Upper School Intensive Learning Spotlight: Give Kids The World

This group set out on a trip of service and volunteering at Give Kids The World in Orlando, FL. The students started out at the Give The Kids The World Village – an 89-acre, non-profit resort in Kissimmee that provides week-long, cost-free vacations to critically-ill children and their families from around the world. Here, students were given their assignments for the rest of the week including helping with dining services, science-related activities, beauty spa services and more. 

Students had the chance to work a variety of fun and interactive events over the course of the trip including the Big Splash Bash and the Halloween Extravaganza which consisted of playing games with children like hula hooping, chalk, and hopscotch. 

The trip ended with a day spent at the most magical place on earth – Disney World! Students visited Magic Kingdom Park where they rode lots of rides, ate lunch in the Crystal Palace, and even took pictures with characters such as Winnie the Pooh. 

Each day incorporated equal parts of service, hard work, and fun with time spent at the GKTW community. 

You can read more about this experience at the 2024 MFS Intensive Learning blog, where you can also read about all other Intensive Learning trips and experiences. 

View photos of the 2024 Upper School Give Kids The World Intensive Learning trip here.

This is one in a series of 2024 Intensive Learning Spotlights. For one week each March, regular classes are suspended for “Intensive Learning,” when Middle and Upper School students and teachers engage in an in-depth study of a specific subject, often involving off-campus research. This long-standing MFS tradition – which dates back to the mid 1970s – allows teachers and students to break out of the structure of formal class periods and traditional study for a time of experiential learning. Both students and teachers are encouraged to view themselves as life-long learners and students of the world around them.