Student Travel
Travel at LFA
Travel at LFA is how we live out our ideal of a “midwestern heart and global mind.” Through mindful travel we seek to embody our school values of character, scholarship, citizenship, and responsibility.
Two types of travel are offered at LFA: Curricular Travel that is linked to an academic class and Co-Curricular Travel, intentional travel grounded in global leadership principles offered through the Stuart Center. Both are reflective of experiential education as defined by the Independent Schools Experiential Education Network’s (ISEEN) definition of What is Experiential Education?.
“Experiential education is a pedagogical process by which educators engage students through a cycle of direct experience, reflection, analysis, and experimentation. Experiential education values personal connection to deep and applied learning and inspires growth in both the student and teacher.”
Co-Curricular Travel 2022-2023
New York City
NYC From a Mathematical Lens
Dates: March 26 - April 1, 2023
Cost: $2,150 - $2,450 (dependent on enrollment)
This New York experience will showcase many topics in mathematics that are used in city planning, development, transportation, and implementation of resources. This trip is designed to illuminate the minds of mathematics students regarding culturally responsive mathematics. From the Museum of Mathematics, to the geometry of the street layout, to the ratio of land set aside for Central Park, to the 3D-geometry of the buildings and geometry of art in the Museum of Modern Art, the incorporation of mathematics into the world around us is a primary source of discovery and development of mathematical thinking. Having the ability to see and be immersed in the environment will be an excellent opportunity for LFA students to experience mathematics as well as cultural uses of mathematical concepts.
Included in the trip are visits to the Museum of Mathematics, the New York Transit Museum, the New York Center for Architecture, the New York City Planner office, the Cooper/Hewitt Museum, City of New York Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, a New York Architecture tour, and attending the Off-Broadway play, “That Physics Show.” Please note that this trip will be limited to 17 students.
Guatemala
Service-Learning and Cultural Immersion
Dates: March 18-25, 2023
Cost: $1,500*
Join fellow LFA classmates for a week of service-learning and cultural immersion at the San Lucas Mission in San Lucas, Tolimán, Guatemala.
A typical day will consist of mornings working with the construction crew to support the building of fuel-efficient stoves, as well as wood, block, and hybrid houses. In the afternoons LFA students will engage with the Women’s Center, visit a local school, tour the Café Juan Ana facility, connect with and hear talks from community members, explore surrounding communities on a boat tour around Lake Atitlán, and much more!
Staff at the San Lucas Mission stress that cultural sensitivity and openness to the local culture is paramount in ensuring that a cross-cultural experience is fruitful and as mutually dignifying as possible. Please note that this trip will be limited to 10 students.
* The San Lucas Mission offers financial aid scholarships. For details on how to apply please reach out to Ms. Kruger. This is a discount on top of the already low trip fee.
Kenya
Leadership and Community Engagment
Dates: March 18-31, 2023
Cost: $1,125 - $2,619 (dependent on enrollment)*
Due to LFA’s partnership with World Strides, we were able to utilize an existing credit from 2020. This one-time offer will allow LFA to grant a substantial discount to this year’s Kenya trip, a trip normally priced at $4,700. The Kenya trip will be capped at 17 students.
The majority of the Kenya program will be based at Camp Tsavo, surrounded by the picturesque Marungu Hills that lie close to the world famous Tsavo National Park. Camp Tsavo will give LFA students the chance to experience life in the real African wilderness. This area is famed for its wildlife and for providing a safe haven for elephants, lions, cheetahs and other amazing animals. The camp itself is situated in the heart of the charming local village, where students will experience authentic African culture and hospitality. The time will include volunteer work with a local primary school, a safari in the national park, a visit to the Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary, and time to connect with the Tumaini Women’s Group and the Maasai tribe. The group will then continue to Camp Ocean, boasting one of the most spectacular camp locations, just a two minute walk from the award-winning Diani Beach. Students can enjoy waking up to the sounds and sights of the sea and relaxing in the comfy social area after a day of activities.