Winterim

We announce international trip options in June, almost a year in advance, so that families can budget for them and students can have time to earn money to help pay for their trip. Generally, these trips extend into spring vacation. Please take note of the dates for each trip. Students who wish to participate in one of these courses must indicate their commitment by submitting an International Winterim Course Application and the parent approval form (sent automatically when a student submits an application) no later than October 3, 2018 at 3 p.m.

Domestic and local course options, which comprise the great majority of the Winterim offerings, are posted in mid-November. These courses are less expensive, generally ranging from no cost to several hundred dollars. The full Winterim catalogue offers students a broad range of options, from active endeavors to artistic exploration, and from on-campus courses to trips to other parts of the United States. Courses marked with a hand symbol ( ) indicate that the course involves some service. Students not participating in an international course register for their course choices on-line and have a parent send signed approval of their course selection, via the electronically generated form, no later than 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. In 2019, Winterim will run March 14–21.

Come design, build and explore the possibilities in the Fariss Garden with us! Last year, our winterim group broke ground on Phase 1 the Fariss Hall Garden. This year, we are continuing on with Phase 2. We will be engaging in the next steps for bed cultivation, ground maintenance, and creating inquiry areas/outdoor classroom space for students of all divisions. Our week will be filled with interactive exploration with local garden enthusiasts, as well as with EC3 department and grounds department. Our days will end with a buddy collaboration with Lower School students who are staying after school in the Extension program.

**NOTE: THIS COURSE WILL RUN 10AM TO 5PM EACH DAY OF WINTERIM**

Leaders: Meredith Kruse & Kati Stenstrom

Enrollment: 6 minimum, 12 maximum

Service Learning: Hours for all of the time students participate

Cost: Free+

POWGirls is a workshop in video production, cinematography, audio recording, set lighting, digital editing and media literacy for girls and non-binary youth ages 14-19. The instructors are working media producers who inspire girls to be creative, tech-savvy leaders who will help realize gender equity in the film industry. All films produced during POWGirls workshops are screened at the Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival (POW Film Fest).

In this intensive workshop, participants will collaborate to create an original short video. Each day, participants will build their skills, learning concept creation, storyboarding, cinematography, audio recording, lighting, and post-production. No experience is necessary for this workshop.

Why focus specifically on girls and filmmaking?
Women account for 50% of moviegoers, yet…
On the top 100 grossing films of 2017, women represented:

• 8% of directors
• 10% of writers
• 2% of cinematographers
• 24% of producers
• 14% of editors

POWGirls aims to empower young women by developing their skills and confidence in filmmaking. The new filmmakers who complete the workshop could very well be the ones who increase women’s representation behind and in front of the camera.

Ezez. 2018. "Research – Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film". Womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu. https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/research/.

Leader: Stephanie Portman

Enrollment: 5-12

Service Learning: The film created could serve a larger purpose with benefits for the community, but it depends on what the filmmakers decide.

Cost: $175

What does it mean to know something? How can we facilitate the pursuit of knowledge? What are the barriers (both physical and logical) that limit the pursuit knowledge? These questions and more will be addressed in a whimsical journey through logical systems, quantum theory, relativity, and perceptual illusions. Activities will include visits to the Japanese Gardens and Mt. Angel Abbey for reflective observation and contemplation, creation of illusions, games of deduction, and volunteer work at the Children's Book Bank, the OES archives, and local libraries.

Leaders: Greg Drugan and Owen Gross

Enrollment: 10-20

Service Learning: 6-8 hours

Cost: Free +

Have you always dreamed of going back to your 1st grade classroom? Thinking about being a teacher someday? Here is your opportunity to explore those dreams and return to the Lower School for the Lower School Internship program. You will be spending time with our young OESians, helping them out in the classroom or other activities, such as P.E., science or art. You will be able to choose the age group and specialty. These children will know and love you forever!

