Global Programs

At McDonogh, we believe good communication skills, a deep understanding of diverse cultures and ways of living, and authentic engagement with global neighbors are critical to helping students build respectful relationships and appreciate the similarities and differences within our community and beyond. Through age-appropriate curriculum and co-curricular programs, we are dedicated to developing competencies that empower our students to become ethical leaders. In each division, they learn and broaden their horizons. By the end of their McDonogh journey, our students emerge with a profound appreciation for communities around the world.

Lower School Students Make Global Connections

Our youngest learners gain an understanding of their connections to the world and the diverse heritages in our School community by exploring harvests and celebrations, geography, and global challenges. They also strengthen their ability to advocate for the planet and the people living on it. Global Connections, McDonogh’s PK through fourth-grade competency-based curriculum, emphasizes authentic learning experiences. A highlight for students is guest speakers and virtual and in-person visits with students and teachers from our partner schools.

Middle School Students Take Global Perspectives

The journey of developing global competencies continues for middle schoolers through Global Perspectives, an inquiry-based curriculum designed for fifth and sixth-grade learners. Students gain increased self-awareness, greater global citizenship skills, and a firmer grasp of geography. Through the exploration of Sustainable Development Goals, they also come to understand the diverse perspectives necessary for addressing and advancing solutions to global issues.

Sixth through eighth-grade students can participate in an optional virtual dialogue program with Gymnasium Grootmoor, our partner school in Germany. Additionally, the Middle School offers several Travel Learning opportunities spanning immersive day trips to longer overnight excursions. All of these programs deepen the learning students are developing on campus.

Upper School Students Examine Global Issues

Upper school students actively engage with the world through history, English, and world languages classes, as well as elective courses centered on international perspectives and global issues. Upper schoolers can also connect virtually and in person with students at partner schools around the world through Global Dialogues. This extracurricular program creates a space for students to engage in civil discourse on topics that matter to them. Interested students may apply for global ambassador leadership positions.

Additionally, upper schoolers can immerse themselves in other cultures and experience how people around the world navigate their daily lives through McDonogh’s Travel Learning Program. Students may apply to travel to France, Spain, Peru, Japan, and Vietnam.

Exchange Programs Benefit All

Meeting people from around the globe has long been a part of McDonogh’s history. Currently, we have international exchanges with Seijo-Gakuen High School in Japan and Lycee Joseph Vallot in France, and we are exploring a new partnership in Spain, which we look forward to announcing in the fall of 2024.

When visiting McDonogh, our guests engage with and share their life experiences with students in all three divisions.

Read More About Global Programs in McDonogh Magazine

Unexpected Experiences Leave Lasting Impressions

During spring break in March, Upper School students and faculty traveled abroad — a group of seniors to Vietnam and a group of juniors and seniors to France.

Students in John Wood’s Vietnam and the Vietnam War history class embarked on an eye-opening journey through Vietnam’s vibrant past and cultural tapestry, which included stops in Hanoi, Quang Tri, Hue, and the Mekong Delta. The French students visited Paris, Lodève, and Montpellier, France, and also participated in the French exchange program, staying with host families and attending classes at partner school Lycée Joseph Vallot.

Guide to Global Programming Includes Contributions from McDonogh

Director of Global Programs Hilary McDonough, along with upper schoolers Maggie Johnston ’25 and Elyse Scott ’25, collaborated with faculty and student representatives from 21 other Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG) Leading Partner Schools in the creation of a new publication titled “Intercultural Dialogue: A Field Guide for Educators & Schools.”

Global Engagement: Creating Critical Connections

Our planet Earth is increasingly described as a global village as the lives of people across the world become connected in ways we never could have imagined even decades ago. Advancing technology and increasing travel opportunities allow us to see, hear, and experience how people around the world navigate their daily lives. Good communication and a deeper understanding of other cultures, combined with meaningful interactions with our global neighbors, can allow us to build respectful relationships and celebrate our similarities as well as our differences.

Through co-curricular programs and curriculum, McDonogh is dedicated to helping its students develop competencies that will enable them to not only understand the diversity and complexity of our world but to be ethical leaders in it.