Our Community

At Brightworks, we believe that a strong community forms the bedrock of a transformative learning experience.

Here, you'll discover the unique individuals who contribute to the rich fabric of our school. Our dedicated staff consists of caring, creative, and innovative educators and professionals. Families from San Francisco, the East Bay, Marin, and the Peninsula form the core of our community. Our students, driven by a love for learning and a profound curiosity about the world, come together with us to nurture their excitement for learning and develop foundational skills for future success.

In this shared journey, we celebrate togetherness, learning through hands-on experiences (whether crafting a table or engaging in restorative justice), empathy, active listening, and inclusivity. These connections manifest in chance encounters in stairwells and in larger gatherings like our morning circle.

From students bubbling with curiosity to educators kindling lifelong passions, and parents embracing this collective educational voyage, our community thrives on the pillars of trust, respect, and collaboration.

We invite you to delve into the stories, voices, and collective accomplishments that define our close-knit community, making Brightworks an extraordinary place of growth and belonging. Join us in celebrating the strength of our connections as we co-author a narrative of learning, discovery, and compassion together.

Welcome!

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Our High Schoolers are going to New Orleans! And they are running the fundraising efforts all by themselves! -Stop by their designer shoe sale this coming Wednesday at our drop-off & parent coffee! They are selling off a large and gently used, donated shoe collection! -Enjoy some images from their fundraising dinner last week! These students did it all; from organizing the party, setting up a silent auction, presenting their learning & reasoning for choosing their travel destination, cooking up some yummy foods & serving it all up to their parents, extended families and supporters! Hats off to this awe-inspiring group of students who are so dedicated and hard working! What a treat for us all!! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxnolaexcursion #bwxobsidianband #bwxmichlene #bwxaili

Underground Arc Exploration - young & creative artists hard at work! We love how our art program encourages our students to express their learning in multiple ways! They expand their understanding and connect their new knowledge by creating insightful renditions and sharing it with their buddies & collaborators! Enjoy all of their contagious exploration & excitement and marvel in the wonderful effects! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxarts #handsonlearning #undergroundarc #bwxaqua

BWX community bonfire on the beach! When we get all stakeholders together in one of the most beautiful spots available to us, and celebrate who we are - this is what you get!! A big shout out to the parents providing a large heap of firewood and for our oldest students, @liam_likes_frogs, for manning the parachute and providing endless fun for our youngsters! Thank you to everyone else for coming out and participating! This evening showcased everything we aspire to be and provided another great memory for our history books! Thank you all! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxcommunity #bwxonthebeach

Welcome to the Puppet Masters @ middle school studio time! These students are continuing to explore various modes of expression by building & creating their own shadow puppets & theater! We are looking forward to seeing how these techniques may also play a role in the upcoming expression phase of Underground Arc! Judging by these efforts, we are in for a treat! Stay tuned! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxpuppetmasters #bwxstudios #undergroundarc #bwxonyxband

BWX Dance Competition, student conceived, student promoted & student run! We love our Community Friday Events that engage our entire family of students, parents & staff while encouraging celebration, silliness and fun! What better way to solidify our supportive & engaging learning community! Tap your toes, giggle and be inspired! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxdancecompetition #bwxstars #bwxcommunityfridays

Exploring our backyard & learning our shop! Allow the excitement of our Lil' Gems to represent our sentiment as we are getting ready to welcome new families to our school! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #adventuresingarnet #bwxgarnetband #bwxinthepresidio #bwxworkshop #welcometobwx!

Hello, Club Mud! Our middle school students are currently deep into studio exploration where students learn a craft intended to expand their tools of expression! Sort of learning a new language - only this time in clay! We are excited to see where this takes them when it’s time to develop their own project work! Stay tuned! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #undergroundarc #claystudio #bwxclubmud #bwxopalband #bwxonyxband #bwxamethystband #opal.bwx

We are making the most of our wonderful location as we continue Underground Arc Exploration in the Presidio! Our HS students have been out exploring & digging, looking for bulbs & roots, cooking up some yummy receipts with root vegetables and building planter boxes to continue their exploration! All of this wonderful activity, of course, coupled with more formal and theoretic studies, presentations and discussions of the underlying scientific principles! What's not to love! #sfbrightworks #everytingisinteresting #undergroundarcexploration #bwxhandsonlearning #bwxrealtools #bwxscience #bwxmichlene #bwxaili #bwxobsidianband

THIS!! - a reflection we just had to share, from our founder @gevertulley! Let this image & reflection be a reminder about the power of a BWX education! Students that are allowed autonomy in their learning journey often develop a real passion for their subject matter and end up digging deeper while simultaneously shooting for the stars!! In this instance, the most exciting, interesting and unique senior project! Enjoy & be inspired! #sfbrightoworks #everythingisinteresting #weneverclose #bwxscience #bwxrobotics #bwxseniorproject #bwxobsidian #bwxmichlene #bwxaili #liam_likes_frogs

Underground Arc Exploration is well underway, and we are seeing some exciting science projects in the works! Here, some back yard ants have been duly collected, new class room ant farms have been assembled and these students are now busy observing the formation of new ants nests! Enjoy the kids excitement and appreciate the endless possibilities that opens up with a new arc theme! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #undergroundarc #bwxscience #opal.bwx #bwxopalband