Leader: Robin Weitzer

Enrollment: 8

Cost: Free

Ma is described as "an emptiness full of possibilities, like a promise yet to be fulfilled." We will be inspired by 13th centuries of Asian art and culture through the design elements of Ma, Wabi-Sabi and Feng shui. We will visit two museums - the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum, Eugene Oregon and The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals to gather art and design ideas to make one-of-a-kind artistic creations. The JSAM has one of the country’s most outstanding collections of Asian art and The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals houses a world-class collection recognized as the finest in the Pacific Northwest and one of the best in the nation. The featured exhibit at the JSMA is GRACEFUL FORTITUDE: THE SPIRIT OF KOREAN WOMEN. This installation introduces art created by, for, and/or about Korean women and features paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, lacquer, furniture, and personal adornments dating from the twelfth through the twenty-first centuries. The Rice museum shows fossils, meteorites, lapidary art, and gemstones from both the Pacific Northwest and all around the world. We will visit the Portland Japanese Garden, learn how to make and eat sushi, attend a karate class, and create Asian-inspired art pieces.

Leaders: Tanja Horvat & Sue Jensen

Enrollment: 8-14

Cost: Free +

Come learn a bit about the Portland housing crisis. Spend time with local housing advocates to better understand the complexity of the housing crisis in Portland. Then, spend four days partnering with Habitat for Humanity to work on local building house projects to help make affordable housing a reality for people in the Portland community. We will also spend time working with the Habitat ReStore, and organization that salvages housing materials and resells them in support of Habitat.

**Service hours definite, service project possible**

Leaders: Ryan Holland and Kara Tambellini

Dates: We will work Saturday, March 16 and take the day off on Monday, March 18. Otherwise we’ll follow the Winterim schedule March 14-21, 2019.

Enrollment: 10-12 **PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 16 YEARS OR OLDER WHEN WINTERIM BEGINS**

Cost: Free +

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of intellectuals got together to decide on the MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS OF ALL TIME (for Western Culture). This framed the basis for the Western Canon, a list of books considered to the most profound, meaningful, and even necessary for the shared inheritance of Western Culture. This list often determines what students read in school, what is published and sold in bookstores, and what stories are retold in modernized versions. But what makes a story matter? What makes something great and worthwhile? What does such a list say about who we are as a culture? How does the media we consume shape what we know and care about? These questions will be among those we ask as we step into the role of the scholars who decreed the Western Canon to create the official OES Film Canon, a list of movies that authentically reflect what we value, what matters to us, and what we think those in our community should watch and understand. By learning to watch movies with a critical eye, we’ll explore issues of race, society, inclusion, and gender; we’ll examine the messages we passively consume through media and equip ourselves with the tools to both analyze and control the narrative; we’ll actively debate the value of creating and having shared references; we’ll explore whether a film needs to be good to be great; and we’ll design and implement a tool to both include and then share out with the larger community. If you’re a person who loves movies, stories, language, ideas, or culture and/or thrives in exploring racial or cultural identity, narrative, and media, join us as we learn to engage with movies with our full brains in order to build the first-ever OES Film Canon.

Leaders: Asha Appel and Gabriel Edge

Enrollment: 10-20 students

Cost: Free

This course is designed to teach the basics of golf, and is intended for beginning and intermediate golfers. Each day our group will go to a local course, where students will receive instruction on the full swing, chipping, and putting. There will be ample time for practicing these skills, but we will also provide plenty of opportunities to take your skills out on the course. Golf etiquette will also be emphasized, so you will always be welcome at any course you visit. During the week we will play at least 36 holes of golf on full-size courses. Depending on weather and the interests of this year's group, we might do some mini-golf as well or make a trip to TopGolf. We also plan to spend at least a half-day doing a golf-related service project, such as working with the First Tee program at the Children’s Course in Gladstone. Sustenance is an important part of every golfer’s game, so daily visits to the snack shack or a nearby eatery will also be a priority. We’ll supply you with equipment if you don’t have your own.

Leaders: Joel Gray and TBD

Enrollment: 12 (Sorry, OES golf team members may not take part in this course.)

