Academics

Experiential Learning at CFS

Experiential Learning offers Church Farm School students formative experiences that offer hands-on, real-world learning experiences in our classrooms, out in the surrounding community and far beyond our campus. 

We are focused on three key areas that we believe will benefit our students during their time at CFS and beyond! 

  • Project-Based Learning
  • Service Learning
  • Experiences Outside the Ordinary
    • Intellectual Immersion Summer- or semester-long opportunities for Church Farm scholars to enroll in a renowned college, university or research institution for intensive, college-level study of a specialist subject like physics, political science or marine biology.
    • Internships and Externships Grounded in a relationship with a corporate or nonprofit partner, these working experiences introduce students to a given profession or industry, placing particular emphasis on the building of key professional skills, core management principles and networking know-how.
    • Global Citizenship International experiences, whether lasting a few weeks or an entire semester, open our students eyes to the world beyond America’s shores, offering them insight into cultural norms, building their second language skills, and giving them the opportunity to study things like diplomacy or global markets in a novel setting. 
Current partners in Experiences Outside the Ordinary include: 
  • Student Diplomacy Corps 
  • High Mountain Institute 
  • The Island School 
  • The University of Pennsylvania Summer Program 
  • Yale University 
  • The Experiment in International Living 
Interested in partnering with us in any of these key areas? Contact Christopher Kramaric at [email protected] to learn how!

List of 6 items.

  • Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS)

    YYGS is a two-week academic enrichment program for outstanding high school students from around the world. Held at Yale University, it offers interdisciplinary sessions in areas like science, technology, literature, philosophy, politics, law, and economics. The program aims to foster global connections and inspire young minds through collaborative learning and discussions.

  • University of Pennsylvania - School of Arts & Sciences

    The School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania offers a comprehensive liberal arts education across humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It includes undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs, along with various research centers and initiatives focused on global understanding and climate change.

  • The Experiment in International Living

    This program provides high school students with immersive summer abroad experiences in countries like Spain, France, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands. Participants engage in homestays, language learning, community service, and cultural exploration to develop cross-cultural competencies and global awareness.

  • Student Diplomacy Corps

    The Student Diplomacy Corps offers place-based experiential education programs that connect students with the unique history, culture, and issues of various locations. Through project-based learning, homestays, and field-based explorations, students develop deep cross-cultural competencies and lasting bonds.

  • Semester Programs: The Island School

    The Island School offers a 100-day semester program for high school sophomores and juniors in South Eleuthera, Bahamas. Students engage in interdisciplinary studies, environmental stewardship, and community engagement, learning through direct experience in local ecosystems.

  • Semester Programs: High Mountain Institute

    The High Mountain Institute provides a semester-long program for high school juniors and seniors in Colorado and Utah. Combining rigorous academics with wilderness expeditions, the program fosters leadership, intellectual growth, and a deep connection to nature

Experiential Learning at CFS

Support Experiential Learning at CFS!

Oscar Lu '26: An Experience Outside the Ordinary at HMI

What changes does one undergo spending four months away from their parents, their school, technology, civilization and their twin brother? Judging by Oscar Lu’s transformation, they run the gamut from physical, to spiritual to social. Oscar and his twin brother, Victor, came to CFS as freshmen from California (the family has since moved to Massachusetts). Both standout students, Oscar’s quiet poise contrasts with Victor’s extroverted personality. Many did a double-take when Oscar – who spent the entire first semester at the High Mountain Institute (HMI) in Colorado – returned to campus in January, right before Victor was preparing to depart for his own semester-away experience at The Island School in the Bahamas. He looked older, stronger, more confident. Oscar says his time away helped him discover sides of himself he wasn’t aware of before.
 
“I learned who I am when I’m without my brother. I can make friends by myself. I can stand up for myself. I can say no to things. I don’t always have to be perfect. I’m funny. I’m spontaneous. I’m a good chef.” Oscar is the third CFS student to attend HMI’s term-away program – open to high achieving high school juniors and seniors. Both of his former CFS “big brothers,” Fayi Nshanji ’24 and Rafael Arellano ’24, attended HMI during the 2022-2023 school year and raved about it to him.
 
Approximately 40 participants rotate between school at HMI – a full courseload of honors and AP classes – interspersed with 14-day backpacking expeditions where they completely disconnect from technology and embrace learning by doing. Oscar recalls waking up to frost on his sleeping bag, seeing mountain goats and moose, running 10 miles to conclude his semester, cliff diving in Zion, hiking in a blizzard and the thrill of summiting a mountain at sunrise.
 
The HMI campus is located in Leadville, Colorado, the highest incorporated town in the contiguous U.S. Oscar said four days of orientation (no advance skills are required) included learning how to set up a tent, make specific knots, distribute weight in a pack, troubleshoot a stove and the fine art of conflict resolution, especially handy when you are thrown together with teenagers from all over the country. The skill Oscar thrived at that most surprised him was cooking. “I have always been good at baking because I follow directions, and everything is so precise. But cooking isn’t like baking; I learned that a lot of it is creativity and putting ingredients together to make it work.” Since returning from HMI, Oscar says he’s been “cheffing it up,” making fancy breakfasts and pasta sauces for his family and friends.
 
Due to the rigorous academic schedule – classes run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and study hall ends at 9:15 at which time laptops are turned in – Oscar says his time management has also grown exponentially. This will serve him well both at CFS and this summer, when he hopes to attend a summer program at either the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, or MIT’s MITES program. Oscar will spend his second semester at CFS as the president of his class “living in the moment and using his newfound confidence to advocate for his classmates.”
Church Farm School | 1001 E. Lincoln Hwy. | Exton, Pennsylvania 19341
Phone: 610.363.7500 | Fax: 610.363.5367 | Admissions: [email protected]

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The Church Farm School is an independent boarding and day school for boys in grades 9-12 located in Exton, PA. Founded in 1918 to provide an excellent education to young men from limited means, Church Farm School now serves boys from a range of socio-economic circumstances who are seeking an extraordinary educational opportunity. The school offers a challenging college preparatory curriculum and an exceptional level of personal attention, with class sizes averaging between just 7 and 12 students.