KDS students standing in front of a waterfall in Taiwan

Global Travel
Throughout their time at Kent Denver, students have opportunities to experience the world through group adventures, service learning trips and cultural exchanges. Click on the tabs below to learn more about some of our Global Travel programs!

Traveling Sun Devils

Explore new cultures. Travel the world.

Traveling Sun Devils is a Middle School elective that focuses on a different travel location each year. Students spend the school year learning about a specific country, and then over the summer, they travel to that country to deepen their appreciation for these unique people, places and cultures.

Traveling Sun Devils

In recent years, students have studied and visited Thailand, Costa Rica, Peru, Japan, Morocco, Greece, the Galapagos Islands and more!

This elective is a great way for students to learn what makes a culture unique: from food and language to religion, art, music and history. It’s also a chance for students to meet new friends and expand their understanding of the world around them.

Seeing the world through the eyes of the middle school students is so fun! They bring such open-mindedness and an amazing sense of adventure. Aniele Hawkins Program Leader

Program Leaders: Aniele Hawkins and Eddie Lopez

REEFS

Learn diving skills. Explore the seas.

Available as both an Upper School club and a Middle School elective, REEFS is a place for students to earn SCUBA certifications while learning about ocean ecology, marine taxonomy, marine surveying techniques and underwater digital photography and videography.

Kent Denver REEFS

Students will complete their SCUBA certification, learn about ocean ecosystems and then, at the end of the year, have the opportunity to go on an incredible marine science dive trip with their classmates to beautiful destinations like the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Honduras and more!

Learn from Professionals

Through the REEFS program, students take dive instructor classwork to earn their SCUBA certification, all while learning about our world’s oceans and developing a lifelong passion for conserving marine life.

Students will learn the basics of SCUBA diving both online and through in-class sessions with professional instructors in the Denver area. They will then have the opportunity to tackle open-water dives on their class trips.

REEFS is really fun. I really like the ocean, and I was really excited to learn how to scuba dive. One summer, we got to go to Grand Cayman and went out on a boat every day. It was so pretty, and the water was really pretty too! It was really fun, and the food was really good. It’s cool to be involved in something like that. You feel like you’re a part of something getting to do something fun with friends over the summer. Reina K.Class of 2028

Program Leader: Wendy Daniel

Language Exchanges

Connect with culture. Immerse yourself in language.

Through our World Languages Department, Kent Denver has partnered with schools and communities in France, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland and Costa Rica. World Languages teachers regularly offer opportunities for students to experience trips that combine language study, home stays, community service and/or cultural exploration.

World Language Exchanges

World Language Chair: Eric Dawson

In 2026, Kent Denver students traveled to Costa Rica for a language, homestay and service adventure. During the 10-day trip, Upper School students immersed themselves in a different culture by staying with a host family and collaborating on a community service project. Students also practiced their Spanish language skills with local residents.

Service Trips

Serve communities. Make an impact.

As part of Kent Denver’s commitment to service, students are offered summer opportunities to travel and positively impact communities around the world.

These opportunities include a summer trip to Tanzania where students work to build schools in rural villages, ethical leadership and service programs through Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder, and special service trips with Kent Denver clubs, such as the Rwanda Club.

Service Trips

By partnering with communities over the course of several years, faculty develop a deep understanding of local culture and cultivate relationships with people and partner organizations that lead to meaningful engagement for our students.

During summer service learning trips, students often stay with local families and contribute to activities, like building schools, that provide long-term benefit. Time for travel and exploration is also built into the trips to ensure students have a broad perspective of the region they are serving. Depending on location, these trips may also serve as a significant language-immersion experience.

The hard work is worth it when you know you’re doing it for someone else. Meeting people from other communities and just knowing that you did something that’s bigger than yourself is really special.Joseph o. class of 2024 / tanzania trip

Students standing in front of palm trees

Summer Trips

Each summer, Kent Denver students can be found across the globe on a variety of fun, memorable and impactful school trips. See where our Sun Devils went in 2026!

Summer 2026 Travel Photo Galleries

Signature Programs

Browse the full list of our award-winning Signature Programs.

Find Your Passion

Environment

See how students practice sustainability & conservation at KDS.

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Academic Competition

Students can design robots, discuss geopolitics and more!

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