Cost: Free + money for a few lunches out

Do you like things that fly? Things that go fast? Sophisticated machines? If so, then this winterim is for you! Fabulous Flying Machines will offer an exciting hands-on opportunity to learn how to build and fly your own drone. Learn about aeronautical engineering, how to safely pilot a drone, and have fun flying obstacle courses! After you become a drone expert, you’ll be able to spend two days sharing your knowledge with the broader Portland community. We’ll be visiting middle schools to teach and share our knowledge with younger students. Participating in this course will be a great way to earn service hours while inspiring younger kids to explore exciting STEM projects!

Leaders: Ryan Westcott, Hudson Hale, Walker Jones, Cameron Jack

Enrollment: 8-12 students

Service Learning: 20 hours of off-campus service learning.

Cost: $250 for materials for the small drone you'll build and get to keep!

Spend six days trekking through some of the most beautiful parts of our state! This local winterim will feature a couple of days of day hikes - The Gorge, the valley, the mountains, the beach, the city - we are surrounded by beauty and we’ll pick some good ones! We will also spend some time cycling and some time out on the water kayaking. These experiences will inspire reflection on and connection to the beauty of our locale. We’ll take plenty of photos and journal as we go, and we’ll use written creative forms (poems, stories, creative writing, historical fiction, etc.) to create some sort of record of our work for others to learn from- a journal, art project, blog, etc. We’ll also possibly have the opportunity to serve (and earn service hours) by giving back to our natural habitat while we experience it. This Winterim will be good for experienced outdoor-types as well as beginners. Emphasis will be on finding joy, beauty and peace in our natural surroundings.

Leaders: Adam Steele, Ed Cecere

Enrollment: 10-12

Service Learning: Likely some hours

Cost: Free +

Six days of service to the community and learning about how our community supports those in need. We will decide as a group what our focus will be this year so that students can take a leading role in planning our activities. Participants will earn 20-30 or so hours of off-campus credit in the week, or can get a good start on a long-term SL Project. Plus, you'll reap the great rewards of doing something to help others, and learning a lot in the process. Daily reflection time, posting to a group blog, and planning for future service are all part of the schedule. And, it’s fun!

**Service hours definite, service project possible**

Leaders: Austin Pritchard, Erin Romano

Enrollment: 12

Cost: Free +

Looking for a Winterim that is (k)not work? Then, this one is for you. Working collaboratively, you will quickly learn how to tie specific knots with ropes and cords. Then in just three days, you will complete either a group macrame project such as hammock or hanging chair for the Upper School or a wall hanging for your room. We will also spread our knotworthy knowledge to a middle school class by teaching the kids how to have fun with knots. Using ideas from the "The knot book" (written for a general audience), I will introduce you to some cool ideas used by mathematicians to study knots. You’ll discover - and perhaps be surprised by - the connections of this topic to math and sciences. For the last two days of the Winterim, you may choose to explore knots to complete another craft project or to learn about knot polynomials and knot sums. No matter which direction you choose, we will of course tell lots of knot jokes and may take a field trip down to the Portland art museum and eat lunch at the food carts.

Leader: Gowri Meda

Enrollment: 6-15

Cost: Free +

Take a play (maybe even two of them) from words on a page to a cosmic comic event on the Great Hall Stage, with costumes from the back of closets, props you probably having lying around at home, and lots of large cardboard boxes. This is a great chance for freshmen and sophomores bitten by the drama bug to gain more on-stage experience while sharing all the behind-the-scenes work. If you think you might want to take Playwriting as a senior or Stage and Screen at any time, this Winterim is a good choice for you. We’re still sifting through our short list of plays. Whatever configuration we choose, we promise that at least one of them will be hilarious, and we will knock-em dead on the very last day of Winterim. By ‘’em,’ we mean whoever is around that afternoon, as well as those you invite among parents, friends, distant relations, your first-grade teacher, perfect strangers you have kidnapped off the street, etc. Our current short list: “The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged,” “Sure Thing,” (Thurber play, etc., etc.) We can accommodate anywhere from four to twelve actors.

