Academics

Signature Programs

Signature Programs That Set Us Apart

Milken’s Signature Programs expose students to emerging trends and equip them to transform how we live as a global society. Our school is renowned for its emphasis on innovative excellence and its dedication to helping students invent the fields of the future. Milken’s signature programs apply our educational philosophy and contain the three key elements of our portrait of a graduate--think well, belong to something greater than yourself, and take positive action. Rooted in academic coursework, signature programs are curricular, co-curricular, and extra curricular.

Milken's Signature Programs

List of 5 items.

  • Mitchell Academy of Science+Technology (MAST)

    Mitchell Academy of Science+Technology  (MAST) prepares students to pioneer new frontiers of scientific discovery. Through MAST, they access extraordinary elective and extracurricular opportunities that inspire and motivate them for success. In collaboration with Milken’s Innovation & Fabrication and Science Departments, MAST offers students a wide variety of programs in advanced research and design, computer science, engineering and robotics.

  • Architecture + Design Institute

    Architecture + Design Institute is a national leader in preparing students with a comprehensive foundation in product and structural design. Using mathematical, scientific, and artistic processes, students harness creative solutions to real-world problems, learning from professional architects and designers through presentations, panels, field trips, and hands-on experiences in the community. Courses include design arts, graphic design, fashion design and architectural design.

  • Beit Midrash Fellowship

    Beit Midrash Fellowship is an advanced, innovative Jewish studies program that integrates high-level text learning, social action, leadership, community-building and celebration. Beit Midrash students develop sophisticated teaching on contemporary personal and social issues, enrich the Jewish life of the larger Milken community, and work together to develop the Global Beit Midrash program, enabling Jewish teenagers from around the world to connect, collaborate, and create.

  • Finance and Entrepreneurship Program

    The Finance and Entrepreneurship Program thrives with a spirit of innovation, attuning students to the needs of a changing marketplace and equipping them with skills of creative problem solving, leadership and innovation. Students who are bold, brave, think out of the box and seek academically rigorous elective courses are perfect candidates for this program. They have the opportunity to explore finance and investing at an introductory level or dive deeply into advanced investing and/or entrepreneurship.

  • Storytellers

    Storytellers utilizes writing as a form of art and self-expression. Refining ideas, studying successful works, and forming a nurturing community are cornerstones of the program. Students experiment with a variety of writing forms, from feature-length screenplays to short stories and poems. By participating in writing workshops and storytelling events, students learn how to provide thoughtful and caring critiques. Through elective writing courses, students develop their own creative process as they navigate different genres within the creative writing space.

Division Culminating Programs

Milken is also known for its incredible culminating programs that are our mission in action, the application of our core values, and the realization of our educational philosophy. These programs are an expression of the learning and growth during each students’ time in a division.

List of 3 items.

  • Division 6-8: Grade 8 Siyyum

    The culminating Grade 8 Siyyum ceremony is a poignant reflection on the middle school journey of our students. It serves as a significant milestone where we collectively acknowledge our students' academic accomplishments, personal development, and celebrate the friendships and community they've cultivated throughout their Division 6-8 experience. This event symbolizes their transition into the next phase of their educational journey as they prepare to step up to Upper School. The Siyyum encapsulates the essence of their growth, underscoring the profound impact that the middle school experience has had on their lives and education, setting the stage for the exciting adventures and challenges that lie ahead.

  • Division 9-10: Israel Experience

    The Jews of the Second Aliyah to the land of Israel sang, “We have come to this land to build and be built,” seeing their own work in building the land of Israel as a way of transforming themselves. In that spirit, grade 10 students have one of the following opportunities to experience Israel, helping them build their own Jewish identities.

    Tiferet Israel Fellowship
    Through Milken’s Tiferet Israel Fellowship, a cohort of 10th grade students embark on the journey of a lifetime: a thrilling, hands-on quarter of study of study in Israel. While studying in Israel, Tiferet Israel Fellows participate in a full program in general and Jewish studies. Students learn both in the classroom and on tiyulim (guided trips) all over Israel. They have the chance to explore their own personal relationship with Israel, and the origins, meanings, and development of Zionism. Students must apply and be accepted into this program. 

