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New Travel Opportunities for Students
Woodberry is expanding its student-travel opportunities. This year, there will be eight trips in total, which includes new offerings to Nicaragua, Yellowstone, Rome, and Zambia.
Woodberry in Nicaragua
Jairo Rivera, who serves as the chair of the foreign language department and teaches Spanish, will lead a trip to Nicaragua as part of the Central America and Study Abroad program (CASA). This program encompasses all the trips that have been offered in Central America, such as Mexico and Costa Rica.
Jairo Rivera and Rapheal Sydnor, another Spanish teacher at Woodberry, launched the CASA program in 2007. “I said to Mr. Sydnor, we should put together a trip for the kids who are taking Spanish classes and take them to Nicaragua,” said Rivera.
Political unrest in the country led to the discontinuation of the Nicaragua trip in 2018. In 2019, Rivera then moved the trip to Costa Rica as he had family living there. Rivera says this trip has three components; language immersion, cultural exploration, and community service.
“This is a remarkable opportunity for our students to get engaged in the culture of Nicaragua,” said Rivera. “One of the most important components of the trip is community service. I am a firm believer of giving back to the community.”
The group will partake in landscaping, fixing basketball and soccer fields, and teaching locals how to use technology. In past trips, Woodberry has made a significant impact, as locals are still using the renovations and technology that they introduced and helped to fix. The trip has returned this year because the civil unrest and protests have mostly ceased in Nicaragua.
“Nicaragua is one of the safest countries in Latin America,” said Rivera.
“Nicaragua is one of the safest countries in Latin America,” said Rivera.
The group will explore the ins and outs of Nicaragua. Since Nicaragua is recognized as a top producer of coffee, the group will visit one of the coffee plantations. “You cannot imagine what goes behind the cup of coffee you drink,” said Rivera.
The group will hike up an active volcano and have the opportunity to see the molten lava, and they’ll even get to sled down the volcano.
“It's so exciting to be at the top of that volcano and come down it on just a board,” said Rivera. The group will also explore and enjoy the beaches of Nicaragua. They may even discover a run-down restaurant with excellent food. “It's going to be a very informative yet fun and valuable trip to not only the people of Nicaragua but to the Woodberry boys as well,” said Rivera.
This trip is three weeks long, and it begins as soon as school ends on May 31.
This trip is three weeks long, and it begins as soon as school ends on May 31.
Woodberry in Yellowstone
Mark O’Donnell, math teacher and chair of mathematics at Woodberry, is offering a trip to Yellowstone National Park. The trip will comprise backpacking into the wilderness, camping on the grounds, and fly-fishing in the rivers. O’Donnell expects the fly-fishing to be “spectacular.”
“There's something about being in the water, being part of nature, that is completely different. It really connects you and grounds you to nature," he said.
One reason O’Donnell chose Yellowstone is because it is a less expensive trip that allows boys an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone without leaving their country.
“I want to introduce to folks that you don't have to leave the country to see some beautiful things,” said O’Donnell
This trip focuses on the restorative aspect of nature. “Once you're backpacking and once you're out fishing on a river and the sun's going down, you realize where you are, and it just hits you,” said O’Donnell. “It's part of you and all of a sudden, you're like, oh my goodness. And you have that aha moment.”
This trip ties into Woodberry’s mission of knowing, challenging, and loving each boy, and it will challenge boys mentally and physically, whether they are backpacking or reflecting on themselves.
“Being part of nature expands your life and you realize that there's something bigger out there than just you,” said O’Donnell.
Before the trip begins, boys will read The Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, which is a collection of essays reflecting on the natural world. This book will help boys form an appreciation of the natural world they’re living in. “It's one of the most important works when it comes to environmental conservation in the United States,” said O’Donnell.
Woodberry in Rome
History teacher Gerald Wixted and English teacher Paul Erb will lead a trip to Rome. The trip will revolve around the ideas of decadence and self indulgence. Boys will compare the decadence of Rome to the decadence of America today.
“The Roman Empire fell apart because of decadence, and the Catholic Church lost its influence because of decadence,” said Wixted. “There is also some belief that America is in a kind of decadent place. We live in a decadent society.”
Boys will explore and learn about the different periods of Rome’s history and compare them to the concept of decadence. “We’ll take what we've learned about decadence and apply it to the world around us today,” said Wixted.
Wixted and Erb landed on Rome because it is a massive city with a lot of deeply rooted history, and it provides boys many opportunities to learn and experience things they’re interested in.
“The huge city is also full of fantastic art and architecture everywhere you look. So that's one of the highlights — just being there,” said Erb. “It’s a combination of the visceral and the intellectual. The feeling of looking around, smelling coffee on the street, seeing hundreds and thousands of tourists.”
Rome is a different kind of city, when comparing it to a city like New York. Rome’s ruins run very deep, both literally and figuratively. “It is a city that has quite literally been built on top of itself. There are parts of Rome where the history runs deeper underground than it does up in the air,” said Wixted.