Leaders: Art Ward and Debby Schauffler

Enrollment: 8-12

Cost: Free

This Winterim is for anybody who is at all interested in digital music or the art of music production. We will visit various recording studios in Portland and interview the engineers and producers that use these studios. Then we will bring our knowledge back to OES and contribute to the design of the recording studio that is being built in the EC3 Design Center. For the last two days, we will produce or write songs and record them, or at least learn cover songs and record them. If we have extra time, we will create a set of instructions and guidelines for any OES students who will use the studio in the future.

Leaders: Chad Gilton, Tadhg Ferris Wayne, Xinyu Zhou

Enrollment: 7

Cost: Free +

Sherlock Holmes is known for his powers of thought and observation. Our Winterim will ask: Is Sherlock's extraordinary intellect merely a gift of fiction, or can we learn to cultivate these abilities ourselves, to improve our minds and our lives? We will explore Holmes’s unique methods of ever-present mindfulness, astute observation, and logical deduction. Like Holmes, we will attempt to train your brain to work more effectively with brain teasers, puzzles, games, and two trips to escape rooms. A former homicide detective will also walk students through a real investigation.

Leader: C.T. Henry

Enrollment: 5-12

Cost: Free +

Head Start is a federally funded preschool program for low-income families. Their mission is to provide a safe, nurturing, caring, and culturally sensitive environment for their young students. As a Head Start Helper, you will read to children, play educational games, assist the teaching staff with classroom activities, and help supervise outdoor play. You will have the opportunity to interact and develop meaningful relationships with young children from very diverse backgrounds. Participants in this Winterim will earn service learning hours and may turn the experience into a service learning project.

**Service hours definite, service project possible**

Leaders: Head Start Teachers, Peter Langley

Enrollment: 6

Cost: Free+

In this course we will learn how food was preserved in the days before refrigeration. We’ll cook, preserve and make to discover the value in preserving food and household items with traditional methods. As a participant you will develop greater confidence in the kitchen as you learn because many of the techniques taught are basic ones for effective cooking (marinades, drying, pasteurization, sanitation and food safety). While our culinary treats are bubbling or drying, we’ll also learn some basic sewing and felting techniques so that you can make towels, pot holders or other useful items that can be used in the kitchen. We’ll put together baskets of homemade goods to give to new immigrants as well as friends and family. And finally, as an added bonus, all participants will get a food handler’s license, so you’ll have the certification you need to get a job in the food industry.

Leaders: Julie Sikkink & Katrina Levin

Enrollment: 12

Cost: $60

Discovery is a 5 day, 40 hour apprenticeship or career exploration opportunity open to 10th-12th graders who want to create an individualized learning experience. Students are responsible for creating their own program to pursue a particular area of interest. The deadline for submitting the Final Proposal plan to do a Discovery during Winterim 2019 is Friday, January 11, 2019 (for those who have already submitted a Preliminary Proposal).

**Service project possible**

Leader: Dana Mosher Lewis

Enrollment: no limit

Cost: personal expenses

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”from The Wind in the Willows

Join us as we travel north to Seattle and Port Townsend, twin capitals of Puget Sound’s wooden boat scene. We will work with experts at the Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union and, with the Seattle skyline behind us, learn to sail and row small, historic wooden boats and learn about their historic restoration efforts. Maybe we’ll visit the Ballard Locks, too, and the Nordic Museum, get a taste of Seattle’s maritime legacies. Then we’ll join the folks at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend (on the Olympic Peninsula) to learn about the history of tall ships, learn to row longboats, sail a schooner, navigate, tie knots, make a paddle in their woodworking shop, and stay in a historic residence at Fort Worden State Park. To add to the atmosphere, we’ll also choose literature together (fiction and nonfiction) that attests to the Romance of the Sea and returns us to the great Age of Sail. We’ll do most of our own cooking and live intentionally as a small group, spending the days with limited screen time to get into the spirit of being out in the elements, alert to wind and tide, water, wood, and sky.

