Pingry Travel Courses

French Exchange (Lyon, France)

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Travel dates: March 6-15, 2020

Hosting dates: April 3-13, 2020

Price: $3000

Application deadline: November 4, 2019

Open to students currently enrolled in French 2 and above.  

*This is a Global Field Studies course.  They will earn one trimester of elective credit and the course will appear on their transcript.  Students will be required to participate in a pre-travel workshop and complete graded assignments as part of this program.  

Lyon’s history and cultural identity run deep.  Founded in 43 BC as Lugdunum by the Romans, and serving as the capital of Gaul before Paris, we can still see traces of the Roman Empire, including the amphitheater which even today is used for concerts and shows.  Wandering through the streets of Lyon, one can stumble upon other vestiges of the Romans, still being discovered two thousand years later. Generations after the fall of the Roman Empire, Lyon became an important cultural center (for literature, cuisine, and textiles) in the Renaissance under Catherine de Medici.  It has remained an important cultural hub, often referred to as the culinary capital of the world. Centuries later, during World War II in Nazi-occupied France, Klaus Barbie (aka the Butcher of Lyon) used Lyon as his administrative center, at the same time as a vast underground network of resistance was hard at work gathering intelligence and coordinating with other arms of the resistance. 

As a Pingry group, we will explore each of these three prongs of history and culture.  We will visit sites from the Roman empire. We will visit the Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation, a very hard-hitting museum located in Klaus Barbie’s administrative building during the war.  We intend to explore another hub of the resistance movement in and outside the city of Annecy and at the Plateau des Glières, to get a fuller picture of how the movement functioned and how it is memorialized.  We will look closely at the lives of Jean Moulin, Lucie Aubrac, and Tom Morel. In addition to these historical pieces, we will explore the cuisine and arts of Lyon, as a group and within our host families. Lyon is the capital of French gastronomy, and food is an enormous aspect of the Lyonnais identity.

This program is an exchange with Institution Les Chartreux, a private high school in Lyon, the second largest city in France (https://www.leschartreux.com/).  The exchange aims to build language skills and cultural understanding for all participants. You do not need to travel to France to host a student from Institution Les Chartreux, but hosting students will have priority to take part in the outgoing program. 

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German Exchange (Hanau and Berlin, Germany)

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Hosting dates: April 13-21, 2020

Travel dates: June 9-19, 2020

Price: $3300

Priority application deadline: November 18, 2019

Open to current Form II-VI students.

*This is a Global Field Studies course.  They will earn one trimester of elective credit and the course will appear on their transcript.  Students will be required to participate in a pre-travel workshop and complete graded assignments as part of this program.  

Stay with a host family and experience day-to-day German life. Practice German language skills. Explore Hanau (birthplace of the Brothers Grimm) and the banking capital of Frankfurt. Compare how Americans and Germans handle the challenges and opportunities of immigration, particularly from Syria. Collaborate with students from KRS to explore this timely topic. Visit Berlin! Consider historical borders with the remnants of the Berlin Wall and the stunning Reichstag. German language skills welcome but not required.

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Pura Vida (Costa Rica Service Program)

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Dates: June 15-24, 2020

Price: $3600

Priority application deadline, November 18, 2019

Open to current Middle School students.

*This is a Global Field Studies course.  They will earn one trimester of elective credit and the course will appear on their transcript.  Students will be required to participate in a pre-travel workshop and complete graded assignments as part of this program.  

Work hard and play hard in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world! On this course, we will continue to build a partnership established in 2014 with a school in rural Costa Rica. We will get to know local students and parents as we share daily meals and English classes. We will work alongside community members on a service project to improve the San Rafael School in the town of Santa Maria de Dota. We will plant trees in the rainforest, tour one of the most sustainable coffee cooperatives in the world, and build leadership skills. 

Participating in this trip is worth academic credit! As a class, the Pura Vida curriculum will require students to participate in team-building activities, readings, and assignments to bolster their understanding of sustainable systems and Costa Rica’s culture and geography before departure, and students will complete a final project as a deliverable for the course.  

Traveler or Tourist? (Bergen, Norway)

Dates: June 17-27, 2020

Application deadline: October 25, 2019

Open to Form VI 

*This is a Global Field Studies course.  They will earn one trimester of elective credit and the course will appear on their transcript.  Students will be required to participate in a pre-travel workshop and complete graded assignments as part of this program.  

To be designed and experienced by members of the Class of 2020. Reach out to program leaders Graham Touhey and Ananya Chatterji for additional information! Learn more.

Unfinished Nature: Art, Mystery, and Mountains in Wild Utah

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Dates: July 26-August 7, 2020

Price: $2980

Priority application deadline: November 18, 2019

Open to current Form III-Form V students.  

*This is a Global Field Studies course.  They will earn one trimester of elective credit and the course will appear on their transcript.  Students will be required to participate in a pre-travel workshop and complete graded assignments as part of this program.  

