Dozens of Bolles upper school students packed their bags for enriching, culturally immersive trips this summer, with students traveling to South America, Asia and Europe.
World Languages Department Chair Adriana Stam and upper school Spanish teacher Carrie Ezzell led a group of 10 students to South America to explore the natural beauty of Peru from June 2-11. The students hiked Machu Picchu, stopped by an alpaca farm and visited the Maras salt mines to learn about this natural resource and the science behind the production of salt.
In partnership with the Mandarin Learning Centre at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU), Bolles upper school Chinese teacher Cheng-Mei Rothschild and upper school social studies teacher Tyler Jump took 15 students on an immersive trip to Taiwan June 9-23 for a two-week, custom-designed Chinese camp operated by experienced Mandarin teachers. The curriculum included different levels of Chinese classes, various cultural courses, extracurricular activities, interactions with Taiwanese students and local tours.
French and Arabic teacher Sara Phillips-Bourass and college counselor Danielle Leach, meanwhile, escorted nine students in the French/Latin Exchange Program to France. The group, which traveled from May 28 to June 7, spent the first part of the trip in Clermont-Ferrand, where they stayed with host families, attended classes at the Fénelon School and explored the French culture, language and countryside. The second half of the trip gave students the opportunity to discover Paris, from taking a river cruise on the Seine and marveling at the Eiffel Tower to visiting the famous Catacombs.
Senior Bode Klassen also embarked on a journey to Japan on June 2 to spend time with students at The Keio School in Tokyo. Klassen took classes at Keio, went on a bunker tour and Tokyo Bay cruise tour, attended sporting events, participated in special chemistry experiments and more.
Bolles has enjoyed a longstanding exchange relationship with Keio, which sent a group of its students to stay with Bolles host families earlier this year.