    Robin Family 10th Grade Tiyul
    In 2023, Milken implemented a two week 10th grade tiyul (guided trip)
    to Israel. This program ensures that all students have a meaningful
    experience in Israel before the end of 10th grade and deepen Milken’s
    core value of Ahavat Israel. The program provides Milken students the
    opportunity to travel across Israel, join together with their entire grade for meaningful Shabbat experiences, and visit the most iconic and historical sites of the Jewish people.

  • Division 11-12: Masa Senior Capstone Program

    This new program invites students to reflect on the Grade 12 Essential Question, “What am I (metaphorically) taking with me and what am I leaving behind as I head to college and beyond?” With the focus on senior preparation and legacy, the senior class has the opportunity to apply to participate in one of four distinct Masa Pathways: 
    • Athletics Leadership Participants in this Path engage in hands-on service projects, utilizing athletics as a platform to foster community engagement and social impact. Students will emerge as conscientious leaders equipped to effect positive change both on and off the field, embodying the principles of Service, excellence, and Jewish identity.

    • Beit Midrash Fellowship Students will culminate the Beit Midrash Fellowship experiences by developing a unique project to contribute to the Jewish world.

    • Deli and Herb Weisberg Israel Advocacy Leadership Circle Students will learn, explore, and teach on topics such as: Israel on college campuses; the rise of antisemitism; and building a meaningful connection to Israel. This Path culminates with leadership opportunities in the Grade 12 Poland/Israel Trip. Learn more.

    • Milken Interns: Students will take part in the school’s individualized internship experience while building their career skill set and integrating Jewish values into the professional setting. 

    • Service and Leadership: Students will deepen their commitment to Service Learning, enhancing current Service opportunities and forging new projects, both on campus and in the larger community. 

    • Social Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking: Students will integrate social entrepreneurship, Jewish values and design thinking in a transformative educational experience. This Path empowers them to make a meaningful impact, via compassion and social responsibility and to become ethical leaders and changemakers in their communities and beyond.

    • Performing Arts: Only open to students in Advanced Choir Kol Echad, Advanced Theater Projects or with instructor approval. This Path provides the opportunity to expand and explore creativity, technique and performance, while also integrating that learning with meaningful Jewish ideas, values, and texts. The pathway will culminate in a solo or group capstone project. Please verify the course requirements if you choose this Path as your option.

    • Positive Psychology: Students will learn theories of wellbeing and connect modern psychological insights with traditional Jewish wisdom to consciously shape a more meaningful, positive life. They will learn a range of evidence-based well-being practices (including gratitude, meditation, journaling and community care). Students will innovate well-being experiences for their Milken community, culminating in a final workshop designed for faculty members and parents.

    • Science: Only open to students in Honors Science Research and Design 1, 2, or 3. This Path provides the opportunity to expand and explore skills learned in upper-level senior courses, while also integrating that learning with meaningful Jewish ideas, values, and texts. 

    • Vatikim Mentors: Students will advise and shape Milken school culture by mentoring 9th graders throughout the year, while reflecting on central aspects of their own Milken experience and learning Jewish texts to deepen their perspective and growth.

-Grade 11 A+DI Student

When I saw a building, I didn’t know what went into it such as design plans, materials, and figuring out how to make it sustainable. Now I know how they work. I’ve learned so much in this class and it has really helped me use my creativity.

Tiferet Israel Fellowship Highlights

Honors Science Research

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At Milken Community School, we think education is more than what you know. Our School, founded on Jewish values, is about who our children can become and how they can help others become who they might be. Because the world our children will create tomorrow is born in the School we build today, our mission is to educate our children so they can surpass us.
Non-discrimination Policy: Milken Community School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, athletic, and other school-administered programs.
 

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