ENCINITAS — Students from The Grauer School in Encinitas recently returned from their spring trips to Taiwan, Maui, Catalina Island, the Yucatán Peninsula and other communities through the school’s Learn by Discovery program.
During the Yucatán expedition, students experienced Spanish immersion while exploring Yucatán, Mexico. For the Taiwan Expedition, students visited local schools and connected in person with long-standing pen pals.
As part of the Maui Expedition, students visited The Grauer School’s sister-school, Maui Preparatory Academy (Maui Prep), a preschool through 12th-grade private school located in West Maui.
On the Catalina Expedition, students took part in various interactive environmental leadership program activities. Grauer students also had the opportunity to stay in San Diego County for a local expedition.
“This cycle of expeditions offered many opportunities to Learn by Discovery,” said Patricia Young, expeditionary learning program director at The Grauer School. “With each trip cycle, students continue to stretch themselves and learn how to step outside of their comfort zones. They learn how to navigate open spaces, support each other and how decisions they make impact the whole. They grow in their understanding of themselves, this planet, its many people and the interconnectedness we all share.”
Led by Jessi Brown and Mimi Robinson, the Yucatán Expedition had students marveling at the ingenuity of the ancient Maya civilization while honoring their enduring traditions.
During their guided tour through the cities of Uxmal and Kabah, Grauer students asked questions, made connections and authentically engaged in the history lessons they were learning. After a long day exploring ruins, the group descended into the crystal-clear waters of a cenote (a watering hole unique to that geographical location) in a cool underground chamber.
The Taiwan Expedition group, led by Paul-Michael Ogburn, Fupen Huang, Patricia Young and Paloma Connolly, visited several schools in Taipei, Taiwan. The Grauer School students visited Rixin Elementary School, which was originally built by the Japanese over 100 years ago and teaches kindergarten through sixth grade.
Grauer students were able to visit classes as part of the cultural exchange, and some read classic American storybooks such as “One Fish Two Fish,” “Where the Wild Things Are” and “The Rainbow Fish” to first grade and second grade classes. The Grauer School donated the books to Rixin’s school library.
The group also visited Kingston Private School, which has students in elementary school through high school and an additional vocational school. Grauer students attended a housekeeping class at the vocational school and worked with the vocational students to fluff pillows and fold towels into swans and bears, learning what it takes to run a hotel.
Kingston and Grauer students who had been communicating with each other throughout the year also finally got to meet in person during the trip.
Before they left, teams of Grauer students painted their intentions on giant red paper sky lanterns inside a lantern shop in Shifen, Taiwan. Once each group finished painting their messages on the lanterns, Grauer students released their wishes to the sky together.
On the Maui Expedition, Grauer senior students helped rekindle a friendship with The Grauer School’s sister school, Maui Prep, under the care of Paulina Davis-Fisher, Trevor Olson, Johnny King and Simon Checa.
Students took a tour of the school and read with the kindergarten and first-grade students.
Maui Prep students created a sweet welcome message with sidewalk chalk and notes ready to send home with all of the Grauer students. Afterward, the students joined Maui Prep’s junior and senior classes for an evening bonfire, pizza and s’mores.
After the fires devastated Lahaina in August last year, The Grauer School donated 200 uniform shirts and pairs of socks to students at Maui Prep, which were items requested by Head of School Miguel Solis.
On the Catalina Expedition, students were faced with many challenges, including snorkeling through kelp, high rope adventures, a rock wall, kayaking, ziplining, tide pool exploration and night snorkeling.
Led by Louise Hyland, Alicia Tembi, Tom Hopper, Sahina Jerome and Ryan Stevens, the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program was designed specifically for middle school students. Some students stepped out of their comfort zones while others knew when they’d reached their limit and opted out of some activities.
According to school leaders, all students demonstrated Grauer’s core value of compassion by offering kindness, support and encouragement to each other. Strong swimmers helped less experienced swimmers to navigate dark and frigid waters on the night snorkel while other students shared their findings with others to ensure that everyone had the same experience.
“The Grauer School strives to balance expeditionary learning with college preparation. Today’s globally connected, culturally pluralistic landscape facilitates the need for a new generation of critical thinkers, risk takers, visionaries and leaders,” said Grauer Head of School Dana Abplanalp-Diggs. “By trying and growing without fear of failure or judgment, our students achieve more enduring outcomes than are generally allowed in traditional schooling environments. Taking control of their educational journeys also helps lay the foundation for graduates of The Grauer School to make intelligent decisions about the right college, as well as other meaningful career and life choices.”
To learn more about the Learn by Discovery and other programs at The Grauer School, visit www.grauerschool.com.