Leaders: John Holloran and Rick Rees

Dates: March 14-21, 2019 (7 nights)

Enrollment: 8-12

Cost: $1100

One of the best ways to enjoy winter and find solitude and outdoor fun in the Pacific Northwest is to go cross country skiing. This course is designed to give you the skills to become a competent cross country skier. The first two days will be spent doing day trips to nearby groomed and ungroomed cross country ski areas near Portland where you can practice your “kick and glide” technique. Sunday we will head over to central Oregon where we’ll spend the night near Sisters. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we’ll immerse ourselves in a two night hut to hut traverse in the Three Sisters Backcountry. You’ll get to experience the awesome splendor of the Three Sisters Wilderness during the winter without having to carry a huge backpack, since these huts are outfitted with bedding, stoves and even food! Wednesday afternoon we’ll leave the splendor of the wilderness, spend one more night in Sisters, and Thursday we’ll travel back to OES. This trip includes a hired guide, ski and equipment rental, all lodging (including backcountry huts), meals, and transportation. Beginners and experienced cross country skiers are welcome.

Leaders: Matt Bedrin and Jenny Cleveland

Dates: March17-21, 2019 (local trips March14 & 15)

Enrollment: 8

Cost: $900

Mississippi was ground zero in America's struggle for equality. This trip will immerse you in the Civil Right Movement and the continuing struggle to create a just America. In Jackson we'll visit the brand new, multi-million dollar Mississippi Civil Rights museum. We'll walk in the footsteps of Medgar Evers, Freedom Riders and legendary Civil Rights lawyer, John Doar. We'll meet freedom fighters ready to pass on their stories and inspire you to action. We'll experience the power of the Black Church on a Sunday morning in the South. We'll travel to Neshoba County and relive the last hours of Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman. Their murders at the start of Freedom Summer changed America. We'll travel to the Delta and learn about legendary Bluesmen, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton and B.B. King. And we'll learn about the tragedy of Emmett Till and the inspiration of Fannie Lou Hamer. You'll hear stories of courage by young civil rights workers in the Delta that will stay with you for the rest of your life. The trip will end in Memphis with a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April, 1968. Along the way we'll be eating the best barbecue and fried chicken on the planet. The trip will challenge you with the dichotomy of exploring the darkest moments in our nation's history, while simultaneously being embraced by some of the kindest, most warm-hearted people you will meet in your life.

Leaders: Ron Silver, Katie Seltzer

Dates: March 14-22, 2019 (**Note this trip returns one day after the end of Winterim**)

Enrollment: 10-12

Cost: $1600

This train and ski excursion is designed to provide a variety of winter activities in the Whitefish Ski Area of Montana, a mountain with 360 degrees of diverse ski trails. Transportation will be provided by Amtrak and resort shuttles; the rental house is on the slopes of the ski resort, so students will ski in/out each day from the porch. This trip is for students new to skiing/boarding or those who don’t have the opportunity to hit the slopes very often—and will provide students with an immersion opportunity to learn, improve, and enhance their skiing or snowboarding skills during five days of active mountain time. Students will also plan, organize, and shop for meals as well as plan evening activities for the group.

Leaders: Coleen Davis, Rob Orr

Dates: March 14-21, 2019

Enrollment: 12 students who are not on a ski/snowboard or freestyle team

Cost: $1100 + equipment rental if needed

San Francisco has long been a center of cultural and social justice movements in the United States. In this Winterim we will investigate the complex ways culture responds to and shapes movements for social justice. Possible topics, to be selected by the group in our first meeting, include: the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, Gentrification in the Filmore and Mission Neighborhoods, the Native American occupation of Alcatraz, LGBTQIA+ civil rights and communities in the Castro Neighborhood, Filipino activism and the battle for the I-Hotel, and Environmentalism and Muir Woods. We'll explore San Francisco through museums, theater, murals, interviews, restaurants, paintings, film, poetry, hiking, and more. Discover the wealth of culture and the histories of resilience and resistance in the City by the Bay!

