We live in a different world than our parents and grandparents did – a world that requires us to know about our neighbors in other countries. To help our students reach this goal, Stokes Schools’ curriculum includes intensive international and language studies. To culminate our scholars six years of studies, each year sixth grade scholars embark on a one-week International Study Tour to Martinique and Panama. All year, sixth graders prepare for this excursion by taking virtual tours of Martinique and Panama and doing interdisciplinary studies of French and Spanish, volcanoes and marine biology, literature, art, social studies, and music.

Travel encourages students to be confident and flexible. They learn to handle ambiguous situations posed by lack of cultural norms. This is an invaluable lesson that can be applied to a variety of different contexts. Our students gained a greater understanding and appreciation of themselves and of their own culture by being exposed to the cultures of Martinique and Panama.