At EBS, we believe that design questions surround us, whether in the construction of a math formula, a political manifesto, a musical composition, or an architectural blueprint.  Our academic and experiential programs offer students varied opportunities to explore the way ideas, communities, and places are built and in so doing offers them a space for doing with and for others. Through design, students’ connection with their classmates isn’t something merely theoretical. That connection becomes vivid and tangible through the shared experiences that designing with others provides.

At EBS, we support students in developing habits of mind that will serve them as learners, citizens, and leaders over the course of their lifetimes.  We are intentional in fostering in students the courage to learn from mistakes and take risks, to provide and receive constructive feedback, and to embrace the responsibility and pleasure of pursuing independent learning. In our classrooms and beyond our campus walls, we invite students to draw connections between their learning and the people, pursuits, and values that are most meaningful to them to help them approach their studies with intention and purpose.

At EBS, we endeavor to develop our students’ cultural understanding, curiosity, and competency through a program that connects them with the diverse people, ideas, and communities that define our region, country, and world. Through weekly workshops, field trips, and outdoor excursions, our students develop a powerful sense of where they are and who they are. In this digital era, young people’s relationship to place can often be elusive, so EBS is purposeful in creating experiences for our students to extend their learning at UC Berkeley and other important cultural, institutional, and ecological sites across Oakland, San Francisco, and the greater Bay Area. Our eighth-graders travel to the Deep South and complete a Capstone Project every spring to better understand the places that have provided the setting for important movements and events in US History.