Why I Choose UHS

What I love about UHS is the fact that I come to school every day glad to be surrounded by a genuinely nice and welcoming community. I am excited to go to classes, because everyone at UHS is intelligent and supportive, and it is fun to learn in an environment where you are working with your classmates towards a common goal, rather than working competitively against them. However, UHS is not all about academics: This year at school we have had an arcade, an ice skating rink, and a LOT of good food and candy. I encourage you to choose to come to UHS!
– Cameron ’16

I love the sense of community at UHS. That was one of the most important factors in deciding which high school I should choose to go to. Especially at ASM when we have battle of the classes and there’s so much school spirit and everyone is so supportive of one another. I also love how everyone is so uplifting and encouraging. All of the teachers really care about you as a student and a person, and I definitely didn’t see that kind of dedication and support at any other school I had considered.
– Elise ’16

I love the school spirit!
– Francesca ’16

What I love about UHS is the freedom to decide how you learn.  Whether in school or doing homework, we’re given iPads to help us decide how we want to both organize and complete our work.  Additionally, in school we’re given extra time (or free periods) to work on homework, which is especially helpful for time management, and also allows for relaxation time after school so that you can feel like you have a balance between work and free time.  Finally, the teachers are really accepting when you need help with an assignment, or simply want to meet to ask general questions about the class.
– Benny ’16

I can’t get enough of the atmosphere at UHS. Everyone always seems so happy and excited to be around each other, and that’s something that I never would have sensed in my middle school or anywhere else. Everyone is genuinely happy to come to school each day. That really keeps me going.
– Mia ’16

I love the food! It’s very tasty.
– Patrick ’16

UHS is awesome. I highly recommend coming here. The close knit-ness of the class is one of my favorite things. It really helps you bond with all your classmates. Teachers here are super nice and super approachable. Never be afraid to ask for help–they’re always open to helping you.  All in all, UHS has been great.  It’s been enjoyable to come to school every morning.
– Celine ’16

New Experiences

by Mattie ’16

It is hard to believe that I only arrived at University High School a few months ago! The transition from middle school into high school has been eye-opening. While more work was expected the moment I walked through the front door, within the first week at UHS I learned that I could pursue anything I wanted to outside of class and be supported in that, whether in athletics or the arts.

I promptly decided to play soccer, basketball, piano, and to take drawing (one of my six classes). Before starting the school year, I thought that playing sports and having to practice after school would be difficult and conflict with my studies. But as the year has progressed, I have found that the escape and energy release of competing makes it easier to focus on homework.

My ability to manage my time has improved dramatically since the beginning of the year. For me, that was one of the biggest challenges and transitions from middle school. I was used to leaving my work to the last minute and scrambling to get it done, but now I take opportunities during the school day to get started on my homework.

I also discovered that my teachers, coaches, and even peers were going to push me and encourage me in everything I tried. UHS will challenge you in any area that you aim for, and I have found that working to meet that challenge is fulfilling and enjoyable.

Loving Language at UHS

by Daniel ’14

Having gone to French American International School from kindergarten through eighth grade, I had, of course, some reservations about going to University High School. My main reservation, in fact my only reservation, was whether or not the formative grounding in the French language that I received from F.A.I.S. could be pursued here to the extent that I wanted. I see now that not only was I wrong about how far I could go in the language courses, but that I also did not comprehend the serious rigor and comprehensive depth of the French program and all other language courses at UHS.

As a freshman, I began in AP (Advanced Placement) French Language, a class equally dedicated to mastering grammar; written composition; oral skills; and, of course, the reading of classic French texts, mostly those from the 20^th century. This class did more than its share to solidify my ability to listen to and speak French, and to read and analyze French literature, a skill that is particularly emphasized in the higher-level classes. And, of course, it gave me ample preparation for the AP.

There are two higher-level French classes that go beyond the AP. I would like to add that I had fully expected to end my French career after taking the AP, but I was so enthralled by these two classes that I couldn’t resist spending the next two years furthering my understanding of classic French literature, and observing and commenting on contemporary French society. Honors French Literature, which I took as a sophomore, deals with French texts that range from fables from the court of Louis XIV, to fantastical novels set in the 19^th century French countryside, to screenplays from writers of the 1950s artistic cinema movement: le nouveau vague. Grammar and other mechanics no longer take center stage as each hour spent in Honors French Literature feels like a typical seminar English class (spoken in French of course!), with the discussion of passages and the analysis of quotations being central to the class.

The other higher-level French course is Advanced French Seminar. Unlike its predecessor, less time is devoted to reading classic literature; rather, the emphasis is on looking at current events in today’s French society. The history of how current laws and societal issues arose is analyzed, and debates (again, only in French!) are commonly held between the students and teacher as a means to develop a better understanding of the issues at hand. Films (need I say that they, too, are in French?) are frequently used to supplement what we learn, or even to provide us the cornerstone of our class discussion.

Although I cannot go on to a higher-level French class after this year, I have been thoroughly impressed by the amount of rigor and weight placed upon each language course here. And it goes without saying that I made the right choice in choosing University High School as the institution where I could further my grasp of the French language.

