St. Mark's School

Summary

Each semester 45 motivated high school juniors from all over the country come together to live and work on the school’s farm in rural Vermont. Students and faculty build together a semester based on trust and an appreciation of difference, creating an academic and work-based community in which every voice matters. While living with teachers in small houses, students help to make important decisions concerning how we live together. Courses provide a demanding, integrated learning experience that takes advantage of the school's small size and mountain campus. Balancing intellectual inquiry and experiential learning, the curriculum challenges students to think flexibly, speak their minds, and return to their schools equipped for continued academic success. Engagement with the farm and forest sparks an appreciation for their food, their fuel and their labor. Admission is selective. The Mountain School of Milton Academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Tuition for the 2016-17 year is $27,700. Financial Aid is available.
 

Summary

The Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki provides a challenging academic program for a small number of highly motivated and academically capable students in their junior year. As a Chewonki student, you will live on a 400-acre peninsula, exploring rocky intertidal zones, sandy shores, and freshwater streams. You may snowshoe alongside moose tracks, kayak to Hungry Island, hike the Appalachian Trail, or scale Mt. Katahdin. Your eyes will be opened to the ecosystems around you, as you learn to look when you see a bird or flower, tree, or tide pool. You will discover, in the process, that everything is connected, that nothing should be taken for granted. You'll come to know the natural world while linking practical experiences to the intellectual work of your academic pursuits. In this way, Chewonki provides a unified education where ideas are understood in context, and ideas from different classes build on each other.

Summary

Since 1964, School Year Abroad has sent high school juniors and seniors to study abroad in distinctive cities and towns throughout Europe and Asia where their safety and security is a priority. Widely considered the 'gold standard' of high school study abroad programs, SYA's rigorous academic curriculum, paired with complementary educational travel and varied extracurricular activities, ensure students are in an optimal position to return to their home schools or proceed to college. At SYA, you have the advantage of earning high school credit for your year studying abroad while learning from exceptional U.S. independent school and locally-hired faculty. We offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses and standardized testing, college counseling and progress and end-of-year reports for parents and home schools to ensure that you are on track when you return home. Unlike other high school study abroad programs, School Year Abroad independently operates its own schools, so instead of enrolling in a local high school, you'll be learning from hand-selected local and U.S. faculty who serve as advisors to SYA students as they navigate their new environment. In SYA's unique intellectual environment, learning takes place in the classroom and in the larger global community. Each SYA school provides a unique educational environment that brings together the high educational standards of top U.S. prep schools with the excitement of experience-based learning.

Summary

Students who have an interest in Australia have the opportunity to travel to Southport, Queensland, Australia and live either in a dormitory or with a host family. Students who participate in this exchange are expected to ask as hosts at St. Mark's for their Australian counterparts. St. Hilda's School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for girls, located in Southport, a central suburb of the Gold Coast, Queensland. The school motto, Non Nobis Solum - Not For Ourselves Alone, is an important principle that guides St. Hilda's programs and expectations for the education of the students. St. Hilda's is a school that values character, leadership, and kindness and seeks to instill in the girls a love of learning. The Year 10 Exchange Program at St. Hilda's is seen as an important addition to the academic program. Participation in exchange broadens the horizons of students, helps the to grow as individuals, develop new global awareness and make new friends. Cost consists of airfare, excursion fees and incidental expenses.

Summary

Students who are taking German have the opportunity to travel to Munich, Germany, live with a host family and attend the Wittelsbacher-Gymnasium. Students who participate are expected to act as hosts at St. Mark's for their German counterparts. This program offers an excellent opportunity for students to solidify their German language learning, to live with a German family, to experience everyday life in Germany, and to visit some of the sites in Southern Germany.

About 600 students and 50 teachers make the Wittelsbacher-Gymnasium a manageable and almost family-like educational institution. The number of students of students in one classroom usually does not exceed 30. The school provides optimal learning conditions, which means that through the overall concept of the school and the commitment of the students and teachers, the school has always ranked in languages. Many of the students are involved in the arts sector and find opportunities for musical activities in choirs, orchestra or big band. Costs are airfare, excursion fees and incidental expenses.

Summary

Students have the opportunity to travel to Santiago, Chile, live with a host family and attend The Grange School. Students who participate are expected to act as hosts at St. Mark's for their Chilean counterparts. This program offers an excellent opportunity for students to solidify their Spanish language learning, to participate with a Chilean family to learn what life is like in Chile, and to visit some of the sites in and around Santiago. 

The Grange School is a co-ed, independent day school in Santiago with an enrollment of 1,700 students from Pre-K to 12th grade. The school offers a blend of British and other national and international programs with a focus on the Cambridge General Certificate of Secondary Education curriculum. The Grange School is known for its small classes and friendly atmosphere, with most of the students coming from an international background. Costs are airfare and incidental expenses.