With a history so deep and old, Rome provides a completely different experience, and it’s something that needs to be witnessed in person. “It's one thing to read it in a book and it's another to go there and see the thing itself,” said Erb.
There is also a religious focus on this trip. More specifically, boys will take a deep dive into the church as an institution. They will understand how it worked and how it functioned in ancient Rome. “I’m interested in how the church wielded its power,” said Wixted.
This trip sets itself apart from other study abroad opportunities, as it will challenge boys both academically and physically. “I think the academic rigor is going to be a little bit more intense here than some other trip,” said Wixted. “There are going to be a lot of opportunities for our guys to pursue stuff that they're passionate about.”
Wixted hopes that boys take away two main components from this trip: a broader perspective of the world and an appreciation for history. “I think it's easy to exist in the bubble that is Woodberry Forest, and I want them to go out and see that the world is a big place and there are big players in the world that go beyond Woodberry and beyond America,” said Wixted. “I want our boys to have a greater appreciation of history, and I certainly want them to develop an appreciate for institutions that last.”
“I'm not sure I would say it's going to be a fun trip so much as it’s going to be a meaningful trip,” said Erb. “There is going to be thinking, not just doing.”
Woodberry in Zambia
Over spring break, Ben Hale and Catherine Wharton are offering a trip to Zambia in Africa. Ben Hale teaches English and heads the English department. Hale has offered a similar trip to Zambia in the past, during which boys would travel to South Africa during spring break and spend a week doing service work at a school. They made an impact as they taught students, repaired amenities, and even installed a water system.
Catherine Wharton is an integral part of the formation of the Zambia trip. She grew up in Zimbabwe and immigrated to America when she was young.
“Catherine has got lots of ties over there. And she's connected to the folks who run this in Livingston,” said Hale. “The school was founded as a way of helping the people who worked on the stadium, and it's grown into a large enterprise of something like 300 kids, the whole idea is that they have to be within walking distance to get there.”
Wharton is retiring after this school year, and she wanted to leave something behind at Woodberry. “It would be a bit of a legacy for her to leave at Woodberry. She's going to be retiring after this year and moving on, and we’re hoping that we will keep this going,” said Hale. “It’s also a great opportunity for the boys to do meaningful work.”
On top of community service work, the group will explore Africa and learn about its environment and deep-rooted history.
“Africa is clearly a fascinating place for all kinds of reasons. For its pre-colonial history, its colonial history, its post-colonial history, and its natural history,” said Hale.
There will also be a lot of opportunities for boys to have fun and make valuable memories, doing things that put them out of their comfort zone. Boys will explore the African bush, ride horses, go on safaris, and rappel down waterfalls.
Hale wants the boys to return as lovers of travel and individuals positively impacted by their experiences. “I want them to regard the world with curiosity and wonder, also to connect with other human beings and share humanity,” said Hale. “This trip gives a sense of being alive, awake, and aware. It wakes you up to life’s possibilities.”
Woodberry in Australia
In addition to the four new offerings in 2024-2025, last year Woodberry added a full-immersion study abroad trip to Australia. This trip takes place during the entire spring trimester, and the school offers it to current fourth formers. Boys travel to the Hale School of Perth. Last year, Tad Shores and Cash Mills were the candidates selected to go to Australia.
Australia is a direct swap trip. The boys from the two schools take each other's rooms and even take each other's classes. “They swap lives, more or less,” said Mandy Alexander, director of international students and programs.
Woodberry boys experience the different sports of the Aussie boys, as they participate in two different sports seasons. The academic schedule of the Hale School differs from Woodberry, as boys enroll in 14 different courses, as opposed to the max of seven at Woodberry. “A lot more classes, but a lot of different subject matter that they can dabble in,” said Alexander.
Woodberry boys experience the different sports of the Aussie boys, as they participate in two different sports seasons. The academic schedule of the Hale School differs from Woodberry, as boys enroll in 14 different courses, as opposed to the max of seven at Woodberry. “A lot more classes, but a lot of different subject matter that they can dabble in,” said Alexander.
The Hale School is a boarding school, yet the boys have an opportunity to go home with their host families on the weekends. Quite often, the families take the boys on adventures such as exploring the beaches and sights of Australia.
“So it's just kind of living and exploring what life is like halfway across the world,” said Alexander.
The expectations for this trip are similar to the ones of the South African exchange program: get boys to experience life outside the United States and leave their comfort zone.
“I'd never been out of the country before, so it was just a different perspective on the world. You’d think it would be different, but they’re actually very similar,” said Cash Mills.
Woodberry in Australia came to be when the Hale School traveled to Woodberry for a basketball game a couple of years ago. Their trip generated interest and began the process for an exchange program with them. A deterring factor with many study abroad programs is the cost associated with them. However, Woodberry's exchange programs are unique because the cost of admission covers them if you are accepted.
“It's an affordable option. These trips give you access to immersing yourself in a new culture. And they’re really accessible and you get some incredible new experiences,” said Alexander.
>> Reporting by Ryker Simpson ’26
Woodberry Forest School is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.
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