Home is Where the Panthers are

BEGINNING IN FIFTH GRADE, TRAVEL IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF PRINCIPIA’S EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE. With love as their guide and learning as their motivator, students of all ages travel the globe; and thanks to Principia Lifelong Learning (PLL), discovery and exploration don’t stop after graduation.

Last school year, Principia students, alumni, and friends discovered new views of home during excursions to Greece, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, and Taiwan . . . and that’s just a partial list of their international stops.

College students in New Zealand documented the Marra Moana, or “Ocean Garden,” producing a short documentary that sparked a new approach to marine conservation.

In Nepal, others came face-to-face with the effects of climate change as they conferred with NGOs, worked the fields, and trekked overland to assist with damaged infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Upper School Mandarin Chinese students ventured to Taiwan, broadening their cultural fluency. Bible students journeyed to Greece, walking in the footsteps of Paul, while deepening their understanding of the biblical underpinnings of Christian Science.

Ask any urban denizen and they will tell you: nothing is proof of feeling “at home” in a place like navigating the subway system to a tucked-away karaoke bar. That’s exactly what Joy Chang’s Mandarin language students accomplished as they took in the sights, sounds, and flavors of Taiwan this past spring.

In July, 32 Principia Lifelong Learners spent 11 days venturing through Norwegian fjords, exploring rich cultural sites, and basking in the midnight sun. Trip scholar, College economics professor Dr. Matthew Cocks, delivered lectures on Norway’s economic prosperity and global leadership in sustainable living.

Please enjoy some of the sights and observations of our intrepid travelers and go online for more.