RIVERSIDE — St. Mary Academy – Bay View is proud to announce the launch of its new Arts Scholars Program, an advanced academic and artistic program designed for Upper School students who demonstrate exceptional talent, commitment, and passion for the arts.
Launching with its inaugural cohort during the 2026-2027 school year, the Arts Scholars Program expands Bay View’s distinctive scholar opportunities, joining the school’s Public Health and Life Science Scholars Program in providing students with focused, interdisciplinary pathways to pursue their interests at an advanced level.
Rooted in Bay View’s Mercy values, the Arts Scholars Program invites students to explore the power of creativity to challenge perceptions, celebrate diversity, foster empathy, and strengthen communities. Through sustained study and practice, students will develop their artistic voices while learning to create and lead with purpose.
“At Bay View, we believe that a student’s passions can become powerful pathways for learning, leadership, and purpose,” said Amy Gravell, President and Head of School at St. Mary Academy – Bay View. “The Arts Scholars Program reflects our commitment to giving young women the opportunity to pursue what inspires them with depth and intention. Just as our Public Health and Life Science Scholars explore the ways science can improve lives and communities, our Arts Scholars will discover how creativity can connect people, give voice to important stories, and inspire meaningful change. These are the kinds of experiences that embody what we mean when we say, ‘At Bay View, She Can.’”
Students may pursue one of three Arts Scholar pathways: Visual Arts, Music Arts, or Theatre Arts, with the Theatre Arts pathway offering opportunities for both performers and theatrical technicians. Each pathway includes defined coursework, specialized experiences, and application requirements designed to encourage artistic growth and sustained engagement.
Across the program, Arts Scholars will develop a distinctive artistic voice, strengthen technical and analytical skills, engage in creative inquiry, collaborate across disciplines, and build confidence as creators, performers, and leaders. Students will also connect their artistic work to service and community engagement, reflecting Bay View’s commitment to educating students who lead with compassion, courage, and creativity.
A defining feature of the program is the Arts Scholar Capstone Project, completed across Grades 11 and 12. Scholars will propose and develop an original body of work, conduct inquiry-driven research, work with a mentor, and incorporate a public-facing community engagement component. In Grade 12, students will present their completed work to the Bay View community and reflect on its connection to their personal growth and the school’s Mercy values.
Students who successfully complete all program requirements will graduate with an Arts Scholar designation on their diploma, have their participation recognized on their official transcript, and have their capstone work showcased.
The addition of the Arts Scholars Program reflects Bay View’s continued investment in creating rigorous, student-centered opportunities that allow young women to discover their strengths, deepen their passions, and see themselves as leaders within and beyond the classroom.
St. Mary Academy – Bay View is an all-girls, Pre-K through Grade 12, Mercy Catholic school. Educating girls since 1874 in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, Bay View fosters academic excellence.