Summary

Students interested in improving their Chinese language skills and learning more about Chinese culture have the opportunity to participate in this travel program. While in China students will have the opportunity to visit with local families and to see some of the major cultural sites in mainland China.  Students will also have the chance to visit the Dandelion School.  The Dandelion School is a middle school devoted to the better education of children from some of Beijing's migrant families.  Located in Beijing's southern suburbs, the school was established in 2005.  Its aim is to provide a healthy and happy environment for its students to live and grow.  At the Dandelion School, the children are provided with housing, food, and the attention and care that they deserve, allowing them to be free from their otherwise daily pressures of survival.  Cost is estimated at $3,500.

Summary

Students who have an interest in Australia have the opportunity to travel to Perth, Western Australia and live either in a dormitory or with a host family. Students who participate in this exchange are expected to act as hosts at St. mark's for their Australian counterparts.

Christ Church Grammar School is an independent Anglican day and boarding school for students in grades Pre-K to 12. At Christ Church, the focus is on motivating every boy to discover and realize the best in themselves and others. In this environment it is character that we see emerge - the heart well educated, the mond engaged and the body strengthened for life ahead. The Christ Church pedagogy - our motivational teaching methodology - is at the heart of our approach to deliver exciting, challenging and engaging academic and co-curricular programs (information taken from School website). Costs are airfare and incidental expenses.

Summary

The Scindia School is a boarding school for boys, established in 1897, and situated in the historic Gwalior Fort, in the city of Gwalior.  Our relationship with The School is due to the kindness of  a St. Mark’s family with deep ties to The Scindia School.  Although Scindia is a boys school they welcome girls to participate in an exchange program, and female students who are the children of faculty members do attend Scindia.

Our initial scouting trip to the Scindia School was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, we conducted a very successful virtual exchange with the school.  As a result of the virtual exchange, our ties to the school are already significant and we look forward to the time when we can send students to Gwalior India.

Summary

St. Mark's School and the Waterford Kamhlaba School have a rich history dating back to the 1960's when St. Mark's boys and faculty members regularly spent the summer months helping to build and support the Waterford School. The Waterford School was an Anglican school founded during Apartheid with the mission of creating equal opportunities for all students. In the 1980's the Waterford School became a member of the United World Colleges Network and became the Waterford Kamhlaba School. This year St. Mark's students raised money for the Waterford Kamhlaba School's community service program with a refugee camp.

Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa is a remarkable and pioneering secondary school based in Mbabne, Swaziland. For almost 50 years it has provided exceptional opportunities for academic achievement, personal growth and leadership development for students from across southern Africa and beyond. Founded in 1963 with 16 students, Southern Africa's first multiracial school has successfully demonstrated that students thrive and excel in a non-racial environment, educated side by side in equal terms. The school has since grown to over 600 students and its earliest ideals of courage, leadership, equality, personal responsibility and academic excellence remain at its core. Cost is airfare and incidental expenses.

Summary

The purpose of the tour is to help our students expand their literary study of the classical world by to include the material artifacts of classical culture provided by ancient sites and museums. On the trip students learn how to appreciate and analyze artifacts, architecture, city plans and monuments and in doing so deepen and enrich their understanding of Ancient Greek and Roman history and culture. Students at all levels, from Latin I - Advanced Topics, have a relevant literary background that would support the intended purpose of the trip. Although the study tour is intended for students pursuing the Classical Diploma program and priority will be given to those students in the program who apply for the trip, other students who are interested in Classics may also apply. Financial assistance may be available for students who qualify.
Cost TBD. 

Summary

This travel program to France will focus on language immersion and culture.  Students will begin the 8-day program in Paris where they will be able to appreciate some of what this great city has to offer and to practice their French in the real-life situations of cafes, restaurants, and museums.  The rest of the time will be spent in Brittany and Normandy.

While in Brittany and Normandy the goal will be to provide the students with a home or farm stay and possibly time at a French School.  Much of the details of this new program are being determined by Dr. Downing Kress and the Global Citizenship Office as we work to  create a rich experience for the St. Mark’s students traveling to France.

This travel program will start in Lima with the opportunity to become immersed in Peruvian life and culture.  Students will explore Lima's historical past by visiting sites such as the Catacumbas de Lima, the Pre Incan ruins of Huaca Pucllana, and the Museo Larco.  Students will also participate in a dinner and other social events hosted by Mr. Bauer's childhood friends and families.  A final possibility while in Lima would be attending a South American soccer match.  The group will then travel to Piura, the capital city of Peru's northwestern region. While known for its colonial buildings, such as the Piura cathedral with its ornate gilded altarpiece, the time in Piura will be spent at the Kindergarten School working on designing and rebuilding classrooms destroyed by the floods of March 2017.  Opportunities to teach English to the students may also present themselves.    

