Travel and Exchange Programs

Traveling to other countries embodies 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. Further value accrues to the larger Thayer community when we welcome onto our campus and into our homes students and faculty from Thayer Academy’s sister schools.

Contact

Jed Wartman

Assistant Head of School for Student Engagement and Well-being

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAYER TRAVEL PROGRAMS

Exchange Programs

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 cultivated a rich set of sister-school 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 and your family are interested in hosting one of our guests from abroad, please contact Jed Wartman (j wartman@thayer.org / 781.664.2347).

Lycée Stanislas - Cannes/Paris, France

May 20 - June 1, 2025
Typically occurs in May as a Senior Project opportunity. Students from France visit Thayer in the spring.
Open to all seniors.
Faculty Contacts: Aidan Rooney (arooney@thayer.org / 781.664.2214) & Darah Harper (dharper @thayer.org / 781.664.221 3), Upper School French Teachers

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The Senior Project in France offers an immersion program of activities aiming to provide students with a culminating appreciation of French culture, language and history. This seven-day home-stay on the French Riviera followed by a five-day exploration of Paris and its environs promises enrichment opportunities at once exciting and educational.

In Cannes, students participate in an authentic student-to- student exchange with the Lycée Stanislas, one of France’s finest secondary schools. The Cannes International Film Festival winds down during our stay, so students will feel some of the excitement and pizazz that annually gathers movie stars, cinephiles and paparazzi. Day-trips bring us to Nice, the Château de La Napoule, l’Ile Saint-Honorat, and the Fragonard Museum in Grasse; evenings spent largely en famille extend opportunities for immersion in French language and culture.

In Paris, we stay four nights in a 4-star hotel on the right bank, and enjoy meals in selected restaurants that serve traditional French food. Our stay in Paris includes: a dinner-cruise on the river Seine; the iconic sights and monuments of Paris; walking tours of historic gardens and quartiers; museum visits; a market visit in Versailles, followed by picnic and bike-ride in the gardens of the palace.

Please note that all participants in this program must also meet the requirements of a complementary senior project during the two weeks prior to traveling. We require that this portion of the senior project be service-oriented.

Sample Itinerary

Madrid, Toledo, the Galicia region in the city of Vigo - Spain

June 8 - 20, 2025
Typically occurs every other year in June. Students from Galicia visit Thayer for 4 weeks in the summer, from end of June to end of July.
Open to all Upper School students who have completed 2 years of a language.
Faculty Contact: Marc Rando, Spanish Teacher (mrando@thayer.org / 781.664.2283)

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This 12-day trip includes tours of Madrid, Toledo, and Salamanca. Students have a homestay for 5-6 days in Galicia. In Madrid, students see the great Spanish masterpieces in the Museo del Prado, visit the most important bullfighting venue, and see the home of soccer giant Real Madrid. In Toledo, we take a trip back in time as we visit a city begun by the Romans and influenced by Christian, Jewish and Muslim presence since the Middle Ages. Salamanca, home to one of Europe's oldest and most prestigious universities, serves as our midway point in the trip to Vigo, where students will spend time with families in a homestay.

CHIREC School - Hyderabad, India

Not offered for the 2024-25 academic year.
Typically occurs in December/January. Students from India usually visit Thayer in the fall.
Open to all Upper School students.
Faculty Contact: Jed Wartman, Assistant Head of School for Student Engagement and Well-being (j wartman@thayer.org / 781.664.2347)

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This sister-school program has been in existence for over seven years and provides students an experience with the world’s second most populous nation and tenth-largest economy. The CHIREC School is located in Hyderabad, India, the country’s second-leading technology center. The trip includes a homestay with Indian families and excursions to Agra, to view the Taj Mahal, and Delhi, one of the world’s great capitals.

Sample Itinerary

Wei Yu High School - Shanghai, China

Not offered for the 2024-25 academic year.
Typically occurs in May as a Senior Project opportunity. Students from China visit Thayer in the fall.
Faculty Contact: Jed Wartman, Assistant Head of School for Student Engagement and Well-being (j wartman@thayer.org / 781.664.2347)

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Students in Shanghai, China

The China Senior project consists of two parts: research/ preparation, and travel throughout China. The first 2.5 weeks of the Senior project will be conducted at Thayer Academy. The group will be learning about culture, customs, food, political climate, economy, and the three cities the group will be traveling to. The students will also be working in pairs on a research project that will be presented to the rest of the group.

The second half of the Senior project will be traveling to three different cities in China: Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. In China, the group will visit a number of important and historical landmarks such as Tian ‘an Men Square, The Forbidden City, The Great Wall, and The West Lake. Upon arrival in Shanghai, the group will meet their student hosts at The Wei Yu School, Thayer Academy’s sister school. Thayer students will spend the weekend with their host families and explore the dynamic city of Shanghai.

