Westover’s Global Programs allow our community to learn more about ourselves and our neighbors — both within our walls and beyond.
At Westover we are inspired by our motto, "To Think, To Do, To Be" as part of this "being" we push ourselves to cross borders, engage with one another, support students from all over the world as they thrive in the Westover community.
We all are challenged to reflect on our home cultures and backgrounds as we strengthen and contribute to our pluralistic and global world.
Our global programs fall into two main categories: support for international and exchange students at Westover, and global exchange programs.
Support For International and Exchange Students
- International Student Proctor
- Local host families
- International Student Alliance club and International Student meetings
- English as a Second Language curriculum
- Special weekend cultural trips to Boston and New York City, travel programs over holidays and school vacations
Global Exchange Programs
- Student and teacher travel programs: academic, language, and cultural exchanges as well as cultural immersion trip
The Maranyundo School is an English-speaking, non-denominational boarding school for high achieving girls from low-income families in grades 7 through 12. Run by the Benebikira Sisters, a Rwandan order of Roman Catholic nuns, the school opened in February 2008 and currently has 400 students, with 60 in each grade.
Westover has been a sister school of Maranyundo since its planning stages, both through the school community and through the efforts of a number of Westover alumnae volunteers, led by Barrie Hogan Landry '62. Late Head of School Ann Pollina, as well as several faculty members and students, have visited Maranyundo over the past several years, including most recently the summer of 2018. In addition, Westover has contributed equipment, as well as funds raised through Dorcas Fairs, to support Maranyundo's programs.
Westover’s global exchange programs offer a new and rewarding experience for students to explore cultural differences. Students are challenged to embrace these differences and invited to share new perspectives with the greater Westover community upon return. These experiences are part of our on-going education to more deeply understand ourselves and one another.
What Type of Program is Best For Me?
There are a variety of travel programs available at Westover. In addition to those offered by the academic departments and community service trips, there are a number of exchange and immersion programs from which to choose.
Each program involves travel, sightseeing, and acclimatization in another part of the world. In addition to long-standing relationships with schools with whom we both send and receive students, there are also trips to places such as Rwanda, which are only a few weeks in duration and offer a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in another culture in a way that goes beyond a typical tourist trip.
Types Of Exchanges
- Academic: Students participate in classes during the program and engage in the school life for the majority of the program; they also have a chance to explore nearby cultural sites and, if applicable, will continue the study of their chosen language.
- Language: Students live in a culture in which they must practice their language of study; in the case of China it is to a lesser extent.
- Cultural: Students travel, sightsee and may participate in service-learning activities; these programs often do include school visits, but only for a short period of time and emphasize a more targeted approached to experiential learning.
Westover’s global exchange programs offer a new and rewarding experience for students to explore cultural differences. Students are challenged to embrace these differences and invited to share new perspectives with the greater Westover community upon return. These experiences are part of our on-going education to more deeply understand ourselves and one another.