Miriam Stahl, Berkeley High teacher who co-founded its Arts and Humanities Academy, to retire

"We viewed it not just as an achievement gap, but as an opportunity gap. In its earliest days, AHA emerged due to a realization among teachers: Students were thriving in visual and performing arts classes, yet some were not seeing the same level of success in their non-art coursework. That disparity became the foundation for a new vision of education as a concept. We knew our students could achieve across all disciplines, but they weren't, Stahl said, That realization became the spark to create a school that bridges arts and academics."

"Early conversations focused on reshaping how teachers saw their students; not as artists in one classroom and scholars in another, but as both at all times. We wanted academic teachers to see their students as artists and bring out the best in them creatively, and art teachers to see their students as academics and bring out their academic potential, she said. Like the other small schools at BHS, AHA is built around a small learning community of about 60 students per grade, where teachers support students from sophomore year through graduation."

"The structure allows for collaborative teaching and interdisciplinary curriculum that connects subjects across disciplines. Teachers constantly ask how we can support each student, whether they are struggling or thriving, Stahl said, We take responsibility for student outcomes and create e"

AHA at Berkeley High School was created to rethink education for artistically inclined students and address an equity gap. The program began when teachers noticed students succeeded in visual and performing arts classes but not at the same level in non-art coursework. That disparity led to a vision that connects arts and academics and treats students as both creative and scholarly in every class. Teachers collaborate across disciplines within a small learning community of about 60 students per grade, supported from sophomore year through graduation. The model emphasizes shared responsibility for student outcomes and continuous support for students who are struggling or thriving.

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