Greens Farms Academy World Perspective Program Past Trips
The Bahamas (2012)
Experience a journey that will immerse the traveler in the environment and culture of The Island School, the ocean, Bahamian lifestyle all while completing your SCUBA certification. This trip will make it possible for students to confront authentic challenges while exploring the island of Eleuthera. Crabbing, visiting colonial plantations, and spelunking complement daily exercise, research projects and campus work designed to encourage each student to develop their leadership and teamwork abilities. Students will also participate in a service learning project aimed at benefiting the community of Deep Creek. This trip is designed to allow first-hand engagement with the environment and people of The Bahamas and is a wonderful opportunity to discover The Island School. Students will return modeling a more responsible, sustainable lifestyle, recognizing that individuals can make a difference and effect positive change by the way they live. Prerequisites: The trip is open to all students currently in the 7th or 8th grades.
Canada, Quebec City (2011, 2012, 2013)
For three years, the middle school has offered a trip to Quebec City. Quebec City is the capital of the only truly French province in Canada. It is the cradle of French civilization in North America, the only walled city north of Mexico, and classified as a 'World Heritage Site' by UNESCO. During our stay we enjoyed many interesting activities, including a walking tour of the fortified city, including the Place Royale, Canada's oldest neighbourhood. We visited a Traditional Huron-Wendat Indian Village, where we enjoyed a traditional breakfast and partook in some typical games and legends. During our first evening in the city, we tried our hand at one favourite Canadian winter pastime: curling! We also visited the Ice Hotel which is built each December and has a lifespan of 4 months. Other fun outdoor activities we explored were dogsledding, snowshoeing, and tubing at the Winter Sports Village and tobogganing. Our last evening we dined and danced at an authentic Sugar Shack. This trip presents a chance to experience a vibrant, French-speaking city and to make use of the French language that has been learned in class. Prerequisites: MS French student in good standing.
Costa Rica (Grades 8-12) (2011, 2012, 2013)
Spanish students traveled to the Sarapiquí Valley in Costa Rica for a 10-day language immersion and community service experience with the World Leadership School. While there were no formal language classes, students practiced their Spanish constantly as they learned to cook traditional foods and as they played card games and soccer with the local children. A mix of service learning, adventure and cultural exchange, the trip provided students with the opportunity to raft the Río Sarapiquí, ride a zip-line 200 meters above the jungle and bathe in a tropical swimming hole. Living with local families in Linda Vista (a community so rural that it has only had electricity for about ten years), students learned to milk cows and make fresh cheese in the morning before joining the group at the school for a day of community service (last year's students built a playground). As part of their Spanish curriculum many GFA students were in contact with young people in the Sarapiqui.
Prerequisites: Any current 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade Spanish student who is committed to language immersion and service learning.