Global Studies

Our mission is to help our students become mindful of their roles and responsibilities in an ever-changing world.

A PDS global citizen is adaptable and open to new experiences, embracing risk and pursuing knowledge across diverse contexts. They actively develop decision-making, communication, and emotional intelligence, fostering self-awareness and empathy. Capable of navigating foreign cultures and connecting with people from all backgrounds, they value different perspectives and respect cultural differences. With a deep sense of responsibility, they recognize their global impact and are committed to acting for the common good. Equipped with critical thinking and interdisciplinary expertise, they approach complex global issues with a thoughtful, informed perspective.

Program Highlights

Spring Trips

Princeton Day School is committed to fostering global citizenship through experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Our international travel programs are intentionally and deliberately designed to provide our students with the knowledge, skills and values required in becoming global citizens. Student trips are directly linked to our curriculum and institutional priorities. As a result, they extend and reinforce our curricular work and institutional initiatives by serving as real-world laboratories for concepts and ideas learned within the walls of Princeton Day School. As we step out into the global classroom, we are dedicated to maximizing our students’ learning and bringing the elements of global citizenship to life through meaningful experiences, active engagement and authentic interaction with the host culture.

School Exchange Program

Princeton Day School affords Upper school students a variety of opportunities to spend extended periods of time off campus in international and domestic academic programs. These programs are primarily designed for high school juniors. Students apply during the spring of their sophomore year. Programs may be trimester, semester, or full-year duration. While students may have to adjust their schedules and curriculum choices to participate in these opportunities, all programs are intellectually rigorous, with academic standards and expectations similar to our own. We have found that colleges generally look favorably on students willing to pursue such academic adventures.

Chewonki Semester School

Formerly known as the Maine Coast Semester, Chewonki Semester School was established in 1988 by S. Scott Andrews. Located in Wiscasset, Maine, Chewonki offers 11th grade students a challenging academic program with an emphasis on environmental studies. Students in the school study the natural history of the Maine coast, work on an organized farm, go on two short wilderness trips, help maintain the campus, and participate in a rigorous academic program. Each semester is sixteen weeks long. Each semester up to 40 students are offered admission.

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High Mountain Institute

Formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Semester, the High Mountain Institute was founded in 1995 by Molly and Christopher Barnes in the spirit of combining wilderness education with traditional academics. Located in Leadville, Colorado, the HMI Semester offers 11th grade students the opportunity to live, travel, and study in the mountains of central Colorado and the canyons of southeastern Utah. Students spend five weeks over the course of the semester on three wilderness expeditions that focus on leadership and community-building and twelve weeks on campus completing a standard junior year curriculum. Each semester up to 42 students are offered admission.

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Alzar School

Alzar School is a semester school for motivated 10th and 11th grade students that combines engaging academics, cultural exchange, and outdoor adventure. Students live alongside their peers at our home campus in Idaho, immerse themselves in Chilean culture for seven weeks in Patagonia, and explore incredible landscapes during four weeks of backpacking and whitewater paddling expeditions. On campus students take a full course load at the honors AP level and while on expedition they engage in place-based lessons. To learn more, check out this video about the student experience at Alzar School.

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Oxbow School

The Oxbow School is a semester program in Napa, California focusing on studio art-making and interdisciplinary humanities. This program provides sophomores, juniors, seniors, and gap-year students the opportunity for an intensive art experience and thought-provoking academic instruction. The atmosphere at Oxbow is one of artistic and social exploration combined with rigorous academics designed to prepare students for college and beyond.

At Oxbow, academics are integrated with the studio art practice to engage students in a new and inspiring way. We believe that disciplines should not be siloed and that authentic learning occurs when connections are made between subjects. Therefore, our curriculum reflects integration across disciplines. Three core courses are taught in a block format and guide students through a series of carefully conceived assignments that build skills and provide integrated instruction across academic disciplines and the visual arts. Each course offers students multiple entry points that allow both the most academically focused students and those still identifying the area of their interest to engage with the material.Throughout each course, the art-making process is informed by intellectual inquiry, in-depth research, synthesis of ideas, critical and creative writing, and self-reflection.

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School for Ethics and Global Leadership

Located in Washington DC and established in 2006, the School for Ethics and Global Leadership is a semester school for high school juniors. The school's residential facilities are located on Capitol Hill, right behind the Supreme Court, and its academic building is a block from Dupont Circle. Its rigorous academic program focuses on ethical thinking skills, leadership development, and international studies. In addition to completing a standard junior year curriculum, students take an ethics and leadership course. The program features visits to and by prominent speakers in such fields as foreign policy, public service, diplomacy, law, and humanitarian aid. Each semester is sixteen weeks long. Up to 24 students are offered admission each semester.

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School Year Abroad

Founded in 1964, School Year Abroad is an academic program which places American high school juniors, seniors, and post-graduates in 4 countries, including China, Italy, France, or Spain for a year. Students intensively learn the respective language of their country and live with a host family. The program includes extensive cultural immersion and select courses taught in the native language. Requisite subjects, such as math and English, are taught in English. Extracurricular activities and organized travel round out the year. The program provides academic advisors, college counseling services, and administers the AP, SAT, SAT II, and PSAT tests at each school. Each year SYA brings around 60 juniors and seniors to each of its locations around the world.

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International Travel Programs

Princeton Day School’s international travel programs are intentionally designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and values required in becoming global citizens. Student trips are directly linked to our curriculum and institutional priorities. As a result, they extend and reinforce our curricular work and initiatives by serving as real-world laboratories for concepts and ideas learned within the walls of the school. As we step out into the global classroom, we are dedicated to maximizing our students’ learning and bringing the elements of global citizenship to life through meaningful experiences, active engagement, and authentic interaction with the host culture.

PDS has offered many opportunities for students to travel abroad and immerse themselves in foreign cultures over spring break. Students in grades 8-12 have reaped the benefits of traveling to international destinations such as Italy, Russia, China, India and the United Kingdom.

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Global Studies

Program Highlights

Spring Trips

School Exchange Program

Chewonki Semester School

High Mountain Institute

Alzar School

Oxbow School

School for Ethics and Global Leadership

School Year Abroad

International Travel Programs

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