of subjects since academies take up three or four class periods that include non-AP classes. Although they can interfere with scheduling, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for participating students.

“If you have a specific interest, whether it be film or [the] environment, if there’s an academy that fits that, it is a really great opportunity to dig into those fields, and it’s something you’re able to talk about in your college applications,” Kassebaum said. 

SEA-DISC, ComAcad, and Team all provide a close community and learning that is specialized towards a specific interest. Although there are many factors to consider, joining any of the academies gives students unique opportunities that shape their educational experience.