The Acropolis, the Aeneid, the Amazon, and the Antilles
How travel and service learning meets the moment with George School’s unique Academic Program.
The innovative Academic Program at GS brings the 75-year-old academic and service learning experience into the modern era. The 5-week, 7-term schedule allows for an intensive, seamless and interdisciplinary immersion experience within the academic year. Two weeks of intensive study about the culture, geography, and current events of the region they’ll be visiting prepares students to fully engage in their travel experience. Once they return, class time to reflect and discuss their trip allows the group time to absorb the long-term personal impact of their experience.
Each Engaged Citizenship course has three components: First, students spend two weeks on intensive learning about the history, culture, and current events relevant to the course and in preparation for travel. Then, students spend roughly 10-14 days immersed in the places they’ve studied. Finally, students and faculty plan and execute a presentation or event to share with the larger community what they studied, the ways they interacted with the people and places they visited, and how the experience altered their perspectives.
Fall 2024 Engaged Citizenship Courses
Click the links below to learn about each course
Storytelling for Social JusticE in Greece
In the Classroom: In preparation for their travels, students studied (1) the history of storytelling (myth, oration, theater, etc.) in Ancient Greece and its impact on human belief and relationships, with an exploration of how storytelling can forge relationships and reinforce ethical behaviors, (2) the current refugee crisis and its human impact, (3) media-making and journalism, equipping students with the tools they need to tell their own stories for social change. Skills in photography, graphic design, podcasting, and filmmaking were honed to be used as powerful media for sharing the stories.
“Much of our work focused on the refugee crisis, but our class also focused on the importance of stories in shaping human belief and relationships. Students learned some key Greek myths and made a narrative film about them. An extraordinarily special experience was the opportunity to shoot a few scenes at the Acropolis in the early morning before it opened.”
In the world: Working with Love Without Borders for Refugees, students ran an art workshop for children, hosted an art show that brought the refugee and Greek community together, created a podcast interviewing Greek artists, and helped organize and decorate the community center spaces. Separately, they wrote, directed, acted, and shot a film rooted in Greek mythology.
“I saw a family packing; it was a tangible moment. For many of us, packing is something we do if we’re going on a fun adventure, but for this family packing was the next step toward this promise of hope.”
In the community: Shortly after they returned to campus, students held an art show and reception, displaying and selling art produced by Greek and refugee artists; they also displayed paintings created by the children they worked with. Proceeds from sales of the artwork went to Love Without Borders; students also presented at the reception, sharing their work and reflections on the experience.
“Hearing this artist’s story led me to thinking about my own art. I love art; but my relationship with art is so different than this refugee’s relationship with art. It speaks to perspective; I have the opportunity to really enjoy art and not see it as a necessity to support my family.”
“Inspired by my time at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, I wanted to offer my students the transformative experience of engaging with history, literature, and culture of their chosen language beyond the classroom, something rarely available to Latin students. Watching them impress site guides with their knowledge and reflect on the enduring impact of Roman culture underscored the profound value of travel in fostering lifelong learners who connect deeply with their studies.”
In the classroom: Students in this course read and analyzed Vergil’s Aeneid in English and used it to develop the skills of discussion, close reading, literary analysis, and writing for a credit in English. For a Latin credit, students established an understanding of the craft of translation, comparing published English translations of excerpts of the text and composing their own. They also enhanced their translating skills while learning about the legends and history of Rome’s founding, the historical events surrounding the Aeneid’s composition, and other historical episodes relevant to the Aeneid by reading excerpts of other texts in Latin.
In the world: During the travel segment of the course, students traced a portion of Aeneas’ journey from the ancient city of Troy in modern-day Turkey, to Mt. Etna (the home of the Cyclops) in Sicily, to Rome itself, stopping to explore Pompeii along the way. Visiting relevant archeological sites, they explored art and history and read Latin inscriptions in situ. While in Naples and Rome, students joined a local group dedicated to the improvement and beautification of public spaces for a history walk and clean-up of areas of historical significance.
“Engaging in the ancient culture we studied at George School has enhanced my understanding and appreciation of the content we learn! Given Latin is a dead language, it had been difficult for me to appreciate the impact Latin and Ancient Rome as a whole have had on the world. Learning about the ancient civilization first-hand and interacting with the legacy ancient Rome has left behind, I’ve deepened my knowledge while also becoming a global citizen.”
In the community: During the on-campus portions of the course, the students put their Latin knowledge to work by helping local middle school Latin students. The class presented reflections of their experiences to the George School Board of Trustees upon their return and later presented to the full community during assembly. Finally, they visited Newtown Friends School.
The Amazon: Stories and Ecology of the Rainforest
In the classroom: Exploring the diversity of life in the rainforest and gaining understanding of the knowledge and worldview of indigenous peoples, students explore the relationship between humans and nature through writings and oral storytelling of indigenous peoples. Studies of tropical forest ecology and conservation, ecology of the Amazon Rainforest and River, and interactions between species prepare students to examine the challenges facing the rainforest today.
“By studying animals in their natural environments, students gain valuable knowledge that can inform conservation efforts and help protect these species for future generations.”
In the world: Traveling along the Rio Negro and being hosted by the Sao Joao and the Baré communities, assisting the local Caiman researchers on their Black Caiman surveys and helping with nest counts, learned about canoe building, rubber harvesting, pottery making.
In the community: Each student shared a description of and reflection on one portion of the trip, followed by a student-produced video. Despite the stunning beauty of the region, the class expressed resoundingly that the relationships formed with their host communities and with one another were the long-lasting highlights of the experience.
“Swimming, exploring and tasting all of the food was something else, but the relationships made, and the conversations had were what made it truly magical.”
Reef Ecology and Sustainability in bonaire
A Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles off the coast of Venezuela, Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands.
“For some students, this course may spark an awareness of environmental impacts, contributing to more sustainable living practices; for others, it may inspire a shift in career aspirations towards fields that contribute to environmental conservation, or one simply involved with nature.”
In the classroom: Blending the disciplines of English and science, this course explored reef ecology and the human relationship to the sea. Students studied Derek Walcott’s poetry alongside a dynamic mixture of marine studies, physics, biology, chemistry, ocean science, ecology and technology. All students were trained on campus by a PADI-certified scuba instructor. With the goal of achieving an 100% carbon-neutral immersive experience, students committed to environmental stewardship by examining and altering some of their personal habits and behaviors to completely offset the negative environmental impact of traveling to Bonaire.
In the world: Students engaged in coral restoration projects in the laboratory and underwater; completed in-water sea turtle surveys, collected data on invasive species, coral health, and marine life; and participated in beach, mangrove, and underwater cleanups. By the end of the course, all students received their PADI Open Water Diver (OWD) certification.
In the community: In an all-school assembly, a class-produced video was shared along with individual reflections from each student.
“Bonaire’s resilience hinges on both local efforts and global climate actions to preserve its rich marine ecosystems for future generations. This raises the question, ‘What can you do to help?’ Well to start, start now.”
The group encouraged the George School community to look at their own habits through a lens of sustainability. “Whether you commit to eating beef just once a week, reduce each shower by three minutes, or stop using disposable silverware, cups and brown boxes in the dining hall, you will make a huge difference the sooner you begin.”