Creative Arts & Sports

Creative expression and physical challenge are essential to developing energy, spirit, excitement and community. With this intent, we strive to provide exceptional opportunities in arts and sports to expand learning beyond academics and outside of the classroom.

    • The SBMS Surf Team one beautiful morning at Leadbetter Point

Our Promise

During your child’s time at SBMS, they will…
  • Have personally-selected a minimum of 10 electives each year ranging from sports, fine arts, media arts, drama and much more. 
  • Have the opportunity to showcase their art in our annual art show. 
  • Play on a cooperative sports team that competes with other independent schools.
  • Learn a new hobby like photography, ukulele or Dungeons and Dragons.
  • Create works of art out of junk and recycled materials.
  • Participate in our Community Action club and give back to our local and global communities.
  • Harvest vegetables and produce straight from our community garden, and then learn how to prepare some new dishes using these fresh ingredients.

    • An online Zoom lesson in our Beginning Guitar and Songwriting elective!

TEEN PRESS

The SBMS Teen Press is an online media publication representing teens and families in the Santa Barbara area and the local region, covering newsworthy events and individuals, and reviewing films, concerts and performances in Santa Barbara and beyond. Learn more here! 
Adolescence is a time of growth and exploration and in that spirit, our dynamic electives program is designed to promote a practice of personal choice and discovery. 

    • Students participating in the photography elective

    • Pickleball has been one of our most popular electives this past year

    • SBMS Girls Soccer Team posing at an away game

    • Our Robotics Team at one of their many competitions in LA

    • Giant kick-ball during field sports on our lower field

Testimonials

"We just want to say that we are so grateful that you took a chance on our family and that we found a place that we believe is truly unique in all the Universe. We are lucky to have been a part of it. So, thank you for seeing our children, for loving them, for teaching them, for making them kinder and think more deeply than when they started this journey. Thank you for teaching them the ukulele and guitar, songwriting, and theater. Thank you for our front yard being full of chalk art, inspiring signs, and so much kindness that people stop daily to chat and take pictures. Thank you for teaching our daughter how to fix all of our bikes. Being a bike mechanic is giving her a new level of confidence and giddiness. Thanks for taking her mountain biking every Friday and not making her feel like she is the only girl on the trail (even when she was). 
 
After playing soccer every season since she was five years old...thank you for giving our daughter the most fun, compassionate (and undefeated) season of her life. Thank you for the cowl that our daughter knit for my birthday and the macrame that hangs on our walls. Thank you for the fact that our daughter journals and strums her ukelele when she is feeling low."
 
- 7th Grade Parent 
"Over my entire life I have taken countless art classes, but yours have been by far the best. Thank you for teaching me so many essential skills and for always giving me support and suggestions and constructive criticism on my art."

- SBMS student 

    • Harvesting veggies in the gardening elective

    • Print making art class with Richard Wilke

    • Shaping elective where students shape and glass their own boards

Sample of Electives Offered

DIGITAL ARTS
3D Printing 
Python Coding and Robotics 
Digital Photography and Editing 
Documentary Filmmaking 
Safe Drone Filmmaking 
Film Studies 
Filmmaking (Beg, Int) and Movie Making
Digital Animation 
Non-Linear Editing 
RC Cars
Scratch Programming 
Science Publishing and Videos 
Stop-Motion Animation 
Teen Press Journalism 
Video Graphics Animation and Special Effects 
Web Design 
Yearbook 
ENRICHMENT 
Bike Building 
Board Games 
Catan & Cards 
Chess 
Cooking 
Creative Lyrics 
Dungeons & Dragons 
Gardening 
Inventor’s Lab 
Mandala 
Meditation and Mindfulness 
Philosophy and Big Ideas 
Snack Exploration 
Strategy Games 
Theoretical Physics 
The Fire 
Woodshop 
 
LEADERSHIP 
Bike Mechanic (Beg, Int, Adv) 
Community Action 
Franklin Tutoring 
Media Show Team 
Mountaineering 
Stage Craft 
Yearbook 
OCEAN SPORTS 
Kayaking 
Surfing 
Swimming 
PERFORMING ARTS 
Acoustic Coffeehouse 
Between Notes 
Guitar (Beg, Int, Adv) 
Dance
Folk Rock 
Musical Theater 
Piano 
Performance Singing 
Rock Jam 
School of Rock 
School Play 
Singing 
Songfest! 
Songwriting 
Ukelele 
 
PHYSICAL EDUCATION 
Aerial Dance 
Boxing 
Core Strength 
Dance 
Field Sports
Flag Football 
Hiking 
Jump Rope 
Kick Ball 
Lacrosse 
Lawn Sports 
Martial Arts
Pickle Ball 
Pilates 
Ping Pong 
Power Walking 
Self Defense 
Small Goal Soccer 
Speed & Agility 
Spike Ball 
Ultimate Frisbee 
Walking/Jogging 
Weight training 
Yoga 
Zumba 
STUDY SKILLS 
Math Labs 
Homework Labs 
Learning Skills 

TEAM SPORTS-GIRLS & BOYS
Basketball 
Soccer 
Volleyball 

VISUAL ARTS 
Art Books & Journals 
Beading 
Cardboard Art 
Color & Design 
Container Art 
Craft Art 
Drawing and Painting 
Fiber Arts 
Freehand Drawing 
Handmade Cards 
Knitting 
Macramé 
Mindful Art 
Pastels 
Photography 
Print Making 
Sewing 
Symbols Art 
Watercolors 
FRIDAY ELECTIVES 
Acting & Improv 
Advanced Bike Mechanics
Art Journals 
Beach Combing 
Beach Volleyball 
Beading 
Brain Games 
Ceramics 
Civilization 
Cooking 
Directing Theater 
Fiber Arts 
Field Sports 
Fishing
Food Exploration 
Frisbee Golf 
Golfing 
Gardening 
Hiking 
Illustrated Journals 
Mixed Media 
Mountain Biking 
Mountaineering 
Ocean Sports 
Ooooh Pretty 
Robotics 
Rock Band 
Sailing 
Singing & Harmony 
Surfboard Shaping 
Surf Team 
Tennis 
Ultimate Frisbee 
Wearable Art 
Santa Barbara Middle School cultivates in our students passion for life and life-long learning, a deep sense of trust in themselves, strength and courage to succeed at life's challenges, and compassion and respect for others.
Santa Barbara Middle School ● 1321 Alameda Padre Serra ● Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Tel: 805-682-2989 ● office@sbms.org