experiential learning

College Prep prepares students to make a positive difference, encouraging engagement in a full array of school activities, and in service and learning opportunities in the broader world.
We foster an understanding of interdependence and stewardship that starts with care for our open-air Oakland campus and extends to our greater community.

social impact practicum

Twelfth grade students engage in conversations, workshops, and classes that focus on social justice and community impact. Working in small groups, students research, develop, and implement a social impact project for the betterment of the community beyond campus. Projects include creating and teaching co-curricular courses for Oakland public middle school students, collaborating with non-profits and community partners in and around Oakland, and leading discussions, activities, and workshops for the College Prep community on an area of social change.

common classroom

Common Classroom features a weekly rotating set of engaging, ungraded learning opportunities. Teachers, students, and alumni lead activities, classes, and workshops across a range of ever-changing offerings that include art projects, political discussions, physical pursuits, and more. Students are encouraged to try new offerings throughout the year.

service and community based learning

College Prep cultivates lifelong learners and engaged world citizens through connections to Oakland and the greater Bay Area. Students learn practical skills while building social and environmental justice within their communities. 

The East Bay, with its abundant green spaces, rich legacy of community organizing, and vibrant diversity offers myriad chances to deepen classroom curriculum through experiences in the world beyond College Prep. Students plan and implement a wide variety of advocacy campaigns, fundraisers, and service opportunities. Some recent activities have included: 
  • Cooking and serving meals at the St. Vincent de Paul shelter
  • Urban farming volunteer days with Planting Justice
  • Fundraising for and teaching English online to Ukrainian refugees
  • Teaching after-school cooking and nutrition classes at Harbor House
  • Organizing food drives for the Alameda County Foodbank
  • Tutoring elementary and middle school students
  • Leading workshops on sustainable fashion
  • Creating care packages for unhoused mothers through the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center
  • Hosting Art for Social Justice workshops at the Oakland Public Library
  • Building tiny homes for unhoused youth with Youth Spirit Artworks
  • Creating and distributing voter information pamphlets 

List of 3 members.

  • Photo of Steve Chabon

    Steve Chabon 

    Dean of Students
    510-652-0111 x213
  • Photo of Olivia  Werby

    Olivia  Werby 

    Director of Experiential and Community Based Learning
    510.652.0111 x 241
  • Photo of Preston Tucker

    Preston Tucker 

    Director Of Curriculum Innovation And Research / History Teacher
    510-652-0111 x268

common classroom examples

1-on-1 with Writing Coaches
The Art of Cuban Dominoes 
Antibiotic & Antiviral Drug Development
Ask the Head of School
Board Games
Bob Ross Painting
Bullet Journaling
California Politics
Campus Sustainability and Ecology
Creative Collaging
The Current Epidemiology of COVID-19
Debate: Best Taylor Swift Song of All Time
Debate: Universal Basic Income
Discuss: Fast Fashion
Discuss: Money, Race, and Education
Discuss: Women’s Protests in Iran
Greatest of All Time: MJ or LeBron?
Home Gardening
Intro to Activism
Intro to Tap Dancing
Lagaan Dance Along
Learn to Knit and Crochet
Learn K-pop Dances
Open Gym: Spikeball
Positive Masculinity Discussion Panel
Questioning Consumption and the Truth Behind   Waste Management
Rap Rant: Best of the West Coast
Rocket Science
Showing Up for Racial Justice 
Sports Jeopardy
Tap Dancing
Urban Hiking
Who’s Laughing Now? The Evolution of Comedy

mens conscia recti

a mind aware of what is right