The spiral. Symbol of the sun, human migration, time, and a ubiquitous rock art image of the American Southwest. In this interdisciplinary backpacking course, the spiral will serve as a thematic path to exploring the significance of the cultural landscape of northern Utah. We’ll visit Fremont archeological sites where artists carved depictions of warrior-shamans into cliffs nearly a thousand years ago. We’ll backpack for a week in the Uinta Mountains, discuss works of literature and history on the banks of alpine lakes, and attempt to summit the highest peak in the state at over 13,000 feet. Finally, we’ll explore two of the most famous contemporary land art sculptures in the world: Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty and Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels, both of which celebrate and confront one of the strangest landscapes on the continent. 

Art and Power: Williams College, the Berkshire Mountains, and the Future of Art (Williamstown, Massachusetts)

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Dates: February 12-18, 2020

Price: $1000

Application deadline: November 18, 2019

Open to current Upper School students.  

*This is a Global Field Studies course.  They will earn one trimester of elective credit and the course will appear on their transcript.  Students will be required to participate in a pre-travel workshop and complete graded assignments as part of this program. 

The small college town of Williamstown, Massachusetts boasts more art historians per capita than any city in the world. Three major art museums, the Clark Art Institute, the Williams College Museum of Art, and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art call this rural landscape home. Alumni of Williams College are so powerful in the art world that they are collectively called the “Williams Art Mafia.” Why is this small, out-of-the-way mountain community such a draw for artists and scholars of art? Who holds power in the art world and why? What can this special place and its people teach us? 

Guided by Pingry teachers Rebecca Sullivan, Julia Dunbar, and John Crowley-Delman, and in partnership with Pingry alumnus and Williams Art History grad student Emily Kamen ‘13, students will investigate these questions. They’ll also get an inside track on what the next generation of artists, museum curators, and art historians are planning for the future of art.

Winter in the North Woods: Community in the Adirondacks (New York State)

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Dates: February 13-18, 2020

Price: $1200

Application deadline: November 18, 2019

Open to current Middle School students. 

Join an experiential, interdisciplinary mini-course set in the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. On this trip, you will examine, and experience firsthand, how a community sustains itself in the largest state park in the United States, meeting its individual members and reflecting on your roles in your own local, school, and family communities. You’ll get to snowshoe across a frozen lake, climb a snowy summit, warm up with hot cocoa in an historic country home, chop down trees, experience a working farm, and learn about sustainable energy and food systems. On top of it all, you’ll make connections with students your age who attend school in the North Woods. You will be excused from 1-2 days of school prior to the Presidents' Day long weekend, and will be given time to make up missed work. 

Activities will include:

• Snowshoeing in the High Peaks

• Caring for animals, including sheep, goats, and horses on a working farm

• Learning from experts in farming, forestry, and sustainability 

• Cooking with farm-to-table experts from North Country School, a leader in the Edible Schoolyard Project pioneered by famous American chef, Alice Waters

• Discussions about what makes up a community and how you see yourself in the communities of which you are a part.

CROSSING BORDERS: IMMIGRATION AND BORDER STUDIES IN MEXICO AND CALIFORNIA

June 13–17, 2019                  

How is it that commodities and revenue flow with relative ease between Mexico and the U.S. but the people are filtered through a militarized process? What are the differences between migrants: asylum-seekers, deportees, refugees, undocumented immigrants and Dreamers? Students gain critical understanding of economic and social issues shaping our attitudes towards migrants and immigration policy. Travelers learn the history of U.S.–Mexico foreign relations including the NAFTA treaty. Visit the prototypes of President Trump’s proposed new border wall. Learn how Homeland Security secures the border, and potentially take a tour of the border with DHS if allowed. Meet with deported US Veterans and pro-migrant advocacy groups. Participate in a bi-national church service across the border, and serve breakfast at an aid society for migrants. Ultimately, travelers are encouraged to understand the complex issue of hemispheric migration in terms of responsible global citizenship, and the individual role we play as consumers of multi-national products.

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BEYOND THE WALL: HOW DOES EUROPE REMEMBER ITS COMMUNIST PAST (GERMANY, HUNGARY, AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC)

Mandatory on-campus classroom days: July 30 and August 12, 2019

Travel dates: July 31 - August 11, 2019

How does a nation construct its identity and commemorate its history through public art, memorials, or monuments?
Students will explore the idea of cultural memory and the twentieth-century history of Central Europe in Berlin, Prague, and Budapest. We will explore the history of Soviet rule in these cities as we investigate key sites, meet local residents, sample regional cuisine, and explore European capital cities. From the remnants of the Berlin Wall to the eclectic evolution of the capital, we will get a taste for modern East and West Berlin. In Prague, we will explore the old city and visit Europe’s largest castle. In Budapest, we will pay a visit to some of the old and new Soviet monuments which capture the city’s changing view of its history. Along the way, students will think creatively
about how cultural memory is constructed and how it shapes Europe and the modern world.

