A highlight of many students’ experience is the amazing global programs that the school offers. Four programs are being offered for the upcoming school year. The new fall program is to Chinatown in Vancouver, Canada, and the spring program is the first international music tour in Greece. The two summer programs are to Iceland & Amsterdam and to Cuba.
From Oct. 16-21, students will travel to the third largest Chinatown located in Vancouver, Canada and will have the opportunity to interact with the vibrant community by hearing the stories of the community, joining the local Chinese Club for a walk in Stanley Park, interacting with local Chinese students, and exploring the architecture of the city.
In 2025, choir, orchestra, and band will travel to Greece for one week during spring break for the first time. The three ensembles will travel to various cities across Greece such as Nafplion, Itea, and Athens to share their music and interact with the culture in locations such as Peloponnese, Delphi, and the Greek Saronic Gulf Island.
The two 20-day summer trips this summer are to Iceland & Amsterdam and Cuba. Both trips run from Jun. 15-Jul. 5 and involve a week of pre-post trip classes. The trip aims to teach students about climate solutions in Iceland and spend time in Amsterdam, the “greenest” city in the world.
Lauren Armstrong ‘25, who went on the trip last year, says, “Iceland was super different from anything I have ever seen, and it was super memorable because of it.” Students will also have the opportunity to learn about colonialism in the Netherlands, visit famous museums, and hike a large glacier, which Aanya Pandey ‘25 states was her favorite experience when she went on the trip last year. “I had never been on a glacier before and I had never even been to Iceland so it was just like a whole lot of new experiences that were really cool.”
The Cuba trip has also been offered before and provides students with the chance to learn about historical relationships between Cuba and the United States, climate change’s effects on their community, and cultural sites. They also will spend time interacting with the community in Havana through volunteering with teens, interacting with artists and musicians, and more.
Pandey says, “I highly recommend global programs for anyone who hasn’t done it before, and I’m really happy I had the experience.”
