Student Life

Student Life is a crucial part of the HSArts experience. The Department of Student Life is dedicated to creating a relaxing and engaging environment with enrichment opportunities outside the classroom, balancing their academics and arts training inside the classroom.

Activities range from Student Leadership opportunities such as student council, NHS, and student ambassadors, to student clubs like photography/yearbook club and games club. Student athletics are ever popular, with badminton club and basketball club continuing their popularity. Students are also encouraged to volunteer in our local communities, needing 80 accumulative hours to graduate.

A Typical School Day

The school day begins at 8:05 a.m. with academics. Most students have three to four classes in the morning, depending on the day’s schedule.

At 11:30 a.m., a hearty hot lunch is served. This home-cooked, buffet-style meal typically includes soup, rice, a vegetable dish, a meat dish, and fresh fruit from our commercial-grade kitchen. Our kitchen staff is focused on taste, nutrition, and variety, with pizza, spaghetti, Korean BBQ, hamburgers, and tacos as welcomed additions to the menu.

After lunch, the bell rings for a final academic class at 12:05 p.m. Arts classes follow from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Many students choose to stay after school for study hall, student clubs, and/or extra practice time in the our state-of-the art studios.

Sample Class Schedules

8:05 am – 9:20 am: English

9:25 am – 10:40 am: Integrated Science

10:45 am – 11:30 am: Geometry

11:30 am – 12:05 pm: Lunch

12:05 pm – 12:50 pm: High School Chinese Language I

12:50 pm – 1:00 pm: Break

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Chiaroscuro (sketching)

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Interior Design (arts elective)

8:05 am – 9:20 am: Life Science

9:25 am – 10:40 am: English

10:45 am – 11:30 am: Middle School Chinese Language II

11:30 am – 12:05 pm: Lunch

12:05 pm – 12:50 pm: Pre-Algebra

12:50 pm – 1:00 pm: Break

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Dance Fundamentals – Barre and Centre

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dance Rehearsal

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Technique practice

   

Student Clubs

On weekdays, the optional club programs and supervised study halls run from 4:15 to 6:00 pm. During this time, students are encouraged to participate in the clubs available or create their own club, or attend classes with the Young Artists Program for some extra arts enrichment. Alternatively, students may study in study hall under supervision and use the computers provided by the school.

Students in all arts tracks are welcome to join the Drawing Club. It’s a great chance to explore this fundamental skill of visual arts in an enjoyable and relaxed environment.

For 1.5 hours every week, students come together to bond, thrive, and exercise their coordination in a healthy competitive environment. Students warm up with dribbling, passing, and shooting drills. Then we have 3-on-3, 4-on-4, and sometimes full-court scrimmages. Individual skill-development, trust, and teamwork are at the core of our club’s foundation. Each semester culminates in 1 or 2 full-court scrimmages with other middle or high schools in the city.

The fastest growing club, the badminton club welcomes students of all ages and experience to play badminton in a healthy competitive environment. The badminton club will host competitions throughout the year, with enough sign ups. The club also hopes to form a team to potentially compete with other schools in the near future.

The Video Editing Club introduces students to the basics of editing software and how to use the software to tell a story. They learn the software (the tools), and how to use them (techniques), and then strive to use the tools and techniques to create meaning (the art). Particular emphasis is also put on the use of sound. The course will supply a good selection of video and audio material for the students to use, but students are also encouraged to bring in material that they want to edit.

The photography club consists of students with an interest in photography, learning about cameras and photo editing software, and potentially contributing to the school yearbook.

Focusing on games away from the computer, the games club challenges students in physical skills and logical thinking through traditional board games, card games, dice games, and more.

Study Hall


Study hall is held in designated classrooms between 4:15 – 6:00 pm.

Quiet Study

During the Quiet Study Hall, students are supervised by teachers as they do their homework. Students may ask the supervising teacher questions on their schoolwork.

Casual Study

Students participating in the Casual Study Hall may do homework on their own or with other students. They may do quiet logic puzzles or solitaire games, work on artwork, and tutor or be tutored by fellow students.

The Kitchen

The goal of our lunch program is to provide students with a variety of nutritionally balanced, healthy, home-cooked meals. Each day, our commercial-grade kitchen serves a hearty buffet-style hot meal. All meals include soup or porridge, steamed rice, fried rice, a meat-based dish, a vegetable dish, as well as fresh fruit.

Lunch Menu


Our kitchen staff proudly serves a menu consists of meticulously crafted entrees and complementing dishes. A balance on Eastern and Western cuisine, the lunch menu is healthy, delicious, and very well-received by students and staff alike. Enjoy homemade pizzas, chicken and tofu katsu, spaghetti, fried rice, and more. Bon appétit!

Nut-free Lunch Menu (Spring 2023)

Monday: Tossed Noodles with Shredded Pork/ Fresh Veggies/ Mung Bean Sweet Soup

Tuesday: Mexican Food

Wednesday: Taiwanese Minced Pork with Rice/ Steamed Egg/ Veggies/ Porridge

Thursday: Homemade Pizza/ Fried Rice/ Mung Bean Sweet Soup

Friday: Stewed Beef/ Sauteed Tofu with Fresh Veggies/ Rice

Monday: Curry Chicken/ Stir Fry Tomato and Eggs/ Rice

Tuesday: Mexican Food

Wednesday: Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (Beef or Vegetarian)/ Fried Rice/ Veggies

Thursday: Western Style Soup with bacon and beans/ Braised Pork

Friday: Sausages/ Egg/ Salad/ Bread/ Milk

Monday: Holiday

Tuesday: Mexican Food

Wednesday: Sweet and Sour Chicken/ Stir-fried Veggies with Quail Eggs/ Rice/ Soup

Thursday: Beef Noodle Soup/ French Fried/ Sauteed Fresh Greens

Friday: Chicken Noodle Soup/ Sauteed Fresh Greens/ Bread

Monday: Noodle/ Sauteed Shredded Pork with Fresh Greens/ Sweet Soup

Tuesday: Mexican Food

Wednesday: Fried Pork Chops/ Sauteed Yuba with Fresh Veggies/ Porridge 

Thursday: Stewed Beef/ Sauteed Fresh Greens

Friday: Homemade Pizza/ Fried Rice/ Sauteed Fresh Greens/ Sweet Soup

Monday: Barbecue Pork(Char Siu)/ Stir Fry Tomato and Eggs/ Rice/ Porridge

Tuesday: Mexican Food

Wednesday: Tossed Noodles with Shredded Pork/ Sauteed Fresh Greens/ Sweet Soup 

Thursday: Chicken Noodle Soup/ Sauteed Fresh Greens/ Bread

Friday: Homemade Pizza/ Fried Rice/ Mung Bean Sweet Soup

Monday: Noodles/ Sauteed Shredded Pork with Fresh Greens/ Spring Roll/ Sweet Soup

Tuesday: Mexican Food

Wednesday: Taiwanese Minced Pork with Rice/ Steamed Egg/ Veggies/ Porridge

Thursday: Fried Chicken/ Sauteed Tofu with Fresh Veggies/ Porridge

Friday: Hamburgers/ Sauteed Fresh Greens/ French Fries/ Mung Bean Sweet Soup

Facilities

Our campus houses a spectacular training facility next to Golden Gate Park. Large dance studios and classrooms nestle in a clean and classical interior-designed facility. Classes also utilize the beautiful outdoors on a regular basis, for PE class to outdoor drawing to outdoor dancing.

Come visit our school during an open house or on a scheduled shadow day and see first hand why our facilities are often considered some of the best in San Francisco.

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