Leaders: Gabriel Stein-Bodenheimer and Lindsey Zanchettin

Dates: March 14-21, 2019

Enrollment: 8-12

Cost: $1600

Get ready to explore southeastern Utah from the top of plateaus to the bottom of the canyons. After flying into Las Vegas, we'll drive to the remote four corners region to see the wild and pristine canyons of Utah. Follow a winding ancient riverbed through history on a four day backpacking trip, to see murals and ruins that might date back to 1400 AD. Hike along enchanting creeks that wisp through ancient red orange canyon walls. Camp under an infinite tapestry of stars at night. Listen to the howl of the coyote or the elusive Gunnison sage grouse. Breathe in the intoxicating aroma of wild sage, pinon pine, and juniper. Learn about the ancient Anasazi who lived in these canyons for thousands of years. This is rugged and beautiful terrain, and rewards of traveling into it are memories for a lifetime.

Leaders: Doug Ironside, Autumn Apperson

Dates: March 14-21, 2019

Enrollment: 10 max, or 20 if we have two groups

Cost: $950

Being a Washington County Outdoor School Counselor is one of the most fun, inspiring and rewarding experiences you can ever have! As a counselor, you will learn valuable leadership and teaching skills. You’ll learn how to lead interactive, hands-on outdoor activities with small groups of sixth-graders that are simple and fun. You’ll also get to work with many great students from other high schools, some of whom could become lifelong friends. As an Outdoor School counselor you’ll gain valuable volunteer experience that looks great on college and job applications. You can earn transferable college credit, and complete one of your service learning projects at OES, too! And, most of all, you will change the lives of elementary school students, often in ways that you'll never know.

**Service Project possible**

Leaders: Washington County Outdoor School staff

Dates: March 17-22, 2019 (**NOTE: Participants work through the end of the day on Friday, March 22**)

Enrollment: 6-20

Cost: Free

Travel with us to Northern Minnesota to enjoy an experience unlike any other. We will spend four days on the lakes and trails of the Boundary Waters, driving two-person sleds with a team of four to five Inuit dogs each. Experienced guides will provide hands-on training on the first day, and then you will handle your own team of dogs, including feeding and harnessing them every morning. We will stay in lakeside lodges each night (with an option to camp outside one night!). There will be a chance to try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and a Finnish sauna. We will also pay a visit to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, to observe and learn about the native timber wolves. Get ready for an amazing experience, and prepare to fall in love with dogsledding!

Leaders: Liz Weiler and Lauren Shareshian

Dates: March 15-20, 2019

Enrollment: 8-12

Cost: $1850

Have you ever wanted to get certified to SCUBA dive so you can explore the 71% of our planet that is covered by water? In this Winterim all participants will complete a full SCUBA course which will earn you a lifetime certification to dive, recognized worldwide. We’ll begin our study with 2 required Saturday sessions in January and February (approx. 12-15 hours total) where we’ll work together here at OES to complete the PADI eCourse portion of the certification process. Then, on Weds. March 13 we’ll fly to the Big Island of Hawaii where we’ll set up our temporary home at Hawaii Prep and complete the pool and open water portions of the course with Kohala Divers. On our open water dives we’ll have the opportunity to closely observe the marine ecology of Hawaii during the Humpback Whale season.

While staying in Hawaii we’ll learn about Hawaiian culture by visiting sacred and historic haieau with native Hawaiians where we’ll hear traditional stories and ancient songs. We’ll also learn Hawaiian Makahiki games and compete with Hawaiian teenagers in their native “olympic” style of land events. Kumu (Hawaiian for teacher) Kuwalu from Hawaii Preparatory Academy will lead these traditional experiences while Tom and Missy help referee.

During our time on the Big Island we’ll also surf or boogie board at Kawaihae and Hapuna beaches, hike across a rugged lava flow to the spectacular Makalawena Beach, and camp near Kiholo Bay Turtle Sanctuary where local Marine Researchers will share the health and future status of the local protected Green Sea turtles. In appreciation for all that we’ll be given we’ll spend a morning volunteering our time and muscles to protect the ecosystem that makes Hawaii so magical.

