Travel Abroad Opportunities with FCPS Schools

[Anonymous]

I was wondering what opportunities your child has to go abroad through FCPS, or FCPS-adjacent programs? What high schools offer them? If your child participated in a travel abroad program, did they have a good experience?

[Anonymous]

Lake Braddock offers them, often with language or history teachers. There is usually one a year. They also offer a summer music trip every other summer. It’s through a VA music organization but the directors pass the info on and nominate students. We know people who have gone and had good experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock offers them, often with language or history teachers. There is usually one a year. They also offer a summer music trip every other summer. It’s through a VA music organization but the directors pass the info on and nominate students. We know people who have gone and had good experiences.

What’s the name of the music organization?

[Anonymous]

Lewis is hosting a trip to Barcelona and Paris next summer. They host these kind of language trips yearly.

This summer, my Lewis student is going on a band trip across Europe. It's not through FCPS, but the band teacher nominated students. I appreciate that my child's band teacher will be going along, as that gives the kids a familiar face. They're visiting Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France.

[Anonymous]

Oakton doesn't do this. The population is wealthy enough to take foreign trips on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oakton doesn't do this. The population is wealthy enough to take foreign trips on their own.

the chorus program went to Europe in February or March at Oakton. Maybe orchestra too, not sure.

[Anonymous]

Please tell me my tax dollars are not used to send HS abroad…

[Anonymous]

Langley's Russian program participates in a two-week exchange every year. I don't think it's FCPS sponsored, but I could be wrong. I believe the logistics are handled by the teacher who's been doing this for decades, and the participating families pay for it. Fantastic experience, though I'm sure they haven't done it in the past few years for obvious reasons. My kids graduated before the Ukraine war.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please tell me my tax dollars are not used to send HS abroad…

Nope, parents pay for these programs.

Any other questions you'd like to ask?

[Anonymous]

Robinson German students do an exchange each June. A dozen German students come here and attend school with our students for a week, then a dozen of our kids go back to Germany for a week.

This year the Latin classes had Italian exchange students too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oakton doesn't do this. The population is wealthy enough to take foreign trips on their own.

"Foreign trips." That's an odd way of phrasing it. Most people I know who talk about traveling abroad describe visiting other countries and cultures, and the experiences and knowledge they gain. "Foreign trips" sounds like someone who has never traveled outside the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oakton doesn't do this. The population is wealthy enough to take foreign trips on their own.

Because traveling with family offers teens the same experience. 🙄

[Anonymous]

Mount Vernon does one over spring break. In the last few years, they've gone to London, Barcelona, Greece. I've heard they have one planned for Japan but plan to do it over the summer in 2027. When my DS went, the trip was organized by a History and English teacher and they used EF Tours.

[Anonymous]

There was just a trip to japan in a coworker's kid's HS during spring break.

[Anonymous]

Rocky Run Middle School has a partnership with a school in England. Every other year, a selection of students from both schools are partnered up. The RRMS kids go to England for a week (spring or fall), and the British kids come here for a week in the opposite season.

The kids live with the partner family, attend school, tour highlights, etc. My DC did the program and it was a tremendous experience. It's a committment for the whole family as we were responsbile for hosting, feeding, entertaining, etc., during the week.