Sharing Different Perspectives

by Samantha ’13

Every Monday and Thursday morning, the UHS student body gathers for all-school meeting (ASM). This is a time to gather as a community and share not only news and events, but also our opinions. Within the last few years we have started a new tradition at UHS called “Perspectives.” A “Perspective” piece is open to any topic and is usually an opinion or thought that one, or multiple students, would like to share with our community. In the past, there have been “Perspectives” on current events in the world, friendly advice for freshmen, seniors reminiscing about their years at UHS, and so much more.

Another fun event that happens at ASM is when seniors perform “Senior Minutes.” A “Senior Minute” is just a minute (or two) when a senior can showcase his or her talent or just do something fun. Usually “Senior Minutes” occur during second semester, once the burden of college applications is over with, but they are encouraged throughout the year.

One more fun event that happens is “Battle of the Classes.” This is a “battle” between grade levels where the Vice Presidents’ of Activities hold a competition and at the end of the year, the points are totaled up and the winning class is announced (although somehow seniors always seem to win). At our last ASM we had a dance-off, where a student who runs the  Dance Dance Revolution Club brought in mats to dance on and one student per grade volunteered to compete.

ASM is just one of the many moments when our whole school comes together to support and entertain each other.

Life of A Marin Kid

by John ’14

Going to school in the city as a Marin kid has been an awesome experience for me. Even though there are many students from Marin at UHS (almost 20%), Marin can seem like a far-away land to many who live in the city, the same way the city seems far away to some kids in Marin. But to the disbelief of many a city kid, many of us from Marin actually live closer to UHS than they do.

My commute is about 20–30 minutes to and from school, and I often take the UHS morning bus that picks me up at about 7:15 a.m. in Strawberry, Mill Valley. I use that commute time to relax or get some last-minute studying done. During baseball season, I’ll take the morning bus in and then either carpool home or take the later 6:10 p.m. bus that leaves after practice at the corner of Washington and Presidio Streets, about one block from UHS.

Because I attend school in San Francisco, I am now capable of finding my way in the city, something I couldn’t do before I ventured out of Marin. All in all, going to school in San Francisco has helped me learn more about the world and how to navigate it. I hope all you Marinites who read this can see how great an experience going to school in San Francisco can be, and specifically how great going to UHS can be!

Winter Is Here!

by Connor ’13

After returning from Thanksgiving Break, students at UHS are beginning to feel the winter season upon them. The winter trimester means many things for all students at UHS. For some, it’s a time to act. The winter play this year is Ghost Bike, a new production based on a Greek myth set in modern day Chicago.

For many others, the winter means basketball season. Basketball is the only sport that happens during the winter. With boys’ varsity, junior varsity, frosh–soph, girls’ varsity and junior varsity teams, basketball proves to be University’s most popular and spirited sport. Led by seven seniors, the boys’ varsity basketball team hopes to have one of its best years in recent history.

For many seniors, the winter means getting their college applications done for good. Most deadlines for schools are January 1, so when we seniors return from our 16-day break, the emphasis will shift to having fun and enjoying the last semester of our high school careers!

However, for all students, the winter means time for the holiday spirit. As the days become chillier, students begin to break out the winter fleeces and holiday sweaters. Baked goods frequently make their way up to the student center for students to enjoy and hot chocolate quickly becomes the drink of choice. Walking through the halls, you can hear students in jazz practicing for the Winter Arts Festival that’s happening on Thursday, December 13. To top it all off, on our last day of school before the start of final exams, the entire school community will gather in the theater for the Holiday Assembly. Here we will get to enjoy a number of performances, speeches, and stories that students and teachers wish to share before we all depart for break.

All in all, I think by far the best time of the year for any UHS student is during the winter season!

Finding Your Favorite Things

by Ryan ’13

One of my favorite things about UHS is that everyone here is passionate about something. Everyone has at least one thing that they love doing. For some people, it’s a sport; for some, it’s community service. For me, it’s theater. I’m a senior, and I have been in the Technical Theater class all four of my years at UHS. The class is extremely hands-on: our primary function is to provide the technical elements for the three shows we do every year (two plays and a musical).

Everyone in the class has a unique interest. Some of us are designers; we conceive the designs that eventually end up on stage: set, lighting, and sound. Other people aren’t as interested in the design process, but love to execute the designs: they focus on building the set, hanging the lights, and setting up and programming the sound system. Still, other people love the management aspect of technical theater: they are prop managers, stage managers, and backstage managers. There really is something for everyone in the class.

We are led by our incredible teacher, James. An award-winning set designer, experienced manager, and generally all-around excellent person, James is really the best teacher we could ask for. He designs most of our sets for us, and they are unbelievable. I mean, no high school should be capable of building the kinds of sets we do, and yet we DO every single time. He is a mentor to everyone in the class. As I have become more and more interested in lighting design over the years, James has pushed me to become better and more professional in my work with every show I design. While he does expect a minimum contribution from everyone, if you want to really explore one area in-depth, he will help you.