Leaders: Tom Handel, Missy Smith, Jacen Wilkins, and local Hawaiian teacher David Giff

Dates: March 13-22, 2019 (**Note this trip returns one day after the end of Winterim**)

Enrollment: 12

Cost: $2250

This trip will explore the country and culture of Cambodia. We will start the trip in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh. In this vibrant and active urban environment we will learn about the history of the country and the current efforts to rebuild after decades of war (Cambodian Civil War). We'll meet with a local reporter to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the government, and with a survivor of the Khmer Rouge for insight into citizen life. Also, we will explore the relatively recent history of conflict here by visiting the Eviction Sites, Tuol Sleng Museum, and the Killing Fields, legacies of the brutal Pol Pot regime. Time will allow for visits to the Silver Pagoda, Central Market, Olympic Stadium, and Royal Palace, as well as for watching the traditional Apsara dance performances.  

As the group leaves Phnom Penh and ventures into the countryside we will see first-hand the effect of past conflicts and current rebuilding efforts on the culture and people of Cambodia. We will travel to Battambang, Cambodia’s second largest city. Here we will hike Phnom Sampeu (a mountain with a harrowing and horrifying past), explore the Bamboo Railway, and kayak along the Sangkae River while viewing the Irrawaddy dolphins.  

Leaving Battambang we’ll head east towards the Tonlé Sap. We will explore floating villages and learn about the unique ecology of the freshwater lake and then continue north to the city of Siem Reap, where we’ll spend approximately a week working with the local NGO Caring for Cambodia (CFC). We’ll alternate building projects and teaching English through CFC’s ESL Program, trips to more rural villages, and visits to the amazing temple complexes including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm.  We also will have the opportunity to watch the Phare Circus, take a cooking class, and explore the city center on bicycles. Here we will contrast the reality of life in Cambodia today with the proud history of the ancient Khmer empire.

For more information please contact Emily Ford.

Information meeting: September 26 at 5:45 pm in the Drinkward Center chemistry lab
Leaders: Emily Ford, Lola de Garmo (Student Leaders), Bevin Daglen, and Erika Jelinek
Key Collaborators: Maureen Pond (CFC) and Kilong Ung 
Dates: March 13–March 24 or 25, 2019 
Enrollment: 9-12 Students 
Service Learning: Yes - Project
Cost: $3600-$3700 depending on airfare

For our students who have had at least two years of French, we have an established exchange program with a high school in the Lyon region of France.  L’Externat Sainte-Marie is located in La Verpillière, twenty minutes to the south east of Lyon.  Our students spend a little over two weeks in home stays with the families of their host students, going to school at l’Externat, and touring the surrounding region. In previous years those tours have included short trips to Geneva, the medieval towns of Crémieux and Pérouges, and further south, Avignon and les Baux de Provence. The trip also includes three to four days spent in Paris.  

This trip begins the week before Winterim and includes Winterim as well as most of spring break. In return, the French correspondents who hosted the OES students then come to Portland and spend approximately three weeks with their OES families, attending classes and touring the region. A parent meeting for those who are interested in participating in this exchange will be scheduled in the fall. 

For more information please contact Katrina Perry.

Information meeting: September 26 at 6:00 pm in room 73
Leaders:  Katrina Perry and TBA
Dates:  We will likely depart on March 9 and return on March 28.
Enrollment:  8 -14
Cost:  $3600 (includes all expenses except lunch during the four days in Paris, personal expenditures, and passport fees.)
Prerequisites: Students applying for this trip should be enrolled in French II or higher. 

On this trip we will explore the cultural and social values of Cuba by participating in the local culture of Havana and Las Terrazas. We will learn about Cuba’s history, politics, national treasures, music, and contemporary art scene by immersing ourselves in the communities of both places.