As we enter the weekend, a big shout out to everyone who came out for our live event last night, featuring @jodiepatterson and @dr.aisha.m in conversation! With a message of humanity, openness and inclusion they discussed elements of Jodie's book, The Bold World! What an insightful inspiration for all parents around! In addition, lets celebrate everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this event possible, including @bwxmichlene and her band of high school students who helped organize, set up and provide childcare! We are so grateful to be part of this amazing community! #sfbrightworks #everythingispossible #jodiepatterson #dr.aisha.m #bwxmichlene #bwxobsidianband

Join us on February 22nd, 6-8pm, for a live event with author, activist and Human Rights Campaign Advocate Jodie Patterson in conversation with Dr. Aisha Mays, the Bay Area's own physician and reproductive justice advocate! Their conversation will center around family dynamics, radical parenting, parenting gender expansive youth & identity. Come join us for some good food, good company and enriching conversations as we continue our speaker series started last year and fundraise for our own Power & Privilege Committee! We are looking forward to seeing you! To learn more & to purchase tickets please use the QR code! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #BWXpower&privilege #BWXDEI #jodiepatterson #dr.aisha.m

We ushered in the Year of the Dragon by this live performance last week of a traditional Lion Dance by @liondanceme! With a short peek into this wonderful performance, appreciate the joyful interactions between dancers and kids! Happy Lunar New Year everybody! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #lunarnewyear #yearofthedragon #bwxcelebration!

Last week we celebrated the end of Fashion Arc with a rich and amazing Expo Night! Despite all the fantastic work our students showcased we always try to emphasize that their end products are not their main goal, but rather the process that leads them there! It is through the various phases of exploring, planning, executing, presenting & reflecting that they truly learn and grow! Peak into this middle school band's presentations of their various fashion arc projects and try to get a sense for the richness of material and the growth in experience and personalities that emerge from their work! These young minds are a true inspiration! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #fashionarc #projectpresentations #bwxonyxband

Our buildings are buzzing with activities at the moment as we prepare for Expo Night! The weeks leading up to Expo Night are always the most exciting as we start to see the fruition of so many fun & unique ideas and so much dedicated & hard work! Take a peek at this young student's fashion arc work that includes the making of his very own hoodie with a fabric he chose to have printed with his very own fabric pattern! Wow!! Stop by our Fashion Arc Expo Night tomorrow to see a myriad other fashion arc projects equally unique & inspiring! We look forward to celebrating all their wonderful work! Come join us! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxfashionarc #bwxlapisband

There is a lot of unrest around the world and our HS students are learning about these conflicts and how to make an impact! Fairly soon after the Oct 7th attack on Israel they invited author and Jewish peace activist Dr. Penny Rosenwasser to their classroom to learn more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last week they joined the call for Action on a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza. Our students chose between several options of engagement. Some came to school for their normal routines while others stayed at home to participate in the strike. They were all encouraged to research more on the background of this particular conflict. They have all learned that international conflicts also impact our situation in the Bay Area. They grew to show understanding and respect and to take care of each other during difficult times! These images show some of our students participating in the International Day of Action for a Permanent Ceasefire rally in Oakland. We are proud of our students for showing care and concern, for aiming to gain a balanced understanding, for learning about the judicial process and for being willing to get a first hand experience in how to make their voices heard! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxobsidianband #bwxmichlene #bwxaili #ceasefirenow

While our students currently are busy wrapping up Fashion Arc and prepping for Expo Night next week, we are looking back at this lovely day of exploration in the Presidio! Our lil' gems were making the most of our beautiful surroundings by dancing their hearts out and posing for live polaroids! Enjoy their contagious excitement and stay tuned for our upcoming events! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #fashionarc #adventuresingarnet #bwxinthepresidio

Drum Circles @ BWX! Following last week's MLK celebration visiting actor & drummer, Gerald C. Rivers, invited our own BWX students to participate with his drumming circles. Playing the West African Djembe, our students got to experience first hand how a drum circle brings everyone together in peace, allowing for individual voices to be heard! What better way to practice Dr. King's legacy! Our own BWX students were up to the challenge and took it in strides! What a lovely treat! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #mlkcelebration #djembe #drumcircles #geraldcrivers #adventuresingarnet #bwxaqua #bwxmarycatherine #bwx.citrine #bwx.sam #opal.bwx #bwxmichlene #bwxaili

We were just treated to the most wonderful celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King in this once in a lifetime event @ BWX! Our local vocalists, The Wildchoir, and our guests, The Peace Player Drummers, set the stage for visiting actor Gerald C. Rivers and vocalist Charles Holt! Rivers gave voice to King's own words in 'The Drum Major Instinct' and 'What is Your Life's Blueprint', while Holt followed up with a beautiful rendition of 'America the Beautiful!' Together they created the most wonderful and authentic experience of Dr. King's teaching and work that we could ever wish for! Our kids were mesmerized! A big shout out and thank you to the amazing performers and our own director of DEIB, Kenya Strong, who pulled this all together! Enjoy and be inspired! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #mlkcelebration #wildchoirmusic #geraldcrivers

Back from winter break our young learners took the opportunity to hone their skills in reading & understanding all things calendar! The rest of our students are gearing up for some busy weeks as we have some exciting events coming up! Stay tuned as we continue into the new year! #sfbrightworks #everythingisinteresting #bwxagua #fashionarc