EDUCATION & EXPLORATION

DEVELOPING GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES THROUGH THE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP & PURPOSE

Last year, Calvert’s Institute for Leadership & Purpose successfully relaunched its leadership journeys travel program with two immersive trips to Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia and San Juan, Puerto Rico. This year, the program expanded even further, with students embarking on a third trip in late October. Now, as we look ahead to the 2023-2024 school year, the program continues to grow, with five journeys planned

In late October, groups of Seventh and Eighth Graders traveled to the mountains of West Virginia and the sandy beaches of the Bahamas, respectively, for several days of leadership programming.

In the Bahamas, Calvert’s Eighth Graders partnered with The Island School, a local nonprofit built on sustainability and green living, for seven days in Cape Eleuthera to learn about marine life and conservation. As part of this trip, the students participated in a beach cleanup before having the opportunity to snorkel through coral reefs and study the nearby conches and mangroves.

“The Island School’s goal of educating all of us about how to meet the needs of the world without compromising the future is obviously really cool because we all get to be here experiencing sustainability in action and meeting new people as we go,” Sloane Stevens ’23 wrote in the trip’s online blog.

Meanwhile in West Virginia, the Seventh Graders hiked Spruce Knob, the state’s highest peak, and partnered with Experience Learning for hands-on lessons on for- est ecology, climbing, and orienteering. This journey focused on wilderness skills and outdoor education.

During the second half of the school year, 15 adventurous Eighth Graders departed once again, this time traveling to Puerto Rico for a multi-day trip focused on cultural immersion, history, and community engagement. Guided by Calvert teachers, local artists, and nonprofit instructors, the students experienced Puerto Rican history and culture while helping to refurbish an ecotourism center on the island.

“It felt really good to see that the room we started with on day one, with so much stuff in it, looked very different just a day later,” Forrest Monaghan ’23 wrote. “All the work groups had finished their jobs.”

After their work at the center, the students met with local artisans and community members to learn more about Puerto Rico’s history and culture. They then headed to Old San Juan, the historical heart of Puerto Rico’s capital city, to explore significant local landmarks. Later, the students participated in a reflection exercise that encouraged everyone to think critically and speak honestly about their experience.

“Each of us shared something that ‘rocked’ us … something that will ‘stick with’ us … and something we want to ‘leaf’ behind,” Graham Gill ’23 explained in a blog post. “We passed the rock, stick, and leaf around and each of us got a chance to share our memories, lessons, and the fears we will leave behind.”