The trip's first few days will be spent in Havana exploring cultural sites, visiting the markets, and working with an art school on a community project. We'll also travel to the beautiful town of Las Terrazas (for three days) and visit a UNESCO biosphere reserve where we will swim, visit the school, explore the vibrant artist community there, and see a coffee plantation.

For more information, please contact Maria McIvor or Carmen Boyle.

Information meeting: September 26 at 6:00 pm in room 71
Leaders: Carmen Boyle and Maria McIvor
Travel Company: Authentic Cuba Travel
Dates:  March 14- March 21st
Enrollment: 12
Cost: $3600
Service Learning: Yes - Hours (possibly a project)
Prerequisites: Students applying for this trip should be enrolled in Spanish I or higher.

This trip will mark the fifth biennial global service collaboration between Catlin Gabel School (CGS) and Oregon Episcopal School. Together, our group of seven OES and seven CGS students will journey to the Ixil Mayan town of Chajul, Guatemala, where we will work with community leaders and support their efforts to improve the lives of local children and families. The trip has proven to be an inspiring, enlightening, and incredibly fun experience where OES and CGS students form deep friendships with each other as well as with students in Chajul. 

The Ixil region was the target of genocide during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. Despite the signing of peace accords in 1996, people in Chajul still struggle. Less than 3% of students in Chajul graduate from high school and 75% of the adults are illiterate. We will work with two locally-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that focus on education:  Limitless Horizons Ixil, (which initiated the region’s only public library and offers scholarships, educational support, professional training, and health education in Chajul) and with CEMIK, a one-room schoolhouse that provides Ixil-Spanish bilingual education to the poorest families in the community. 

Students who participate in this trip should be excited to speak a lot of Spanish (all communication with people in Chajul is conducted in Spanish), to learn about the role of NGOs in the developing world, and to play, learn and work with very young children through young adults in Chajul. Our rewards will be the opportunity to develop friendships with people whose lives are very different from our own, and the rare chance to experience daily life in a corner of the world that few extranjeros have the privilege to visit. 

For more information, contact Christina Meyerhoff.

Information meeting: September 26 at 5:30 pm in room 70
Leaders:  Christina Meyerhoff, Spencer White
NGO Key Collaborators:  Joan Williams, Dr. Andrew Zechnich
Dates:  March 13– March 23, 2019
Enrollment:  7 OES students, 7 CGS students. 
Service Learning: Yes - Project
Cost: $2500
Prerequisites: Participants need to be enrolled in or have completed at least Spanish III 

This Winterim offers participants the opportunity to experience China in its most rural and urban contexts. Our group will travel first to Chengdu in Sichuan province, China’s fifth largest city. From there we will head to a panda center in nearby Dujiangyan where we’ll spend two days learning about and caring for China’s treasured pandas. Next we’ll journey deep into the mountains for two nights in the tiny and secluded Jiaju Tibetan village of Danba, where we will live with a family, hike in search of hidden ancient pagodas, and experience isolated rural Chinese life first hand. We will stop to explore the pristine peaks of Four Girls National Park before returning to Chengdu, where we’ll visit the night market and watch a Chinese opera and acrobatics show. From there, we’re off to Beijing!

Once in China’s capital, we will connect with students at the Beijing Foreign Language School, take a cooking class, and savor the tea ceremony at a traditional Chinese tea house (learning how to properly prepare green, jasmine, and wulong teas).  We’ll also visit the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Jingshan Park, and Hutong for dinner. To wrap up our experience we’ll make a pilgrimage to the Great Wall of China.

This trip will be arranged through Rustic Pathways. You can view the itinerary details here.

For other information about the trip contact Chiman Chen or Kelola McCrary.

Information meeting: September 26 at 5:30 pm in room 72
Leaders: Chiman Chen, Kelola McCrary, and a Rustic Pathways Program Leader
Dates: March 13-25, 2019
Enrollment: 12 students (Applicants who are studying Chinese will be given priority, though language study is not a requirement for participation.)
Travel Company: Rustic Pathways
Cost: $3,950