By Khaaliq Van-Otoo ’18

After a successful year, full of many highlights, Rosanne Mistretta is looking for ways to grow the Center for Experiential Learning as the program that emphasizes hands-on learning completes its second year.

“My role has been evolving. As it is a brand new role, one thing that we knew we wanted to do coming in, was to get global trips off the ground,” said Rosanne, who is the program’s director.

This year, the Center organized and ran three trips for students. There was the Tasmania Exchange program in which two AFS sophomores, Amira Parker and Jonah Fine, traveled to Tasmania, Australia, this past summer and attended classes at the Friends School in Hobart. In return, two Hobart students, James Arnett and Gabrielle Merritt, took classes at AFS for a few weeks this past winter.

A trip to Costa Rica in March and an upcoming trip to Hurricane Island, Maine, this summer mark the end of the program’s travel programs for this year.

The Tasmania Exchange program will resume this summer, with four AFS students making the trip and attending the Hobart school.

In addition, four new trips are already planned for next year. Rosanne said students will have the opportunity to travel to the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Virginia; Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and overseas to Paris and China. The trips were unveiled to Upper School students this week in a morning assembly and more information about all trips will be coming out soon for families.

Rosanne also is planning to involve more student voices in the Center next year by establishing a student Experiential Learning Council that will advise her on program planning and help in getting the word out to fellow students.