Applicants to the Palma Scholars Program must be new to Catlin Gabel and applying for 9th grade. Selected scholars receive both admission to the school and the Palma Program, along with a financial scholarship.
The Palma Seminar
For three years, scholars enroll in an interdisciplinary seminar that emphasizes critical thinking, dialogue, and real-world application. Topics vary each year and explore complex social, cultural, and ethical questions through project-based learning.
Past Palma Seminars Include:
- Subversive Aesthetics: Art and Literature as Tools of Dissent
- People Problems: Disputes, Entanglements, and Inspiring Leadership
- Climate Change
- Revolutionaries
- Sports and Human Rights
Senior Capstone Project
In senior year, students complete a yearlong, self-directed project under faculty guidance. Projects range from academic research to creative and community-based work. Recent Palma Scholars have created jewelry out of microplastics to bring attention to marine waste, interned with a state congresswoman, learned jazz piano, developed a podcast, written state policy proposals, and created documentaries based on fieldwork and interviews.
Flexible Curriculum
With the exception of the Palma Seminar and Capstone, Scholars are not bound by standard graduation requirements, allowing them to design a course of study aligned with their goals and interests.
Spring Retreat
Each year, Palma Scholars participate in a multi-day spring retreat, related to themes from that year’s Palma Seminar. The retreat is an opportunity for authentic hands-on learning. Recent cohorts have visited New York, Louisiana, Mississippi, Eastern Oregon, and Vancouver, BC.
Leadership Development
Students develop leadership skills through ongoing coaching grounded in emotional intelligence, with regular one-on-one meetings with the program director and monthly group leadership meetings. Scholars reflect on the ways they can demonstrate leadership both on and off campus, and build skills that enable them to make a positive impact.
Community Engagement
Scholars lead and participate in a variety of initiatives that connect the school with the broader Portland community. Service activities include on-campus initiatives, off-campus partnerships with local organizations, and group-based volunteer opportunities.
