A Look at the Places Our Students Traveled to this Summer

Summer is a great time for students to relax and recharge for the school year ahead. At Kent Denver School, it’s also a great opportunity to explore the world, pursue passions, serve communities and experience new adventures. 

Over the last two months, Sun Devils could be found across the globe. In total, Kent Denver hosted eight school-sanctioned summer travel trips for our middle and high school students. 

From Central America to Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and more, read below for more information about all the incredible places our students journeyed to in 2024!

And be sure to check out our 2024 Summer Travel page for photo galleries from all of these amazing trips. 

Costa Rica

Kicking off the adventurous summer was a group of Upper School Spanish students who traveled to Costa Rica on May 31. Led by chaperones Mr. Chamby Zepeda and Ms. Whitney McMurtry, the 10-day trip focused on service learning, language immersion and a homestay experience through Walking Tree Travel—an organization that aims to inspire students on their path to becoming curious, compassionate and engaged global citizens. 

During their stay, our students worked to paint and build a fence at a local Sunday School, all while having the opportunity to play soccer and other games with the kids, hike at a national park, spend time at the beach, eat traditional Costa Rican cuisine, sing some karaoke and so much more!

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Tanzania

In what’s become an amazing school tradition, a group of Kent Denver Upper School students started their summer break by spending an unforgettable two weeks in Tanzania from May 31 to June 13. The service trip—which took place in partnership with the Africa School Assistance Project—was the perfect blend of service learning, cultural immersion and a whole lot of fun. 

Led this year by chaperones Mr. Corky Dean and Ms. Sarah Mitchell, the group helped the local community build a girls dormitory at Miririni Secondary School. Watch highlights from the trip on the Africa School Assistance Project YouTube Channel. 

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Grand Cayman

As part of their REEFS I Elective, 17 Middle School students kicked off June by traveling to the Caribbean. The 5-day trip to Grand Cayman, chaperoned by Mr. Steve Newman and Dr. Mary Fran Park, gave students the opportunity to earn their scuba diving certification. 

Students practiced open water dives in the beautiful blue ocean of the Cayman Islands, all while exploring and identifying various marine life. 

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St. Kitts, Saba and St. Maarten

That same week, a group of students from the REEFS 2 Advanced Middle School Elective went island hopping in the Caribbean—sailing from St. Kitts to Saba and St. Maarten. Alongside Denver Divers, the group of student scuba divers took several fun open water dives while exploring a wide array of marine life.

Led by chaperones Ms. Wendy Daniel and Mr. Adrian Barnes, the group also got off the boat to explore the islands during their 7-day adventure.

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Thailand

After spending the school year learning about historical and modern Thai culture, students from our Middle School Traveling Sun Devils elective spent 10 days at the beginning of June exploring Thailand with faculty chaperones Ms. Aniele Hawkins and Mr. Eddie Lopez. 

This Walking Tree Travel adventure focused on cultural immersion, conservation work, language acquisition and world religion. Students explored the cities of Chiang Mai, Sukhothai and Bangkok, swam at Sticky Waterfalls and other natural springs, took Thai language and cooking classes, shopped in traditional markets and even interacted with asian elephants!

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Taiwan

In early June, Ms. Annick Chen and Mr. Slade Burns led a group of Upper School students on a two-week trip to Taiwan. Focused on language and cultural immersion, the students visited local host schools—participating in fun, hands-on cultural activities in the classroom. 

They also spent a great deal of time exploring the country, visiting landmarks and museums, going on hikes, experiencing local cuisine, diving further into the history of Taiwan and so much more. 

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Sea of Cortez, Mexico

Later in June, a group of Upper School students from the REEFS 3 club joined chaperones Mr. Adrian Barnes and Ms. Wendy Daniel on a one-week sailing adventure to the Sea of Cortez. Known as the “Aquarium of the World,” the waters allowed for incredible diving opportunities. 

With support from Denver Divers, the group took several open water dives—with a focus on training for master diver certification while conducting hands-on shark research and marine life service. 

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Rwanda

In association with our Upper School Rwanda Club, Kent Denver students took an impactful two-week trip to Rwanda from June 18 to July 2. Led by chaperones Dr. Lucas Carmichael and Ms. Allison Schreuder, and in partnership with the Global Livingston Institute, students learned more about the history of the region while exploring a national park, seeing local conservation efforts and getting up close to wildlife on an amazing safari tour.

Students also participated in a Youth Summit, and they even had the incredible opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister of Rwanda, Édouard Ngirente (pictured above), for over an hour to discuss Rwanda’s domestic and international policies.

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