February 14-19, 2018

Eligibility: Current Forms II-VI

Ms. Sullivan, Mr. Touhey, Mr. Horesta, & Mr. Jewett

Priority application deadline: December 15, 2017

Program fee: $975

Join an experiential, interdisciplinary mini-course focusing on ecology, history, art, farming, sustainability, and wilderness skills set in the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Snowshoe across a frozen lake and climb a nearby summit. Warm up with hot cocoa and settle in for an environmental art lesson in a historic country home. Learn about sustainable energy and food systems, and help with a maple syrup harvest. Learn what it means to have a farm at your school and mountains in your backyard. Students will be excused from 2 days of school prior to the Presidents' Day Long Weekend, and will be given study hall time to make up missed work.

Faculty: Mr. Jewett & Ms. Hartz

Student Teaching Assistants: Ketaki Tavan, Ethan Malzberg, Miroslav Bergam

June 16-28, 2018

Eligibility: Current Forms II-VI.

All inclusive tuition & travel fees: $4,425

Priority application deadline: December 15, 2017

Students will compare how different community groups work to improve lives and preserve culture in Peru, while also learning how to leverage their own personal leadership styles to effect societal change. The Denan Project, Awamaki, and Sacred Valley Health will serve as case studies for our exploration of successes and challenges in how charitable organizations work to foster sustainable development that builds capacity not dependency through programs in public health, sustainable tourism, education, and microfinance. Homestays with local families will allow students to better appreciate Peruvian culture, and of course we will visit the incomparable Machu Picchu, voted one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World.”

Spanish language skills are not required, but Spanish-speaking students will have ample opportunity to practice.

Faculty: Ms. Dunbar & Dr. Jones

Travel dates: June 17-29, 2018

On-campus dates: June 14-15, July 2, 2018

Eligibility: Current Forms II-VI

All inclusive tuition & travel fees: $4,500

Priority application deadline: December 15, 2017

Over the past two millennia, the Balkan region has been part of the Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Austrian Hapsburg empires. World War I began here in the city of Sarajevo, and after WWII, the region was unified into socialist Yugoslavia. Its people are a mix of Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Catholic. For much of its history, these diverse people have lived in relative harmony, but Yugoslavia splintered into horrific civil war a quarter century ago, creating the newest collection of independent European nations.

This region of Europe has fascinating history, gorgeous coastlines, narrow mountainous valleys with crystal-clear green rivers, and beautiful, stark karst outcroppings - and yet few American tourists.

Students will visit Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, two of the former members of Yugoslavia, to unpack the significant role the Balkans have played in recent history. From the mountains of Sarajevo to the incredible stone fortifications of seaside Dubrovnik, we will hear from different people about their opinions on the region’s struggles and what national identities mean in today’s world. Starting in Zagreb, we will explore the Croatian capital to get one side of the story, while multi-ethnic and multi-religious Sarajevo will complicate the picture. In Mostar we will learn about the divided city that represents some of the worst realities of the Yugoslav wars, before we head to the Croatian coast, visiting islands, seaside villages and ending in Dubrovnik. On this course, students will work to describe the role of nationalism and the nation-state today as we plot our own vision of the future of Europe and beyond.Join this trek of a lifetime in one of the least explored and most dramatic desert landscapes in the United States. Led by three experienced Pingry outdoor educators, your trip through the Dark Canyon Wilderness in southern Utah will be one of adventure and discovery. By exploring the depths of the canyon on foot, you will come to understand the power, beauty, and fragility of the desert. Back country classes on landscape photography and environmental history will further expose the “piercing strangeness” of this corner of the American West that has gripped poets, artists, and wanderers since prehistory.

Faculty: Ms. O’Mara, Mr. Vehslage, Mr. Touhey

June 14-26, 2018 (June 14, 15, and 26 on campus, in Belize June 16-24)

Eligibility: Current Forms II-VI.

All inclusive tuition & travel fees: $3,325

Priority application deadline: December 15, 2017

Snorkel the largest coral reef in the western hemisphere while engaging in authentic ecological research to aid conservation efforts. See sharks, octopi, sting rays, sea turtles, and so, so many fish.

Students will design and implement surveys of coral reef species diversity and abundance using underwater video capture and the course will culminate with a research poster presentation at Pingry. This course will introduce students to the endangered and dynamic living system of a coral reef, as students learn to identify reef species and understand the intricate ecological interactions of this complex ecosystem. Join this unique opportunity to learn organismal biology and ecology in an experiential and research-focused way.

