Learning-Through-Travel Programs at Thayer
Click link above to see the latest Learning Through Travel brochure.
“My experience in Peru was one of cultural enlightenment, the birth of a new perspective of looking at the world, and the satisfaction of helping those in need, and it was an adventure I'll never forget.”
-Alex Korzec ’06
(currently attending Brown University)
The Value of International Studies
Foreign travel is essential to the mission of Thayer Academy, as it enriches the educational experience for all who participate.
Along with a fresh outlook on their own education, students report a marked growth in self-confidence, an overall increase in sophistication, and a degree of language acquisition far exceeding what is possible in the classroom alone.
For general questions, please contact the international studies coordinator, Jim Pickel: 781-664-2217
This page provides an overview of Thayer’s Learning Through Travel opportunities.
To see the complete Learning Through Travel Chart click here
Sister School Cultural Exchange Program
The need for true global citizenship is more important than ever. For many, the first chance to sample cultural differences comes through a student exchange program. To that end, Thayer has shaped a set of rich sister-school cultural exchanges, some of which grow out of our foreign language instruction. In this way, the Academy and its students develop long-term relationships with schools and students in other countries. These programs include visits to Thayer by foreign students. If you are interested in being a host family to one of our guests, contact Jim Pickel (781-664-2217)
Lycee Stanislas Programme d'Echange- France
An intensive immersion program of classes, excursions and homestay aimed at providing students with an appreciation of French culture, language and history. This four-day exploration of Paris and its environs, followed by a nine-day sojourn in Provence and the French Riviera promises enrichment opportunities both exciting and educational. The homestay occurs in Cannes during the famed Cannes Film festival.
Offered every year in May, as a Senior Project opportunity.
Faculty Contact:
Aidan Rooney 781-664-2214
Darah Smoot 781-664-2213
Exchange Program, WeiYu High School – Shanghai, China
Thayer Academy began a sister-school relationship with WeiYu High School in Shanghai China in 2008. The program is open only to seniors, with preference given to students taking Chinese. Students will have a home-stay experience in Shanghai and will also visit Bejing and sites close by.
Offered every year in May - Chinese students come to Thayer in the fall.
Faculty Contact:
Ted Koskores 781-664-2210
Northampton School for Boys Exchange Program
This well-established relationship, open to all Thayer students, is advantageous for students from both schools. Co-ed student groups (notwithstanding the traditional name) learn about another way of life and a new educational system while enjoying the cultural sites that lie within an hour’s drive of both schools. Thayer students spend four days in London hotels and eight days with families in Northampton.
Offered every year in June. British students come to Thayer in October.
Faculty Contact:
Jim Pickel 781-664-2217
Homestay in Spain
In the first week of this brand new program for Juniors and Seniors studying Spanish, students will experience the excitement and beauty of Spain’s capital city, Madrid and the history of nearby Toledo and Salamanca. Visits in Madrid include the world-renowned Prado museum, the grand El Retiro Park, La Plaza Mayor, Bernabeu Stadium (home field of Real Madrid), and Puerta del Sol, the historic downtown district.
The second week is one of intensive language immersion during which students stay with Spanish families in Vigo, in the northwest corner of Spain. The week will include a visit to Santiago de Compostela and a short trip into Portugal.
Offered every year in June.
Faculty Contact:
Marc Rando 781-664-2283
Senior Project Opportunities
Senior Project in International Business - Geneva, Switzerland
A unique opportunity introducing students to the realm of international business. After a period of study and research on campus under the direction of Thayer faculty members, a group of seniors will spend twelve days in Geneva touring the facilities and meeting with officers of three international corporations. The program includes trips to Gruyere, Lausanne and Zermatt, and a visit to Aiglon College, an international boarding school.
Offered every year as a Senior Project opportunity
Thayer Academy Service Project - Peru
Through extensive pre-travel research and discussion students are introduced to Peruvian history and culture, focusing on the Incans and their legacy. Upon arrival in Cusco, we volunteer at an orphanage, school and hospital while living with a family and visiting Incan sites. Next we visit the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. We live with families and experience traditional small town life. We work in the fields, help prepare meals, play soccer with the locals and explore an original Inca town. Then we hike the Inca Trail and visit Machu Picchu.
