Spring Session at Concord Academy will kick off on March 6 after a four-year hiatus due to COVID-19. Spring Session is a time when the usual academic schedule is suspended and students participate in different trips internationally and domestically or workshops at CA. There will be four trips over the course of the week: Georgia, Barcelona, France, and Taiwan.
Those traveling to Thomsville, Georgia, accompanied by faculty members Gretchen Roorbach and Jodi Pickle, will be learning about sustainable management of forestry resources. Students will conduct research and data collection studies, learn about current and historical forestry management techniques, and understand the ecological importance of forests. This trip is free, due to the generosity of CA alum Jamie Comstock ’82, P’17, who owns the farm where the students will stay on their five day trip.
The Barcelona trip has a focus on architecture and engineering. Students will have the opportunity to visit museums, towns, and go on many tours around the city. The students, led by faculty members Brad Moriarty, Ben Stumpf ’88, and Zora Vermilya, will see the work of famous architect Antoni Gaudi and witness the masterwork of his designs and structures. There was no prerequisite for this trip.
Those visiting France will travel to Paris, Versailles, Avignon, Aix, and Monaco. The trip includes cooking classes, visits to memorials and historic sites, museum tours, and olive oil tasting. The trip, led by Mandala, is only open to students in French 2 or above and native speakers of French.
Finally, students traveling to Taiwan will explore the island’s scenery, food, and heritage. Some activities on the trip include visiting Buddhist and Taoist temples, tasting local cuisine, and fully immersing in Chinese and Taiwanese cultures. This trip will last for ten days, and the chaperones accompanying the students include Sarah Yeh and Wenjun Kuai.
As there are only a select number of spots available for the trips, the majority of the CA community will remain on campus and have the opportunity to participate in a variety of courses. Each student will take one A session and one B session course.
Some session options include Animal Rehab, A 3wk Mobile Solar System, Making Ink, Exploring the MBTA, Pizza Making 101, Baseball, Tile Time, and Fabulous Desserts. Those courses are only a small fraction of all the options available. Students will be able to learn skills that range from cooking different types of cuisine to learning about the financial system and investment.
On Friday, March 10 there will be a Show and Tell for students to share what they learned in their courses throughout the week. During this time, there will also be lunch and food trucks for everyone to enjoy. All activities will end at noon, marking the start of spring break!
Overall, there are plenty of opportunities and workshops for students to engage with during Spring Session. Whether they have elected to travel or stay local at CA, everyone is sure to have a great time.