As the first semester comes to a close, six juniors at the School will skip its infamous second semester of junior year to study elsewhere, both across the country and internationally. From The Mountain School in Vermont to School Year Abroad in Italy, countless adventures await this group.
Each year, the School sends numerous students to various study abroad programs, whether those be for the summer, a semester, or even for the full year. Although some programs, such as SYA, are a common option, this semester two students will jet off to new programs for the first time.
Haven Kline will be the first student at the Maine Coast Semester at Chiwonkee. Different from the other five juniors, Kline was specifically searching for a program dedicated to learning about the environment. In Maine, she will be without her phone or most technology for the next few months, while participating in experiential learning, studying ecology, and contributing to the community. She hopes to come back with “a couple of experiences that help me want to study ecology more.”
Noah Auffhammer will be living in Washington D.C as a part of The School for Ethics and Global Leadership. This program specifically focuses on cultivating students for leadership through developing ethical thinking skills.
Claire Van Riper and Valentina Heredia are off to Vermont together for a semester at The Mountain School, where they will get the chance to participate in hands-on learning outside, understand environmental practices, and live in a low-tech environment. Van Riper described her excitement for a new style of learning, but also to meet so many new people. “I’m really excited for the classes, the food, and just living on the farm,” she said. “I hope I find what really matters to me more.”
Heredia agreed, saying, “I’m looking forward to experiencing a long stretch of time that’s not school-related. I’m just looking forward to other ways of life.”
Fendi DeAmicis is off to the SYA campus in Italy. She hopes to gain independence and thinks this experience is useful practice for college. “I’m going to be excited to meet different people with different world views,” she said. She hopes to come back with “fun life experiences and fun lessons.”
Similarly, Julian Deutsch Stella will be headed to SYA France. “I want to be able to speak foreign languages when I grow up,” he said. “So I think this will be a big step in completing that.”
Of course, these programs come with their own unique challenges. For example, all six of these students must find a way to make up the required Biology semester on their own, and are already thinking in advance about important college requirements such as letters of recommendation. However, as Heredia put it, “You would be a fool not to at least consider one of these opportunities.”