From the Caribbean to New Zealand, how Loomis Chaffee builds real travel into environmental education
Quick Answer for Busy Parents
The Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies runs Loomis Chaffee’s International Education Program, offering student travel to genuinely varied destinations: St. Croix, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas; Germany and Poland; France; Midcoast Maine; and New Zealand. Students apply through a formal process, ranking their program preferences, with acceptance decisions communicated directly by the school ahead of each trip.
Five Real Destinations, Not a Single Fixed Trip
Rather than a single standard class trip, the Alvord Center’s International Education Program of Loomis Chaffee offers students a genuine choice among five distinct destinations, spanning the Caribbean, Europe, and the South Pacific, alongside a domestic option in Midcoast Maine. That range lets students choose a program aligned with their specific academic or personal interests, whether that’s Caribbean marine ecosystems, European history and culture, or New Zealand’s distinctive environmental landscape.
Why Offer This Much Choice?
Offering five genuinely different destinations, rather than a single required trip, means the program can serve students with very different interests and goals, instead of forcing every student through the same experience regardless of fit.
Curious How the Alvord Center’s Programs Fit Your Child?
Cardinal Education helps families understand how a school’s global travel and environmental studies programs align with a student’s interests.
Speak with an Admissions Expert
Why Pair Global Study With Environmental Studies
Naming the center for both “Global” and “Environmental” studies together, rather than treating them as separate programs, reflects a deliberate choice to connect cultural and environmental learning rather than keeping them in separate academic silos. A trip to New Zealand or the Caribbean naturally brings both dimensions together: students engage with a different culture while also encountering environmental systems and challenges distinct from what they’d study at home in Connecticut.
| Destination | Program Window (Recent Cycle) |
| St. Croix, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas | March |
| Germany and Poland | March |
| France | June |
| Midcoast Maine | June |
| New Zealand | June |
A Competitive, Structured Application Process
Students apply to the International Education Program by ranking their first- and second-choice destinations, along with an advisor recommendation form, all due by a set deadline each year. Families are notified of program acceptance by email, a structured process that treats these trips as genuine academic programs with real selection criteria, not an open sign-up available to any interested student.
Why a Formal Application Matters
Requiring a ranked application and an advisor recommendation, rather than first-come-first-served registration, lets the Alvord Center match students to programs that genuinely fit their interests and readiness, rather than filling seats purely based on who signs up fastest.
The Alvord Center’s International Education Program offers Loomis Chaffee students distinct global and domestic opportunities, connecting cultural and environmental learning. Navigating the competitive application process, choosing the right destination, and evaluating how travel fits into a student’s broader academic trajectory can be complex.
Cardinal Education works closely with families to evaluate program options, prepare compelling application materials, and ensure global study experiences align seamlessly with their student’s long-term educational goals.
Speak with an Admissions Expert