Faculty: Mr. Niehues & Ms. Decatur

June 12-23, 2018

Eligibility: Current Forms II-VI

All inclusive tuition & travel fees: $2,900

Priority application deadline: December 15, 2017

In April of 2018, students from the “Karl-Rehbein-Schule” in Hanau, Germany, will visit Pingry and the northeast United States. In June, right after final exams, it will be our turn to visit Germany. We will experience school and family life in Hanau: How do our partners live? How does German school compare to our own experiences at Pingry? Along with our German partners, we will work on a collaborative project on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. How does the refugee experience vary country-to-country? We will go on several field trips with our German partners and as a Pingry group. In Frankfurt, we will explore the medieval heritage and the cradle of German democracy. We will also continue work on our theme: How have borders and immigration shaped the country? After a week in Hanau, we will take a high speed train to Berlin and explore some of the multicultural facets of the German capital. Some of the highlights include: dining in a rotating restaurant overlooking the city, viewing graffiti art on the remnants of the Berlin Wall, taking a cooking class taught by Syrian refugees, and a walking tour of the city.

Faculty: Ms. Lear, Ms. Del Pozo

June 17-26, 2018

Eligibility: Current Grades 6-Form II.

Priority application deadline: December 15, 2017

All inclusive tuition & travel fees: $3,975

Work hard and play hard in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world! On this course, we will continue building a partnership established in 2014 with a school in rural Costa Rica. You will get to know local students and parents as we share daily meals and English classes. You will also work alongside community members on a service project to improve the San Rafael School in the town of Santa Maria de Dota. You will plant trees in the rainforest, tour one of the most sustainable coffee cooperatives in the world, and build leadership skills. You will zipline through a cloud forest, spot sloths hanging from the trees, stand inside a giant ficus tree, and--with luck--catch a glimpse of a quetzal. If that is not enough, you will also increase your Spanish language skills, learn to cook a typical Tico meal, learn to surf, and tube lazily down the Barú River. The cherry on top? Participating in this trip is worth academic credit! As a class, the Pura Vida curriculum will require you to participate in team-building activities, readings, and assignments to bolster your understanding of sustainable systems and Costa Rica’s culture and geography before departure, and you will deliver a presentation to parents and community members after the course.

City of Rock: A Backpacking Adventure in Utah’s Dark Canyon Wilderness

March 11-20, 2017

Join this trek of a lifetime in one of the least explored and most dramatic desert landscapes in the United States. Led by three experienced Pingry outdoor educators, your trip through the Dark Canyon Wilderness in southern Utah will be one of adventure and discovery. By exploring the depths of the canyon on foot, you will come to understand the power, beauty, and fragility of the desert. Backcountry classes on landscape photography and environmental history will further expose the “piercing strangeness” of this corner of the American West that has gripped poets, artists, and wanderers since prehistory.

• View the informational presentation

Vivid Faces: Exploring Modern Ireland

March 10-19, 2017

“Vivid faces” of modern Ireland by experiencing the Emerald Isle’s literary, historic, and natural treasures. This program will trace the emergence of the modern Irish identity through the lens of the 1916 Easter Rising and the Irish independence movement. Our journey through Ireland and the United Kingdom will allow you to explore the Bronze Age sites of the Aran Islands, walk in the footsteps of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, view the murals of Belfast and Derry, roam Fionn mac Cumhaill’s home at the gorgeous Giant’s Causeway (one of the natural wonders of the world!), serve as a groundling in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and even play in Henry VIII’s gardens at Hampton Court Palace.

• View the informational presentation

Pingry and Centre Daniélou: A Global Partnership

March 11-21, 2017

This reciprocal school exchange joins Pingry with Centre Madeleine Daniélou, a fantastic independent girls school just a short commuter train ride from the center of Paris. Pingry will head to Daniélou during our spring break, staying with families from the school. During the school day, Pingry teachers and students will tour Paris, and in the evenings and on weekends be immersed in their French host families. Students will also take a two night trip to explore the beautiful chateaux of the Loire Valley. Your family will have an opportunity to host your new Parisian friend when they visit Pingry from March 30-April 8.

• View the informational presentation

Head faculty: John Crowley-Delman

Join an experiential, interdisciplinary mini-course focusing on ecology, history, art, farming, sustainability, and wilderness skills set in the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Cross-country ski across a frozen lake and snowshoe up to a wintry summit. Warm up with some hot cocoa and settle in for an environmental art lesson. Experience sustainable energy and food systems, helping with a delicious maple syrup harvest. Learn what it means to have a farm at your school and mountains in your backyard. Students will be excused from 1-2 days of school prior to the Presidents' Day Long Weekend.

More information can be found here.

Beyond the Wall: How does europe remember and commemorate life under communism?

Summer 2016

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• Check out the trip blog

Pura Vida: Leadership and Community Development in Costa Rica

Summer 2016

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• Check out the trip blog

Exploring Spanish through Basque Culture

Spring Break 2016

• Check out the trip blog

Mountains, Mills and Mohawks: the story of the Berkshires

Spring Break 2016

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• Check out the travel blog

Germany Exchange: Pingry & Weidigschule Butzbach

Summer 2015

• Check out the trip blog

tropical Marine Ecology in Belize

Summer 2015

• Check out the trip blog

Panama: Modern and Indigenous Culture

Spring Break 2015

• Check out the trip blog