Meet an Urban Ambassador

Talula (’26)
This past winter, I was able to spend 12 weeks of class time working on an independent project for video production. I chose to make a documentary about bike safety, and because I had already taken video production in 9th grade, I was able to retake the class and use the time to do this project on my own. I didn't have to be on campus during class time, which was great for giving me time to film, but I was also able to have frequent check-ins with my teacher for guidance on how to tackle the project. A specific highlight from the project was getting up early one day and driving to film the sunrise from the top of Hawk Hill.

Avi (’26)
I love Blues Jam and the Combo Concert. Live music is such a special treat, and listening to my classmates and the product of their hard work is super fun. As a musician, it's also a lot of fun to have my classmates hear what I've been working on. I think the music programs at Urban are awesome, unique, and really should be advertised more.

Avi (’26)
I love taking only four classes a term. I find it easier to focus when I can get immersed in one thing for a long time. The small breaks during class are also a fun time to get to know teachers. In terms of time management, we get two hours a week of study hall, so that’s always very useful. The main tool for time management are week sheets: a Google Doc the teacher publishes at the start of each week with the classwork and homework for the whole week. This lets me plan out the week, which is super useful when I have a big sports competition or some other reason I know for sure I won't have time to do homework on a specific day.

Talula (’26)
I love the four class per term schedule because I get to go deeper into my classes and spend more uninterrupted time immersed in whatever I'm doing. I find this particularly helpful for Spanish and science. Having only four classes per term also means that most weeks, I only have homework for a maximum of three classes each. Workload-wise, I rarely find it hard to manage my work, even as a sports captain, because of the four study halls (two if you do music) Urban has built into our schedule every week. I find I’m often very productive during those times because they allow me to do less work at home and get more sleep. Socially, I fit in friend time whenever possible, which often looks like getting coffee before school, movie nights, team dinners, and finding people with shared interests like running and lifting weights, then doing those activities together. That being said, I have a handful of friends with whom I don't share any hobbies or interests with and we often spend time together at lunch and during passing periods.

Jack (’26)
Having four classes in a term over a trimester is similar in many ways to having six classes during a semester, with benefits. While the number of classes you take in a year is the same, the individual experience of each class is different. Over a week for example, you'll have each class three times, twice for 75 minutes, and once for two hours. This is beneficial as it gives teachers the opportunity to fit these class periods with awesome labs, field trips, and other activities that would be harder to do if the classes were shorter or less frequent. You’ll find teachers and your schedule are both important and easy-to-access tools in time management, especially in your 9th-grade year. Weeksheets are a perfect tool provided to you that organizes all the in-class and at-home work in one place, complete with hyperlinks galore! Additionally, each day (except Fridays) has either an E Period study hall or a Tutorial period, which is the perfect time to catch up or even get ahead on homework.

Avi (’26)
A U period is a non-academic elective class that meets for about 50 minutes a week. My two favorite U Period classes were Spoon Carving and The Beat Within. In spoon carving, you get to design, saw, carve, and sand your own spoon, which is a ton of fun. I now have a nice soup spoon for ramen, pho, etc.  In the Beat Within, we typed up writings from San Quentin inmates to be published in a newspaper called The Beat Within. Hearing their stories and reflections on their life was very meaningful. Plus, it felt like I was a little bit a part of their story because I was helping their words get out into the world.

Leah (’28)
A U Period is an elective time during the week. When you get to choose from many interesting and exciting options, it is a nice break from the regular class blocks, and it is a fun way to spend time with friends and try something new. I decided to take Dorm Cooking this spring, and it was very fun and a nice way to learn a few tips and tricks about easy meals and preparations for our college dorms. In our last class, we cooked three different cuts of steak, and they tried them all. It was very fun and a silly and delicious way to spend a U Period. 

Talula (’26)
U periods are our electives, we get two each term, and they are often when leadership roles meet. One of my favorite U periods has been Peer Resource, which is a leadership group I've been in since 10th grade. It’s our student mental health committee, and we plan events for Mental Health Awareness Month. A friend and I were able to create a two-part event about student-athlete mental health with the support of Peer Resource which was super cool. My second favorite U Period is called MD in the Making and it's learning some of the skills needed for first aid and being a doctor, such as how to find heart rate and blood pressure, do an IV (on a rubber arm), and suture (on a banana and then on a pig's foot).

Emily (’28)

The most exciting U Period I’ve ever taken was a “Being at Urban” with Mayela Carrasco. I got to connect with Brazilian culture through dance. Not only did I improve my dancing skills and learn about the Carnival celebration that happens annually in San Francisco, but I got much closer to my classmates.