Arts

The Arts are a vital part of our curriculum. For many students, creative expression is a powerful teaching and learning tool—and many of our students find the Arts to be a strong channel for expressing their diverse voices. Each year, we celebrate our students' work with special showcases, including the Winter Concert and a Spring Arts series highlighting visual art, film, maker, and performing arts. Our entire community comes out for these events; they are a social highlight of our year.

In February 2023, we opened our Performing Arts & Athletic Center, solidifying the vision for all Sterne students to have access to best-in-class equipment and facilities to enhance our arts program. The Center features the following:

Black box theater
Digital film studio
Music practice and recording studio
Large-scale performance space in gymnasium

Drama

Sterne's drama program instills both a fundamental knowledge of theater basics and an applied practice of the art. Students learn the many nuances of performance, production, and even practice writing original scenes. Our drama teacher often works with independent playwrights, and students have a hand in adapting parts and lines. Our 2022 performance, The Internet is a Distract... OH LOOK A KITTEN! was performed in the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason. This February, the program moved into Sterne's brand new black box theater and drama classroom, and in a historic moment for our school, the 2023 play will take place on our own stage.

Music

The vocal and instrumental music program at Sterne helps students discover and develop their musical talents and skills. Students of all levels are able to participate in a variety of music classes as an elective or after-school club. Student music is showcased at school-wide celebrations and events.

With the opening of the Performing Arts & Athletic Center, Sterne now has a music classroom with practice studio spaces and, starting Fall 2023, we will have a dedicated music teacher.

Visual Arts

Sterne's visual arts program supports creative expression as students learn to design and direct their own projects based on their interests and curiosity. Sterne's art faculty employ a variety of media and techniques, including painting, drawing, and sculpting. The visual arts curriculum includes the language of art, history of art, and hands-on practice for a well-rounded approach.

Student art is displayed all over the school, and we take advantage of our gallery walk space to stage special exhibits.

Maker

In Maker class, students learn what it means to take a project from vision through completion. Marble runs, Medieval Castles, Rube Goldberg machines, and Carnival Games all start in the imagination and then come to life with the support of a knowledgeable teacher and some power tools. Interdisciplinary work abounds in the Maker Lab as students create props for theater and film classes, build native shelters connected to Social Studies themes, and find new and creative ways to give concrete expression to the concepts they're learning.

Student projects are showcased during our Spring Arts show.

Film

Our Film students learn everything from directing, production, acting, costumes, set design, and special effects. In addition to studio filming, students also range all over the neighborhood in pursuit of just the right footage, and the resulting films are shown in school and at the Spring Arts series.

With the opening of the Performing Arts & Athletic Center, Sterne film students now have a state-of-the-art digital film studio with a built-in green screen wall and a fully-equipped control room.