Experiential Programs
International Travel
They see that joy and wealth are not necessarily connected with each other.
Larry Muir, US Science
As Bush students learn history, languages and other aspects of the world, the Foreign Travel Program offers opportunities for students to immerse themselves in other cultures, to explore areas of interest and to deepen the meaning of their studies. From the school's first overseas trip—founder Helen Taylor Bush led a group of students to France in 1939—foreign travel trips have been planned with active participation from the students.
In the early 1970s, Upper School French teacher Bob Ellis began a tradition of Seacliste expeditions: 90-day bicycling trips through French-speaking nations, with French the only language spoken by the group. (The term Seacliste is a play on the French word for cyclist; the spelling reflects the Bush home base, Seattle.) Group foreign travel trips now journey to a wide range of locations, but students still take active roles such as trip photographer or first aid.
On recent visits to Indonesia, Central America and Tibet, Bush students sought service placements in their host countries and worked in ecological and social service settings. Individual foreign travel takes place through a popular homestay program, in which students plan their independent study and living arrangements with assistance from Bush teachers and a network of support in sites such as France, Spain and Ecuador.
Homestays
This program allows juniors and seniors to spend the three months of the spring trimester living with a family in a foreign country while attending regular high school classes in their home city. This is an exchange program and normally a French, Mexican, or Spanish student returns to spend three months with the homestay student.