We talk a lot about the achievement gap at Aim High. But there’s another type of inequity: the opportunity gap. It’s simple: closing the opportunity gap will narrow the achievement gap. Students learn when they’re given the chance. Valuable opportunities in the form of enrichment activities means higher grades and kids who are more adept socially and emotionally.

Our activities help develop lifelong interests such as foreign languages, soccer, dance or photography.

A Peek at Enrichment Electives

Each afternoon at Aim High is dedicated to enrichment activities. It’s a chance for kids to leave the comfort and confines of their neighborhoods. The Bay Area provides a vibrant cultural playground where our students learn by exploring and doing things they wouldn’t normally do. Enrichment at Aim High is film appreciation, kayaking, Latin Dance, roller skating, even a zombie costume crash course. Students spend afternoons outdoors canoeing, horseback riding or at the Exploratorium. Or walking around Stanford or UC Berkeley to provide students a glimpse into college by talking with Aim High alumni about their academic journeys.

Our approach to enrichment complements what students are doing in the classroom—even heightens it.

Enrichment Up Close: Build and Destroy

Build and Destroy is a Youth Engineering project. Students will explore engineering concepts and compete building towers out of straws and tape. Each week is a different theme; ranging from strongest tower (tested by stacking textbooks) to tallest to closest replica. The activity starts with a brief lesson relating to that days challenge, and then students get to building. They typically work in groups but may opt to go solo.  The winning team  gets to destroy everyone else’s towers, Godzilla-style.

Here’s just a sampling of the many activities we offer: