EE Goes International!

November 2025

Jiwon is a KIS communications intern. This fall she spoke with our Experiential Education (EE) team about the program offering international trips. Jiwon also shares more about the EE foundation in elementary school.

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This fall, middle and high school KIS students traveled to domestic locations Seoraksan, Chuncheon, and Gapyeong for their EE trips. One exciting development this year was the addition of international trip options. Students had the opportunity to travel to either Hong Kong or Malaysia. 

The introduction of international trip options is an exciting development as, since the COVID-19 pandemic, KIS had to adapt EE trips to keep students safe. With the reopening of travel, KIS made the choice to bring back international options including for EE trips. Hong Kong and Malaysia were selected by the EE team because they thought the trips would offer the most important content for students. 

Since last year, KIS has been collaborating with the Asia Pacific Adventure (APA) to create more experiential educational activities for the students. Some activities APA led were river hydrology, slacklining, and river rafting. Small groups of around 10 students led by different staff members participated in competitions such as the Seoraksan beach olympics. Although the EE trip team looked into several different EE providers, they selected the APA because of their exceptional safety record and ability to help advance the experience positively. EE Team Member Sarah Muller says, “When we are planning with APA, we have lots of meetings, emails, and site visits before deciding on the final product for our students.”

The Hong Kong trip was also accompanied by a committee of APA staff. On the other hand, the students who went to Malaysia were led by the World Volunteer group. They focused on planting trees in deforested areas to help restore routes for animals. 

EE Starts in Elementary

This month, elementary students from both Seoul and Pangyo campus had their EE trips. The elementary students’ EE trips took place domestically, with second graders taking a day trip to Seoul Zoo, third graders staying overnight on campus, fourth graders traveling overnight to Incheon, and fifth graders staying in Pyeongchang for two nights. Assistant EE Coordinator Jeanetta Murray says, referring to the third grade EE trip, “For some students this is their first night away from home. This prepares them for their first off-campus overnight that takes place in grade four.” 

The main goal of the EE trip is to provide students with an opportunity to “practice necessary life skills in a setting other than the classroom,” Ms. Murray says. 

Ms. Muller explains, “If you learn how to deal with being a bit uncomfortable or learn how to do something hard, you can apply those skills to anything in your life. The things students learn about themselves on EE trips shape who they become and what they can cope with.”