Pacifica Stories

At Pacifica, we seek to help students think and live well. In addition to our broad liberal arts curriculum, we also offer four signature programs for students who want to dive deeper in specific areas of study. Read on to learn more about our specialized programs relating to STEM, entrepreneurship, philosophy, and film. 

STEM SCHOLARS

Students who wish to pursue a career in STEM, or who show a special interest in these subjects, can participate in the STEM Scholar program. This rigorous program not only requires students to complete an above-average amount of STEM-related courses, but allows them to graduate with STEM distinction and a STEM endorsement on their official transcript. In addition, there are opportunities to hear from guest speakers and learn about internship and career paths in the STEM field.

Pacifica students can apply and be accepted into the STEM Scholar program at the end of the first semester of their sophomore year following the completion of Honors Biology and one semester of Honors Chemistry, enrollment in Geometry, and at least a 3.6 science and math GPA at the time of application. Once accepted, there are three main objectives that students must meet in order to receive STEM distinction and endorsement.

1. Completion of at least nine STEM courses.
    
2. Internship at a university, business, or non-profit organization.
    
3. Successful completion of a STEM-focused senior project.

Minchin Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Minchin Center is designed for students who want to get a head start on pursuing business and entrepreneurship. This program offers business-related courses, an Insight speaker series, and partnerships with businesses who are invested in the next generation of entrepreneurs. The Center seeks to break down barriers between the classroom and real-world experiences; through guest speakers, internship opportunities, and site visits students are encouraged to apply their learnings beyond the classroom from the start.

At the Minchin Center, students maintain several values throughout their exploration of entrepreneurship including taking risks, responsiveness, problem solving, community, perseverance, and ambition. Unlike the STEM Scholars program, The Minchin Center does not require an application, which allows any Pacifica student to explore these opportunities as they wish.

Center for Philosophy and Theology

Pacifica’s Center for Philosophy and Theology aids students in exploring the deeper questions of life to get at the heart of humanity. We believe that it’s important for high schoolers to think not only about the academic material directly in front of them, but also look at the bigger picture of their own meaning and purpose. Through this curriculum, we guide students by looking at thinkers that came before us in order to determine how to live well in today’s modern society. 

Similar to the Minchin Center, the Center for Philosophy and Theology does not require an application; in fact, all students at Pacifica participate in this curriculum through a combination of specific courses such as Old Testament, New Testament, Moral Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Late-Antique Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, and Patristic Theology. These classes center around four learning distinctives: 

1. Leisure in Learning - Instead of feeding into today’s culture of constant work without time to rest and reflect, we encourage students to think deeply about a few specific topics through in-depth analysis and clear articulation of thought. 
    
2. Intellectual Hospitality - In order to discuss the works with respect for the material and each other, students are taught to understand rather than attack; engage rather than dismiss; listen rather than perform. 
    
3. Oxford-Style Teaching - Small groups of students led by an expert teacher facilitates thorough conversation and feedback, giving students an opportunity to present and defend their opinions.
    
4. Creative Opposition - In our collective search for truth, students learn how to give and receive positive critique. They are taught how to consider things from a variety of perspectives and take intellectual risks in their pursuit of excellence and truth.

Pacifica Film Department

Our final signature program is Pacifica’s film department. This program allows students to tell their own stories through video, while receiving mentorship from experienced staff and industry experts. Following our Introduction to Film class, students can choose to continue with three subsequent production classes where they will have the opportunity to rent equipment from Samy’s Camera to produce their own short films. Class visits from industry professionals as well as trips to UCLA, RED Studios, LMU, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Universal help to expand their exposure to the film industry beyond the classroom. 

An essential part of our film department involves encouraging students to share their films beyond the Pacifica community in order to support their growth as artists. Pacifica production classes assist in producing the Annual SCREEN Film Festival and Documentary Film Festival at the AERO theater each year. They screen over 250 student films from all over Southern California (including films submitted by Pacificans!), ultimately selecting the top 15 to be shown at the festival. This real-world experience gives students further exposure to the inner-workings of different areas of the film industry.