Offered every year as a Senior Project opportunity
Lycee Stanislas Programme d’Echange - France
See above - “Sister School Cultural Exchange Programs” - for more details.
Offered every year as a Senior Project opportunity.
Study Abroad Programs
In addition to cultural exchanges that emerge from sister school relationships, Thayer has also instituted a set of programs that provide students with the chance to study abroad in ways that can further stimulate some very defined interests and passions.
Artists-in-Residence Program - Cortona, Italy
The goals of this program are to enable student artists to study and appreciate some of the world’s greatest works of art and to nurture their own talents with field and studio work under close supervision of both Thayer Academy faculty and Italian instructors. This experience complements Thayer’s painting and drawing curriculum for art students.
Offered every other year; next offering, July 2010
The Classical World - Rome/Italy
This exploration of classical Roman sites builds upon the classroom experiences of our Latin and history students. Students visit the sites of gladiatorial fights in the Coliseum; the chariot races of the Circus Maximus; the Ciceronian orations in the Forum; the imperial palaces of the Palatine Hill; the homage to gods and goddesses at the Pantheon; and the bustling vitality of Pompeii and Herculaneum, towns buried in ash by Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
Offered every other year; next offering, July 2009
South Africa
Thayer students tackle the World History curriculum during their first year in the high school. Starting with the history of South Africa, our students read, discuss, and analyze the complex past that has shaped the modern, progressive South Africa that we know today.
In this program students will be visiting the sister schools in Capetown and in Durban, South Africa. Both are private schools with a mission that is in accordance with Nelson Mandela's doctrine of a unified country.
With the 2010 World Cup taking place in South Africa, the country has done a great job in further strengthening its infrastructure for foreign visitors. In August 2009, Thayer students will be some of the first to see a pre-World Cup South Africa.
Next offering, July 2009
La Culture Québecoise - Quebec
A five-day excursion in early July to Québec City and it's environs. Students stay in a modern hotel and visit many historical sites and natural areas - including the falls at Montmorency and a nature preserve. Opportunities to hear and speak French abound with the professional guide and with “les habitants de Québec.”
Offered every other year; next offering, July 2009
Cultural/Environmental Experience in Costa Rica
Middle School students of Spanish are invited to participate in a week-long trip to Costa Rica on the Saturday following Middle School graduation. The trip will be led by Middle School Spanish teachers Allynn Lodge and Bill Lanagan, and Federico Herrera, a native Costa Rican who works for the non-profit organization Globe Aware, which develops short-term, volunteer trips that promote cultural awareness and sustainability in international environments.
The primary goals of the trip are for students to experience Costa Rica’s Spanish-speaking culture and appreciate the beauty of this stable, Central American neighbor. Students will travel by car from the capital, San José, through Braulio Carrillo National Park to Barra de Parismina, a tiny sand bar community on the Caribbean coast, where they will volunteer with the town’s Save the Turtle Association, helping to patrol the beaches and dig out new hatcheries, and do other service work. Students and chaperones will stay in a modest seaside cabin.
For more information, please contact Allynn Lodge, 781-664-2297
FACULTY EXCHANGE & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Faculty professional development is an important element of the Learning Through Travel Program. Frequent administrative and faculty contact between sister schools builds relationships to benefit all segments of the community. Short-term teacher exchanges, during which teachers can observe markedly different practices, enriches their perspectives on teaching and learning.
INTERESTED?
Updated information about each trip is available in flyers distributed in classes. Please feel free, however, to contact any of the trip organizers directly (see link to chart at top of page).
Some financial assistance is available for international learning opportunities. In these cases, students should write a brief note to Headmaster. Koskores explaining their interest in the trip. The school will then follow up directly with parents.
For general questions, please contact:
Jim Pickel
Coordinator
Learning Through Travel Programs
phone: 781-664-2217
email: jpickel@thayer.org
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