Strategic Plan Update: St. Margaret’s Launching New Experiential-Based Academic Program

St. Margaret’s school leaders are pleased to share a new signature academic program, which will begin during the 2026-2027 school year. The SMES Exploration Academy, or SEA Term, aligns with St. Margaret’s new Strategic Plan initiative which calls for the school to “build upon our rich and vigorous curriculum to inspire and empower students through experiential, purpose-driven learning that builds leadership, critical thinking, global and civic engagement.” 

 

SEA Term will provide academically vigorous, emotionally resonant, immersive interdisciplinary courses grounded in real-world, hands-on learning experiences. SEA Term courses will meet nine times during the school year and culminate in a five-day intensive immersive experience at the end of the year, which will replace finals and spring retreats in the Upper School. The experiences will be place-based and step outside of St. Margaret’s to use Southern California and beyond as a classroom. 

 

SEA Term will be a defining program of St. Margaret’s academic experience for all Upper School and Middle School students. It will replace the current ExEd courses and will evolve the school’s experiential learning model. 

The program aligns well with the school’s vigorous academic curriculum which currently boasts 26 Advanced Placement classes and nine post-AP classes. SEA Term curriculum will continually evolve, with new courses each year designed to inspire, challenge and excite students on their learning journeys. Potential SEA Term topics include biodiversity, ocean stewardship and the ethics of recreational tourism while scuba diving along the California coast; exploring the galaxy by designing and building your own radio telescope; or journeying along Spain's Camino de Santiago to study the spiritual and cultural impact of pilgrimages past and present. 

“Our outstanding professional community will design and facilitate original courses that integrate process-driven inquiry, open-ended learning and student agency,” Head of School Dr. Jeneen Graham said. “We are excited for the limitless potential of this program. SEA Term allows us to imagine courses that connect students with people and places beyond our campus, and the possibilities are endless.” 

 

The program’s development was led by Upper School Principal Amy Roberts, Middle School Principal Mike Allison and Director of Experiential Education and Extension Programs Dr. Ryan Carey. The three have led workshops and presentations around SEA Term with the Upper School and Middle School professional community, and St. Margaret’s teachers are hard at work developing curriculum for this program.  That includes dedicated time during in-service days, where professional community members worked to begin planning these courses and hear from one another why this program is an exciting and powerful element of academic vitality. Members of the college counseling team have also been present and shared their perspective on how the SEA Term will be perceived in the college admission process. 

“Colleges ultimately want to get to know the humans behind the letters and numbers that tend to dominate the admissions process,” said Ben Lah, St. Margaret’s associate director of college counseling. “They are curious about how students think and what they would add to their communities. There is tremendous value in academic and personal qualities that cannot be coached or test prepped. They can only be developed through experience.”

St. Margaret’s will share more details on course offerings in the weeks and months ahead. Students in Upper School and Middle School will choose from a wide selection of SEA Term offerings during the normal course-selection process in the springtime. 

 

“I want to express my gratitude to Mrs. Roberts, Mr. Allison, Dr. Carey and all of the professional community members who were involved in the development of this exciting new program, as well as to Patrick Bendzick for his hard work overseeing our Strategic Plan work,” Dr. Graham said. “Experiential education is rooted in the idea that learning is enhanced when students are encouraged to follow their curiosity, take risks, build relationships and create work that matters to them. St. Margaret’s is proud to further embrace this method of learning, and we look forward to sharing more about this exciting new program soon.”