Maybeck students engage in a broad range of activities, and show great independence and initiative in doing so. If the school’s current extracurricular activities do not satisfy their interests, they often initiate their own clubs or organizations. In recent years, students have started a Gay-Straight Alliance, a Sushi Club (for which students met to prepare and eat sushi at lunch once a week), and an Animal Rights Club. They have produced a student newspaper, an anthology of Valentine’s Day poetry, and a literary magazine. Students who want to initiate an activity should discuss their plans with a staff member who can offer guidance and serve as a sponsor.

While students can pursue almost any interest they choose to promote, they can also take part in the regularly scheduled activities listed below. Finally, each year two students are elected by their peers as representatives to the Rules Committee.

Music Activities

Maybeck provides student musicians a number of opportunities for performance throughout the year. Student musicians have the opportunity to perform at the beginning of each one of our Wednesday All-School Meetings. All musical styles are welcome and students of any ability are encouraged to perform either vocal or instrumental selections. In addition, two concerts (one in December, the other in May) of student performers and often original student compositions are presented. All musical styles are welcome and students of any ability are encouraged to perform vocal or instrumental selections. Students should contact one of the arts instructors directly for more information about any of the described opportunities, to determine rehearsal needs, and to schedule a performance time.

Student Activities Committee

The Student Activities Committee (SAC) meets weekly to organize events for the school. It is a primary venue for students to become involved with the school community and promote activities that interest them. Two days each year are reserved for activities planned by SAC. In the recent past we have gone to the beach in the Marin Headlands and to Tilden Park where the whole school spends a day playing volleyball, frisbee, soccer and having fun. Often the group sponsors film festivals and sports days. SAC also plans the Halloween scavenger hunt, Secret Santa gift exchange, the prom, and several theme days.

Theatre and Film Productions

There is a strong dramatic tradition at Maybeck. In the fall semester students perform and assist in producing both the Fall Play (a musical) and a Festival of One-Act plays. In the spring semester, students perform and assist in producing a student-directed full-length play (either a drama or a comedy) and an outdoor production of a play by William Shakespeare. Drama productions take place either on-campus or at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Also in the spring semester, each student in the Film Studies class writes and produces a short film that is presented at the annual Film & Art Night (Maybeck’s own film festival!) which is sponsored by the Maybeck Parents’ Association.

Besides directing and producing the plays and films, students may also design sets and costumes or provide the technical support for the productions. Any student who is interested in performance, production or creation of an original play or film should speak with the drama instructor, who can offer support and explain the school guidelines. Additionally, selected students may participate in The Lenaea High School Theatre Festival. The Lenaea Festival is hosted by Sacramento State University during the last weekend in January and provides an opportunity to present a student-produced one-act play, as well as monologues, scenes and musical theatre selections, all adjudicated by outstanding theatre professionals. Maybeck has participated in the past three years, receiving a total of 13 awards, including an Outstanding Production of a One-Act Play award each year. Auditions for the festival one-act play are separate from other drama projects and are typically held in mid-October. Students interested in participating should sign up on the sheet marked “Lenaea Festival” outside the Maybeck Main Office and watch the bulletin boards for audition notices.

Theatre Outings

Maybeck also has a strong tradition of encouraging students to participate in the larger theatre community away from school. We attend a number of professional theatre performances to observe master performers and designers at work, and may include: ACT in San Francisco, Berkeley Rep Theatre and Berkeley Playhouse. For the ACT outings students are encouraged to sign up at least one week in advance on the sheet marked “ACT Outings” outside the Maybeck Main Office and watch the bulletin boards for informational notices. Generally we are able to get discounted balcony tickets to one performance of each play of the season on select Friday evenings, and students may attend one or all of the productions as their individual circumstances allow. Groups are chaperoned by Maybeck instructors and generally meet at a BART station in Berkeley. Fees for a ticket and BART fare add up to between $25 and $35 and are billed by Maybeck on monthly statements. The Berkeley Rep Theatre offers student matinee performances of two or three productions each year, and the entire Maybeck community of students and staff may attend these performances. Dates and additional information are made available in the fall semester.  Similarly, the Berkeley Playhouse, a professional musical theatre company in residence at the Julia Morgan Center offers student matinee performances of two or three productions each year, and the entire Maybeck community of students and staff may attend these performances. Dates and additional information are made available in the fall semester.  

Yearbook

Maybeck’s Yearbook is student-produced under the guidance of a staff supervisor. Students take photographs over the course of the year and meet to plan and lay out the yearbook. The project is coordinated by a team of core editors, who take part in a spring class focused on design and production. Anyone can work on the yearbook: the school seeks contributors and photographers from all grade levels, as we aim to produce a yearbook that reflects all of the facets of Maybeck.

Full Moon Camping Trips

A couple of times a year, on a weekend near the full moon, a group of interested students, staff, and parents go on backpacking trips in parks such as Emigrant Wilderness, Big Sur, and Point Reyes. A recent trip included the Skyline to Sea trail through the Santa Cruz where we were treated to beautiful waterfalls flowing through old growth redwoods, and even a mountain lion sighting! Beginning hikers are welcome, and the only fees are for food and campground expenses.

Bike Trips

The school has a long and proud cycling tradition: one graduate who started riding while at Maybeck has ridden from Vietnam to India, and others have competed in national cycling competitions. When Maybeck goes camping, rather than ride the bus with the rest of the school, students may choose to take part in a three-day bike trip to the camping destination—Tuolumne, Lake Mendocino, or wherever we go.