Right now, I’m in the middle of tech week for Hamlet. That means that last weekend, we had two very long rehearsals, during which we integrated the technical elements into the show for the first time. It’s amazing to watch a show transform from a bunch of actors in rehearsal clothes under fluorescent lights on stage, to a full production with costumes, lights, sound, and props. Then, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week we have dress rehearsals after school, in order to perfect all the last details of the show. For example, I as the lighting designer sit in the audience and make notes about what adjustments I need to make before the next rehearsal.

This Friday and Saturday we have our performances. It’s a really great show (and under two hours!) so if you have time and are interested in what we in the UHS Theater Department are doing, come out and see the show! We should have tickets available for purchase ($9) at the door both nights. I hope to see you there!

Words of Advice

by Jemma ’14

Coming from a pretty small school where I had felt comfortable and accepted, I knew from the beginning that going to high school was going to be a difficult transition. My life at Live Oak School (which I attended before UHS) had been easygoing and relaxing. However, nothing had changed for me in nine years. Therefore, when I started the high school application process, I thought less about the hardships I would face during my high school years than about finding a place where I could go to thrive; learn; and be challenged, both academically and socially. From my very first visit, I knew that UHS had the environment that did all that for me. I was lucky to know from the beginning where I wanted to go, which is rare among eighth-grade applicants. However, that early decision came because I knew, sitting in that classroom on my visit, that I fit at this school.

On my visit, I really enjoyed seeing that the teachers were completely engaged in the classes they taught and truly wanted to help the students succeed. I saw that each student was participating in class and making educated, intelligent responses to the questions that the teacher was asking. Seeing this interest in the class was very important to me. But, of course, each person is going to have different standards and different things that they look for when they go on a campus visit. When you come on yours, I would recommend focusing on just one or two of those important things and comparing them among the different schools you visit. I know it really helped me narrow down where I wanted to go.

One of the other important things that I looked for on my visit was how many opportunities there were for extracurricular activities. I liked that there were so many sports teams at UHS, as well as a thriving arts curriculum. Also, there were students who did both sports and arts, so the two communities overlapped. During my visit, I also heard about community service and clubs. Knowledge about these opportunities only reinforced my gut feeling that I wanted to go to UHS!

A few more words of advice about your visit:

1. Ask lots of questions!
2. Try to imagine yourself as a student as you sit in the classroom.
3. Relax and have fun! It makes the visit so much more enjoyable.

Good luck! Feel free to leave me any comments or questions!

Tie-Dye Tuesdays!

by Elizabeth ’13

Every Tuesday, the UHS Varsity Field Hockey team wears tie-dye shirts to our practice to show team spirit.  We made these shirts at our team-bonding sleepover at the start of the school year, and this is just one example of some of the fun things we do to stay energized and spirited throughout the season!

 

 

 

 

 

The Top Five Things I Love About UHS

by Caroline ’14

1. THE PEOPLE: From the teachers to the students to the administrators to the librarians, everyone at UHS is welcoming and essential to the community. Ask anyone at UHS what their favorite thing here is, and most of them will reply with “the people.” Each teacher challenges his or her students in new ways, and ultimately I believe that we learn meaningful lessons from them in and out of the classroom. My classmates have become my closest friends and seeing the familiar faces at UHS every day is great.

2. THE ACADEMICS: This might not be everyone’s favorite aspect of high school, but to be honest I really enjoy my classes. I love learning new and exciting things, whether they are in history or science, and I’m sure that many UHS students would agree with me. Best of all, all of the students and adults in our community share this passion.

3. THE ARTS: In middle school, I never considered myself an artist or took art classes seriously. At UHS, however, art and art classes have become something that I value highly. There’s always a big turn-out for our art shows (work is by students and outside artists alike), and each student values the different forms of art, whether they be on stage or the walls. I don’t consider myself an artist just yet, but I know that art is something that I want to continue throughout my time at UHS.

4. THE ATHLETICS: Rounding out the three “A”s is Athletics. Our sports teams win a lot, but that isn’t the most important part of the UHS Athletic Program. Each team becomes a family, and bonding events like team dinners are frequent. As a freshman, being on a sports team allowed me to make friends quickly and find people who had the same interests as me. UHS also has an immense amount of school spirit, and it is shown most often during games. Our Big Red Fridays are infamous for scaring opposing teams, and our annual basketball games at the Oracle Arena against Lick-Wilmerding unify our school and give us a chance to show off our cheering skills.

5. OVERALL SCHOOL LIFE: These things don’t all fit into one category, but I thought that the UHS “school life” deserved to be recognized. This includes, for example, our clubs and student activities. There are dozens of clubs that are all active and have regular meetings and events. Some are just for fun, some are charity-related, others are affinity clubs, but all of them are a great way to meet new friends and work together. Another element of UHS life is our campus. I love our campus’s location and all of its buildings. We are within walking distance of restaurants that we can go to during free time, as well as athletic fields—but our streets are still quiet. There are also many other elements of UHS life, but those would have to be my top two.

Hopefully this list gives you some insight into what it’s like to go to UHS! If you have any questions you can leave a comment below.