Global Education

group portrait of around 15 students and adult trip leaders taken in rain forest of Galapagos
2 students playing soccer with local children on cement courtyard during morocco global education trip
students and local children jumping in air on dirt path with wooden structure on left and trees and fence on right guatemala
Group portrait of students and adult volunteers taken in open field of dirty with trees in background in Ecuador

Catlin Gabel's Global Education Program seeks to engage and challenge our community to become active global citizens. We provide international and cross-cultural opportunities and experiences for students, beginning in the earliest grades, to develop their cultural competency and to help them effectively address the challenges of the future.

Through our Global Education program, students can experience diverse cultures and learn directly from local residents about customs, beliefs, history, art, politics, social issues, and daily life.

All trips are intentionally designed with an educational lens in mind. Examples include Morocco, which was centered on art and architecture, and women’s roles in society, work, and family; Cuba, which focused on the nation’s art culture and included working sessions and talks with local artists; and Nepal, where students studied the effects of recent earthquakes and learned about ongoing recovery efforts. 

Though the roster of trips changes each year, the program has included multiple trips to Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, France, Guatemala, India, Japan, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, and Taiwan.

Global Education Philosophy

The Global Education Program fosters competencies in students, including communication and work with people who are culturally very different from themselves; respect for values and priorities of the many countries and cultures of the world; and understanding the interconnectedness of global systems—economic, social, cultural, racial, religious, technological, and ecological.

In addition to global trips, the program is related to global competency efforts that occur on campus throughout the year.

Global Education is designed to empower students to lead efforts toward diversity, service learning, and global action, and this often begins on campus with student-led groups with an international focus.

Cross-cultural communication, such as virtual exchanges, collaborative podcasting, and blogs, also help students see themselves as members of a larger community. Students benefit from interaction with international students and teachers visiting the school, and from faculty and staff with international, linguistic, and cultural experience.