The 2019 - 2020 academic year was the first school year in GAAQ's school history where students were able to venture outside the Qatari borders to learn about other cultures around the world. For the immediate future, GEMS American Academy has plans to offer trips that focus on service learning, culture, environmental awareness and community involvement as these tenets are embedded into various areas of the curriculum in middle and high school.
GEMS American Academy Qatar, in partnership with Ecoventures, launched our first overseas ski trip to the beautiful Gudauri, Georgia. We stayed in the luxurious Alpina Hotel, a four-star establishment equipped with a game room, a lounge, a fireplace, and an astounding view of the Georgian mountains. We chose to do a ski trip in order to give students a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Many of our students had never seen snow before. The group began each day with a buffet breakfast and reviewed the day’s itinerary. Once on the hill, students separated into their skill level groups and spent the rest of the day either skiing or snowboarding. Our evenings were spent bonding through games, stories and food!
In the future , our goal for overseas trips is to continue developing our students as global citizens. In fact, we soon have big plans to extend our overseas trips to Grade 8 students, as well! Additionally, we hope to offer a service trip for high school; service trips are an important aspect of learning because they take students out of their comfort zones and place them within the culture, lifestyle and communities of those they are trying to aid.