Interim

Key Interim Facts

Interim is a weeklong, off-campus learning experience designed to challenge the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of HKIS High School students. This alternative education program features a range of opportunities, each one weaving a number of Student Learning Results into the course experience. The program forms an integral part of the High School curriculum that serves as a graduation requirement for all High School students. The diverse Interim program offerings include community service, outdoor adventure, and cross-cultural learning in countries across Africa, SE Asia, Australasia, Mainland China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, and the Middle East.

Interim is a carefully constructed program that presents students with challenges and opportunities for personal growth. The Interim experience is designed to help students: u Build relationships through interactions with other students and faculty members. u Cultivate a spirit of community. u Benefit from exposure to diverse cultures and traditions. u Collaborate as a member of a team. u Improve communication, leadership skills, self-reliance and compassion. u Develop resilience by venturing out of their physical, emotional and intellectual comfort zones. u Discover newfound talents and interests. u Gain greater self-knowledge and a richer understanding of the world around them. u Grow in responsibility and independence.

While some courses demand explicit contributions to the communities that host them, all options compel students to draw upon the values they have developed at home and school as they encounter new situations and novel challenges. Students emerge from the program with a more profound sense of self, an enriched appreciation of human diversity, and deeper insight into the faith traditions and cultural values that inspire compassion and humility.

u An Interim Committee, comprised of teachers, students, parents, and the High

School Associate Principal for Student Life oversees all courses. The committee works to produce a safe, secure and reliable program and seeks USA Consular advice for security issues that may arise in a particular location. The Interim

Committee also works to build resilience into the program by offering a greater choice of courses within a wide financial range. u Interim Week is scheduled in the spring, with registration and billing in October and

December, respectively. Interim course lists are posted through Schoology in mid-

November and within days, students begin meeting in their newly formed groups to prepare for the Interim experience. Following Interim week, students are all required to participate in the Interim Exhibition Night attended by parents. u Participation in Interim is a graduation requirement for each year that a student is enrolled at HKIS. Students receive Interim credit for the successful completion of the course. u In situations where credit is not earned during the week of Interim, students will be required to propose an alternative experience to gain Interim credit. They may also lose the privilege of choosing an overseas Interim course the following year. u All Interim groups will be under the supervision of at least one HKIS faculty member. u The High School Leadership Team approves all Interim group lists in consultation with the HS counselors. u Positive interaction among students, faculty, guides, and local communities is a hallmark of all Interim courses so we expect all students to behave in a manner that