Sample Itinerary

Travel Programs with a Service Component

Peru - Cusco & Ollantaytambo

May 21 - June 1, 2025
Open to all seniors.
Faculty Contact: Terri Lukens, Upper School Spanish Teacher (tlukens@thayer.org / 781.664.22 69)

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We spend the first part of the trip in Cusco, Peru, working in an orphanage, touring ancient Incan sites and exploring this beautiful colonial city in the Andes. We live in a large guest house with our host family near the center. After five days we go to the small town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, live with local families and do agricultural service. We experience traditional life in rural Peru. We then hike the Inca Trail and visit Machu Picchu. This trip offers an authentic cultural experience.

The couple that directs the program in Peru is the key to this wonderful experience. Chivi Uscamayta recently finished a term as the Assistant Mayor of Cusco and has dedicated her life to helping those in need. Julio Lopez is one of the foremost travel agents in Peru and an expert on Peruvian history and culture.

This is a challenging trip in many ways. We live and eat simply. We are very physically active and have one 6-7 hour hike. Our two days of farm work are strenuous.

We see a lot of poverty and coming face to face with the reality of orphanage life is not easy. We are constantly in situations in which students are expected to reach across language and cultural barriers.

Sample Itinerary

Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder - Puerto Rico

June 12 - 17, 2025
Open to students in grades 9 through 11.
Faculty Contact: Erica Dunne, Upper School Hale Learning Center Director (edunne@thayer.org / 781.664.2202)

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Dominican Republic

Not offered for the 2024-25 academic year.
Open to Upper School students 10th grade and higher studying Spanish II or above.
Faculty Contact: Gloria Maria Blanco, Upper School Spanish Teacher (gblanco@thayer.org / 781.664.2321)

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This service and learning trip to the Dominican Republic includes service work, a Spanish language course and exploring the beauty of the island. Thayer currently partners with IIC (Institute Intercultural del Caribe) and Project Esperanza to achieve our goals of having a meaningful week in a Caribbean Spanish-speaking country. Students perfect their Spanish in interactions with the children and through the experience of daily living with Dominican families.

Sample Itinerary

Study Abroad Programs

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Taiwan

March 8 - 19, 2025
Open to all students in grades 9-12, no language study required
Faculty Contact: Nai-I Finney, Upper School World Languages Faculty (nfinney@thayer.org / 781.664.2249)

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United Kingdom: Edinburgh to London

June 10 - 15, 2025
Open to students in grades 9 through 11
Faculty Contact: Bobbi Moran, Director of Athletics (bmoran@thayer.org / 781.664.22 47)

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Italy: Florence and Rome

June 9 - 17, 2025
Open to students in grades 9 through 11.
Faculty Contact: Brynn Wartman, Artist-in-Residence Program Director | Karen & Ted Koskores Gallery Director (b wartman@thayer.org / 781.664.2315)

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Marine Science Research in the Caribbean

May 2025
Typically occurs in May as a Senior Project opportunity.
Open to all seniors.
Faculty Contact: Kiley Lilly, Upper School Science Department Head (klilly@thayer.org / 781.664.1616)

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This Senior Project spends the first few weeks learning about marine research. We will do various small projects learning about local marine species and conservation efforts in New England.

The final week of the Senior Project is spent in a field course in the Caribbean with our partner research group, Beneath the Waves. The students will tag various species of sharks, catalog their measurements, and take DNA, muscle, and blood samples. In this way, students learn more about sharks' health and the quality of the ocean.

Experience the World with the Head of School - Italy

Not offered for the 2024-25 academic year.
Open to students in grades 9-11.
Faculty Contact: Chris Fortunato, Head of School (cfortunato@thayer.org / 781.664.2215)

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Costa Rica

March 8 - 15, 2025
Open to students in grades 7 and 8
Faculty Contact: Jed Wartman, Assistant Head of School for Student Engagement and Well-being (j wartman@thayer.org / 781.664.2347)

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Marine Science - Eleuthera, The Bahamas

Not offered for the 2024-25 academic year.
Typically occurs every other year as a student exchange with Deep Creek Middle School.
Open to students in grades 7 and 8.
Faculty Contact: Jed Wartman, Assistant Head of School for Student Engagement and Well-being (j wartman@thayer.org / 781.664.2347)

La Culture Québécoise

Not offered for the 2024-25 academic year.
Typically occurs every other year in June.
Open to rising 8th and 9th grade students of French.
Faculty Contact: Angela Toussaint, Middle School Foreign Language Department Head (atoussaint@thayer.org / 781.664.2320)

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Mme Toussaint invites you to explore the fascinating history and culture of Québec, one of the most “European” cities in North America.

This linguistic and cultural excursion will be chaperoned by Mme Toussaint, and her husband, Thayer sixth grade teacher Jeff Toussaint. The city of Québec is the center of French culture in Canada, and the Old City, inside the walls pictured above, is reminiscent of villages all over France. Although there is no homestay element to this program, business and everyday conversation are conducted almost exclusively in French, which gives our students a chance to hear French spoken in the daily lives of everyday Canadian citizens. This trip will provide an authentic language experience for our middle school French students.

Sample Itinerary