Summary

This travel program will explore the following question: How did British colonization and the later influence of the United States affect Jamaica? Students will explore Jamaica, and seek to understand how different food and music cultures were influenced by both Great Britain and the United States. In addition, the group will visit different schools, cultural sites, cities and towns and seek to understand the variety of ways in which Jamaican people live. Kareem Chambers, VI Form and Mr. Gayle will share their Jamaican knowledge with the group. Cost will be $2,500-3,000.

The program in Namibia will provide participants with the opportunity to work with world leaders in the conservation of wild cheetahs at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia.  Students will participate in ongoing wildlife and conservation studies including game circuit counts, field scat and sample analysis and livestock/predator conflict management.  The program will also provide students with the opportunity to observe the diversity of cultures found in Namibia and to work with a youth development program. Cost is $4,000.
 

Summary

St. Mark's has partnered with the grassroots NGO Educate Lanka. Educate Lanka provides scholarships to Sri Lankan students who would otherwise not be able to afford to go to school. For the past four years St. Mark's and Educate Lanka have been in partnership with students from Educate Lanka participating in the Global Citizenship Institute and with students from St. Mark's traveling to Sri Lanka. This opportunity is for a highly motivated individual who might want to volunteer at the Educate Lanka offices either in the US or Sri Lanka. Interested students should contact Dr. Appell-Warren to discuss this opportunity.

Summary

The St. Mark's Global Citizenship Program is dedicated to providing an immersive Spanish Experience for our students. This year St. Mark's will be partnering with Centro Mundo Lengua to provide an immersive language program in Cadiz Spain. Students will take classes, visit cultural sites, take a weekend excursion to Seville, and live with a host family. Please see Mr Cifuentes or Dr. Warren for details.

Summary

The Global Citizenship Institute is an innovative program between Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria and St. Mark's School in Southborough, MA to educate and support faculty and students from public, private and international secondary schools as they learn ways to become engaged global citizens actively working to solve problems of global and local significance.

Join St. Mark's Faculty for an intensive exploration of what it means to be a Global Citizen in a globalized, interconnected 21st century world. Participants will hear leaders in the field talk about the issues related to global citizenship and will participate in numerous small group discussions focusing on the themes of global citizenship. These themes include, among others: social justice and human rights; creating an engaged community; intercultural communications and perspective taking; climate change and sustainability. The hallmark of the program is that students and faculty will meet with the faculty and students from their home school to create a project to take home to their community.

Summary

Students interested in improving their Chinese language skills and interested in learning more about Chinese culture will have the opportunity to participate in this travel program operated in collaboration with Envoys.  While in China students will have the opportunity to visit with local families, the Dandelion School, and to see some of the major cultural sites in mainland China.  Students will travel with Franklin Chen and Envoys staff.

Summary

Click here to access the student run Haiti Partnership Committee blog

St. Mark’s School, Southborough and St. Mark’s School, Altadena, California have partnered, through the auspices of the School Partnership in Haiti Program, with St. Marguerite’s School in Latournelle, Haiti. The Haiti Partnership Committee at St. Mark’s School is an active and vibrant organization and is dedicated to maintaining a partnership between St. Mark's School and St. Marguerite's School in Latournelle, Haiti. Our goal is to foster communication, education and cultural exploration between the two schools. We, at St. Mark’s Southborough, are also committed to supporting capital projects at Ste. Marguerite’s through fundraising, in both the local and broader school communities.

A small group of students may travel to Haiti with Ms. Morgan and other chaperones to see the country and to visit the families of Latournelle and the students of St. Marguerite's School. Students will also have the opportunity to visit sites in and around Port au Prince to get an understanding of Haitian culture and arts. Students in the STEM Fellowship will be able to apply for a spot on the trip to engage in a limited field work experience and get a first hand sense of how their STEM research project might be beneficial for Haitian people. An alternative trip to domestic Haitian communities may be offered in 2022. 

Participants should note that there are vaccines and malarial medication required for this trip. The cost for the trip to the travel clinic may be as high as $400.00. While many health insurance companies cover the costs of these vaccines, not all do. Although St. Mark's does provide transportation to the travel clinic, all participants in the program, regardless of their financial aid status, are expected to cover the cost. If this required trip to the travel clinic presents a hardship to a family, please contact the Global Citizenship Office. Cost TBD and limited financial aid is available.

Summary

St. Mark’s will soon reach its 100th anniversary of sending students to volunteer as cabin counselors at this summer camp in New Hampshire. Brantwood is specifically designed to serve boys and girls who would not otherwise have the opportunity to afford a camping experience; most are from inner city areas in New England and New Jersey. For sixteen days in the summer (three sessions are available), St. Mark’s students volunteer to live with a small group of campers, helping them develop character, confidence and independence, both physically and emotionally. In this they are trained and supervised by a highly experienced camp staff. It is a challenging job, but it offers unparalleled leadership training and experience to St. Markers who are ready for a life-changing summer. There is no cost to the student, but an application and references are required. Students interested in this program should contact Rev. Talcott.