Global Connections
At Woodward, our global reach is an important part of our identity. In 2014, we created the International and Global Connections program to provide even more opportunities for our students, so they gain a deep understanding of the differences that make cultures unique and the similarities that connect us all. Our program is unique in that it takes a holistic approach.
Each year, we welcome international students to study in our Middle and Upper Schools while staying with host families, and Woodward students can pursue opportunities to spend their junior year studying abroad. We are the first school in Atlanta to become a testing center for language proficiency certifications, which enable our students to attend universities abroad and eventually find work in the countries of their language. For more information, visit our International Admissions page.
"Before coming to Woodward, I didn't know people in other classes because we sat in the same classroom all day for all of our classes. Now I see so many different people every day, all heading to different places with different skin colors and eye colors, talking in different ways. To me, it is a brand new feeling: to actually feel the beauty of differences and uniformity at the same time."
-Phoenix Yifei Xu '19
►Worldwide Opportunities
Upcoming Trips
Every year, Woodward Academy offers a variety of opportunities for students to expand their knowledge of our global society through trips sponsored by faculty members both at the Middle School and Upper School levels. All the trips are designed with a learning element that can range from a total immersion setting to a service project.
Upper School Trips for 2017-18:
- Costa Rica
June 18-28, 2018 - Japan
June 4-14, 2018 - France and Switzerland
May 28-June 21, 2018 - Terranova - June or
July 2018 (TBD)
Middle School Trips for 2017-18:
Study Abroad
- School Year Abroad
- SPI Study Abroad (Summer)
- Greenheart Travel (Summer)
STUDY AWAY
International Language Certifications
Woodward Academy is committed to offering great opportunities to its students, and taking an International Language Exam is one way to extend what they have learned in the classroom to potential international studies and careers.
Students who qualify take placement tests in the following languages:
- French (DELF)
- Spanish (DELE)
- German (Geothe Zertifikate)
- Chinese (HSK)
- Japanese (JPLT)
Woodward Academy is the first school in the nation to implement the International Certification testing program for Upper School students on the HP and AP tracks
for five languages.
Our Partner & Sister Schools
Shenzhen Mingde Experimental School
Shenzhen, China
Since 2014
Shanghai Shangnan Middle School
Shanghai, China
Since 2014
Lycée St Paul
Roanne, France
Since 2013
Terranova
Mazabuka, Zambia
Since 2004
Colegio Internacional de Carabobo
Valencia, Venezuela
Since 1998
Escuela Bella Vista
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Since 1998
Pittwater House School
Collaroy, Australia
Since 1991
Where have we traveled?
Dominican Republic
Since 2014
Belgium
(including Bruges)
Since 2013
Costa Rica
Since 2011
Ireland
Since 2011
England
(London)
Since 2005
Italy
(including Venice, the Amalfi Coast)
Since 2004
France
(including Paris, Provence, Normandy, the Riviera)
Since 2003
Spain
(including Madrid, Barcelona, Cataluña)
Since 2002
Cuba
2016
Ecuador
Galapagos Islands
Since 2015
China (3 trips)
Since 2009
France (2 trips, including a homestay)
Japan (5 trips)
Spain
Since 2006
Peru
Since 2005
Argentina
Uruguay
Brazil
Since 2007
Canada
Since 2008
"The impact of studying abroad for a year in high school is hard to describe... All of my presumptions about China were tested, and many were wrong. My diet changed, my means of transportation changed, and my point of view changed. I learned about the complex and deep history of China and could see some of the places where these important events happened… The complexity of life [was] shown to me, far beyond my limited view from my life in America. As I said in my Chinese speech in the second semester: 来中国以前的女孩子和回美国的女孩子真的不一样，可是我喜欢新的我。The girl who left for China and the girl who returned to America were not the same person, but I like the new me."- Alexa Flesch '17, studied abroad 2015-2016 in China
