Experiential Learning

A student walking along a high ropes course in the woods

Day trips, retreats, and out-of-town excursions challenge students to navigate new environments outside of a conventional classroom setting.

During these experiences, students focus on team building, leadership skills, executive function, and their social-emotional well-being. Whether visiting a historical landmark, attending a performance or exhibition, or exploring the great outdoors, students strengthen relationships with one another and enjoy a sense of wonder and discovery.

Day Trips

Lower, Middle, and Upper School students go on daylong field trips throughout the school year. Through age-appropriate, interactive activities, students take advantage of all there is to learn about themselves and the diverse communities across Greater Los Angeles. 

Past field trip destinations have included Balboa Park, the California Science Center, the Getty Museum, Josephine Press, Leonis Adobe Museum, the Los Angeles Arts District, Malibu Creek State Park, Noah’s Ark at the Skirball, Olvera Street, Underwood Family Farms, and Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.

Check out a selection of recent Lower, Middle, and Upper School day trips!
Group photo of students and teachers listen to a tour guide in front of a Chumash dwelling

Grade 7 students explore the Wishtoyo Chumash Village as they learn about conservation and the Chumash culture.

A student creates a multi-color print while in an art studio.

An Upper Schooler in the Advanced Studio class takes part in a mini-monoprint workshop at Josephine Press, a fine-art printmaking facility in Santa Monica.

Students hold shovels in a pit of dirt outside

Fourth graders experience what life was like during the Gold Rush at Valley Trails Ranch.

Students pick strawberries in a field

Grades 2–4 get a real taste of spring berry-picking at Underwood Family Farms.

Students at a table together assemble soup kits and snack bags.

On a service learning day trip to the headquarters of the nonprofit Big Sunday, Grade 8 students roll up their sleeves to assemble soup kits and snack bags for Angelenos in need.

Students stand in semicircle on an outdoor stage.

The cast and crew of the Upper School fall play draw inspiration from a a multimodal arts education experience at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.

Retreats and Out-of-Town Excursions

Middle and Upper School students have several opportunities to venture beyond the immediate region to enjoy single- and multi-day immersive experiences. While taking part in the following mandatory and optional trips, students foster their independence, practice teamwork, develop leadership skills, and create unforgettable memories.

Students standing in front of Capitol Building
Conferences

During the school year, small groups of Upper School students attend leadership or diversity conferences—such as the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) or Close Up’s Community Impact Symposium: Race, Justice, and Equity—to develop their social justice practice and learn about allyship and community building. Following the conference, the students lead assemblies and activities to educate their peers about what they learned.

Students gardening
Grades 11–12 International Service Trip

Westmark partners with the organization Rustic Pathways to offer an optional weeklong service trip for Grade 11–12 students during the spring (subject to student interest). Visiting locations ranging from Vietnam to Peru to Thailand, students learn about urgent global issues while working directly with local leaders to make a significant impact on the community they are serving. Trip activities have included building and repairing homes, safeguarding biodiversity, and assisting in educational initiatives—all in addition to enjoying the beauty of the region. 

Students in front of monument in Boston
Grade 8 Boston Trip

Over five days each year, Grade 8 students have the opportunity to travel to Greater Boston to visit historic landmarks related to their classroom studies. Past trips have included touring the following destinations: Quincy Market, the USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, the North End Church, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Fenway Park, the Museum of African American History, the New England Holocaust Memorial, Salem, Lexington, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Evening events have ranged from escape rooms to candlepin bowling.

Student climbing rope ladder
Outdoor Education Retreats

Grades 5–12 students kick off the school year with mandatory outdoor education retreats. These experiences follow a clear and intentional progression, offering differentiated experiences by grade level that build upon the themes and activities of the previous year’s retreat. During the trips, students participate in an array of activities, from learning about orienteering and environmental stewardship to embarking on nature walks, completing group projects, and zip-lining. All activities are led by trained instructors and monitored by Westmark staff.

Students posing on college campus
Grades 11–12 College Campus Tour

Once a year, Westmark tours Grades 11–12 students at colleges and universities in an out-of-town location. These optional trips introduce students to higher-education programs and campuses of different sizes and types—from small-town liberal arts schools to large urban institutions to arts conservatories. Recent destinations have included Denver, Boston, Seattle, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.