MKA Students Explore Global Experiences for Spring Break

Photo: Ben Rich

For many MKA students, returning to school from spring break provided an opportunity to share their first-hand participation in MKA's Global Experience Program with their friends. The program that strives to “engage each student
personally and intellectually with the world”, provides travel as well as classroom experiences and encourages students to build bridges between themselves and people in other places through language acquisition and cultural, geographical, and historical knowledge.  

This March, thirty Middle School students participated in a nine-day trip to Spain that included time spent with Spanish teachers and students in a school setting, as well as sight-seeing in Salamanca, learning how to dance the salsa,
and trying the many types of local foods, including traditional Spanish tapas.

Twenty-Four Upper School students traveled to Guatemala with four Upper School faculty members to help build homes near Antigua as well as hike a volcano in Pacaya, meet the local people, and of course practice their Spanish while another nine students explored the rise and fall of the Roman Empire while visiting Rome, Naples and Capri in Italy. In addition, more Upper School students are signing up for a month-long exchange program in Chile that takes place during the first month of summer vacation.

MKA's Director of Global Experience Tracy Kuser notes, "The students are so jazzed by what they have experienced on their respective global adventures and they are motivated not only to travel and learn more but also to continue their studies in the respective classes and disciplines here within MKA. On the first day back, I heard many students saying, "Now I get it.", or "Now I know that I want to become fluent.", or "It was just so cool. We learned so much." Their excitement is contagious, and we are excited for them to share their experiences with our community so that we can all be inspired."