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Pura Vida: Leadership & Community Development in Costa Rica (Middle School Only)

June 17-26, 2018

Work hard and play hard in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world! On this course, we continued building a partnership established in 2014 with a school in rural Costa Rica. We got to know local students and parents as we shared daily meals and English classes. We worked alongside community members on a service project to improve the San Rafael School in the town of Santa Maria de Dota. We planted trees in the rainforest, toured one of the most sustainable coffee cooperatives in the world, and built leadership skills. We ziplined through a cloud forest, spotted sloths hanging from the trees, stood inside a giant ficus tree, and—with luck—caught a glimpse of a quetzal. If that is not enough, we increased our Spanish language skills, learned to cook a typical Tico meal, learned to surf, and tubed lazily down the Barú River. The cherry on top? Participating in this trip was worth academic credit! As a class, the Pura Vida curriculum required students to participate in team-building activities, readings, and assignments to bolster their understanding of sustainable systems and Costa Rica’s culture and geography before departure, and students delivered a presentation to parents and community members after the course.

Borders of My Perception: Exploring Immigration in Germany & the USA (Exchange)

In April 2018, students from the “Karl-Rehbein-Schule” in Hanau, Germany visited Pingry and the northeast United States. In June 2018, right after final exams, Pingry visited Germany. We experienced school and family life in Hanau, answering the questions: How do our partners live? How does German school compare to our own experiences at Pingry? Along with our German partners, we worked on a collaborative project on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. How does the refugee experience vary country-to-country? We went on several field trips with our German partners and as a Pingry group. In Frankfurt, we explored the medieval heritage and the cradle of German democracy. We worked on our theme: How have borders and immigration shaped the country? After a week in Hanau, we took a high-speed train to Berlin and explored some of the multicultural facets of the German capital. Some of the highlights included: 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 enjoying a walking tour of the city.

Marine Ecology Research in Belize

June 14–26, 2018 (June 14, 15, and 26 at Pingry, June 16-24 in Belize)

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

Students designed and implemented surveys of coral reef species, diversity, and abundance using underwater video capture. The course culminated with a research poster presentation at Pingry. This course introduced students to the endangered and dynamic living system of a coral reef, as students learned to identify reef species and understood the intricate ecological interactions of this complex ecosystem. This trip offered a unique opportunity to learn organismal biology and ecology in an experiential and research-focused way.

Nations at a Crossroads: Nationalism and Religion in the Balkans (Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina)

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

Travel dates: June 17–29, 2018

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 visited 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 heard from different people about their opinions on the region’s struggles and what national identities mean in today’s world. Starting in Zagreb, we explored the Croatian capital to get one side of the story, while multi-ethnic and multi-religious Sarajevo complicated the picture. In Mostar we learned about the divided city that represents some of the worst realities of the Yugoslav wars, before headed to the Croatian coast, visiting islands, seaside villages and ending in Dubrovnik. On this course, students worked to describe the role of nationalism and the nation-state today as we plotted our own vision of the future of Europe and beyond.

Peru with Purpose: The Denan Project & Sustainable Development

June 16–28, 2018

Students compared 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 served 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 allowed students to better appreciate Peruvian culture, and of course we visited the incomparable Machu Picchu, voted one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World.”

Spanish language skills were not required, but Spanish-speaking students had ample opportunity to practice.

Winter in the North Woods: An Adirondacks Field Study

February 14–19, 2018

Students enjoyed an experiential, interdisciplinary mini-course focusing on ecology, history, art, farming, sustainability, and wilderness skills set in the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. We snowshoed across a frozen lake and climbed a nearby summit. We warmed up with hot cocoa and settled in for an environmental art lesson in a historic country home. Students learned about sustainable energy and food systems, and helped with a maple syrup harvest. We learned what it means to have a farm at your school and mountains in your backyard. Students were excused from 2 days of school prior to the Presidents' Day long weekend, and were provided study hall time to make up missed work.

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

March 11–20, 2017

This trek of a lifetime took students to one of the least explored and most dramatic desert landscapes in the United States. Led by three experienced Pingry outdoor educators, this trip through the Dark Canyon Wilderness in southern Utah was one of adventure and discovery. By exploring the depths of the canyon on foot, students came to understand the power, beauty, and fragility of the desert. Backcountry classes on landscape photography and environmental history further exposed 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

Students engaged with the “vivid faces” of modern Ireland by experiencing the Emerald Isle’s literary, historic, and natural treasures. This program traced the emergence of the modern Irish identity through the lens of the 1916 Easter Rising and the Irish independence movement. Our journey took us through Ireland and the United Kingdom, allowing us 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.

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Pingry and Centre Daniélou: A Global Partnership

March 11-21, 2017

This reciprocal school exchange joined Pingry with Centre Madeleine Daniélou, a fantastic independent girls school just a short commuter train ride from the center of Paris. Pingry headed to Daniélou during our Spring Break, staying with families from the school. During the school day, Pingry teachers and students toured Paris, and in the evenings and on weekends we were immersed through our French host families. Students also took a two-night trip to explore the beautiful chateaux of the Loire Valley. Students' families had the opportunity to host their new Parisian friends when they visited Pingry from March 30-April 8.

• View the informational presentation

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

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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