Global Travel
Thank you for joining us on an incredible series of Global Travel trips in Spring 2023!
Stay tuned for updates about the Spring 2024 Global Travel experiences, which will become available in the coming weeks.
The Global Travel Program in Upper School affords Abington Friends School students at the opportunity to travel to locations far and wide to form deep connections with people, places and ideas. Our trips focus on experiential learning and cultural immersion, and every exploration is followed by deliberate reflections, discussions and activities designed to help students engage in deeper thinking around their experiences. Through each year’s diverse selection of trips, we aim to cultivate inquisitive learners who understand their personal obligation to the global community and are prepared to engage with the world. Twelfth grade students have the option to make these trips the basis of their Senior Capstone Projects.
Spring 2023
Outdoor Education and Photography
Ricketts Glen, PA and Cape May, NJ
This trip combined outdoor education with photography. Working alongside a professional photographer, students spent three nights honing their outdoor photography skills in one of the most scenic State Parks, Ricketts Glen, featuring stunning geography and wildlife, including the Falls Trail in the Glens Natural Area which has a series of 22 free-flowing waterfalls, which offers a backdrop for any budding nature photographer. After a day back on campus, students traveled to Cape May, New Jersey, where they explored the Jersey Shore and its ecosystem while building on the photography skills that they had practiced in the Poconos.
Trip Chaperones: AFS Upper School Photography Faculty Donna Russo, AFS Upper School Math Faculty Wayne Kurtz, AFS Upper School Math Faculty Mary Anne Wassel
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
Rockland, Maine
The Hurricane Island experience provided students with learning opportunities around the intertidal environment, its sustainable infrastructure, terrestrial ecology, freshwater resources, and migratory birds, and then helped them formulate a field experiment around that topic. Students designed data collection forms and sampling protocols, synthesized and presented their data, and held a debrief of the scientific process—invaluable skills for those interested in pursuing field-research focused degrees in college. Students also had plenty of other fun on the island, participating in rock climbing, kayaking and other adventure programming!
Trip Chaperones: AFS Assistant Director of Admissions Mary Kay Napoli, AFS Upper School Math Faculty Eugene Feeley, AFS Upper School Math Faculty Nate Bridge
Civil Rights Legacy Tour
Students were guided through some of the most significant historical sights, museums and parks related to the Civil Rights Movement, such as Kelly Ingram Park, the city of Selma and the Tuskeegee Airmen National Historic Site. Deeply rooted in Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion, students affirmed and celebrated the experiences of those who fought and continue to advocate for racial injustices.
Trip Chaperones: AFS Middle School and Upper School Counselor Ebony Holloway, AFS Director of Libraries Toni Vahlsing
Costa Rica: Sea Turtle Ecology
San José, Costa Rica
“Study an endangered reptile with a 100-million-year history. Protect critical ecosystems. Walk beneath lush rainforest canopies and learn about the immense biodiversity of tropical flora and fauna. Exchange ideas about life, science, and our shared world with Costa Rican students.”
This is just a sampling of the experiences that students had on this amazing opportunity while on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast.
Trip Chaperones: AFS Upper School Science Faculty Lisa Ammirati, AFS Upper School Language Faculty Brian Cassady
Costa Rica: Sea Turtle Ecology trip information from Ecology Project International