Activities for Boys at Annie Wright Schools

Annie Wright Upper School students can choose to engage in a variety of after-school activities, called (s)Electives and (a)Electives. The (s)Elective and (a)Elective programs offer extraordinary opportunities to pursue passions, take risks, work both independently and collaboratively, develop strong relationships, bolster skills and have fun.

- Travel is an integral part of the (s)Electives program. Model UN/Global Action traveled to Cuba to learn about politics, culture and language.

(s)Electives

Two essential components are the hallmark of each (s)Elective: a community engagement project and an opportunity to travel to experience a deep-dive into passions, perspectives and skills. Trips have ranged from conferences in Seattle and camping trips to Oregon, to meetings in New York and expeditions to Vietnam. (s)Elective choices have grown out of student interest and continue to be refined as the student bodies change and grow. While most (s)Electives are offered as single gender experiences, some are open to students from both the Upper School for Girls and Upper School for Boys.

(a)Electives

(a)Electives are arts-based activities that focus on teaching, improving and honing artistic skills for students deeply engaged in these crafts. Because artistry involves dedication to craft and practice, the hallmark of each (a)Elective involves one or a series of community-wide performances that showcase the passion of each student and the skills and craft developed during the hours of dedicated work. Some of these performances are local to the school community, while others involve travel to competitions and broader performances. Additionally, (a)Electives are credit bearing and fulfill student’s art credit requirements. All (a)Electives are open to members of both the Upper School for Girls and Upper School for Boys.

Student Government

In addition to these offerings, the Upper Schools offer (s)Electives for student leadership. The Upper School for Girls' Student Life & Governance and the Upper School for Boys' Legislative Assembly of the Boys’ School engage students in strategic thinking, planning, communicating and representing their peers to the school administration. Members explore governance and policymaking and plan exciting events throughout the year.

Offerings

List of 13 items.

Annie Writers

Develop creative writing skills, participate in workshops with professional authors, attend festivals and write short plays for theatre students to perform.
Band

Perform contemporary music from a variety of genres, learn music theory and develop songwriting, improvisation and business skills.
BioOlympiad

This team prepares for the annual BioOlympiad competition, but also gets a chance to do more science experiments and explorations. If you love life sciences, this may be the space for you!
Board Games

Do you love playing tabletop games? Are you interested in game design? This group does it all: from chess to structured, yet open-ended, storytelling play guiding individual characters through quests. Travel to ORCACON, a local convention dedicated to new tabletop and card games.
Business

Develop your business and leadership skills through idea generation and exploring entrepreneurial ventures, learning about the stock market, and focusing on discrete skill building including program management software, spreadsheeting, financial modeling, etc.
Chorus

Sing! Expand your range, learn to read music and develop your rhythmic skills. A variety of performances take place throughout the year on and off campus.
Global Action/Model United Nations

Increase your political awareness and activism. The group participates in Model UN conferences and engage in global issues from women’s rights, to immigration, to environmental challenges.
Inkwell (journalism)

Gain a solid foundation in multimedia journalism including online, print and podcasting. Your published stories will wow potential colleges or employers. Interact with professional journalists, photographers and graphic designers working in the field.
Orchestra

Develop musical skills including instrumental technique, note reading, ensemble sense and performance confidence. Cover a wide range of styles and time periods and perform throughout the year.
Robotics

Design, build and program robots. Organize community outreach events to solve real world problems and inspire the next generation of students.
Science & Engineering

Learn how to observe and investigate the world. Explore and conduct experiments. Design, build and program. Solve real world problems and inspire the next generation of students.
Theatre

Delve into performance, theatrical design, directing & stage management, and technical arts. This combined group of actors and theatre technicians will look at many facets of dramatic storytelling: physical & vocal expression, character analysis, costuming, staging and technical design.
Visual Arts Studio

Gain advanced skills in a number of different media with regular visits by working artists and trips to museums and galleries. Create and exhibit works throughout the year.

Clubs

In addition to (s)Electives, more informal student-run clubs develop organically throughout the year. The level of effort and dedication is no less admirable in many of these clubs, reflecting the passion and desire for excellence of Annie Wright Students. These clubs have recently included dance team, badminton, Black Student Union, Latinx/Hispanic Culture Club, Chinese Culture Club, ASL, HOSA, debate, GSA, coding, investment, physics, nature, knitting, ping pong and STEM.