“Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.” Danny Kaye 

Year 9 is a pivotal time in the journey of our students. The long tradition of St Catherine’s School students traveling on exchange in Year 9, is cherished. Students in younger Year Levels enjoy hearing of our students’ experiences and look forward to their opportunity to experience an exchange themselves. 

Holistic learning through a variety of experiences shapes and develops our student’s identity. St Catherine’s Global Exchange Program fosters the development of essential skills: 

• Resilience, Persistence and Responsibility
• Cultural Learning and Global Citizenship
• Leadership, Confidence and Aspiration 

At St Catherine’s School we know these skills are fundamental to a successful learning journey for our girls as they move through every stage of their schooling, tertiary pathways, and careers. 

As Term 2 commenced in Melbourne for our students, I had the opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom with 11 students travelling on exchange.  

These students are studying as part of the Year 9 Global Exchange Program, designed to offer an extensive range of in-country experiences to study in regional or city schools with our partner schools around the world.  

While some schools chose to have programs regionally, our students immersed themselves in an international experience. During 2023, 27 Year 9 students will be participating in our Global Exchange Program attending schools in the United Kingdom and Canada. Schools include: 

• Culford School, London UK 
• St Catherine’s School, Bramley UK 
• St George’s Ascot UK 
• Shawnigan Lake School, Canada 

We will also have students traveling to NEGS in Armidale, Buffalo Seminary School in the USA, and Crofton House School in Canada. These Exchange Programs range from four to 10 weeks in duration.  

The benefits of exchange programs were explored by Stone and Petricks in their review of literature on education travel, commenting that “Researchers have shown that study abroad can result in a variety of outcomes, including change of perspective or worldview, independence, self-confidence, intercultural development, global engagement, and dispelling of stereotypes among participants. Intercultural (cultural or cross-cultural) competence, a major focus of study abroad, benefits include elements of cognitive/knowledge, affective/attitudes, and behaviour/skills.”  

In 2022, St Catherine’s Year 10 student Amelie Arnold traveled to Buffalo Seminary School, in the USA as part of our Global Exchange Program. Reflecting on her time in the USA, Amelie acknowledged the eight-week exchange was a significant learning journey for her. Amelie lived in the boarding house with only 10 other students. During this time, Amelie boarded in a room with a student from Afghanistan. Amelie learnt a lot about others and herself during her eight weeks away. 

Matilda Talbot Gibson and her Mum, Annabel at Shawnigan Lakes School, 2022

“The first few weeks were really hard. The environment was so different to St Catherine’s School, and we had to adapt. I was comfortable with my friends who travelled with me, who could support me, and I was able to support them. Our exchanges and exchange families welcomed us into the school and their homes.” 

“Six months on, I acknowledge learning ‘great independence.’ Everything was by myself, and I had to navigate this independently. I learnt how to make friends to another level and make friends really quickly and use the time I had. I still keep in touch with these friends.”  

Having had two years at home through COVID, travelling overseas on exchange took courage and the capacity to learn through discomfort. Amelie is grateful for the chance to be part of the Global Exchange Program.  

“It was my first overseas travel since COVID, and it was so much fun. I am still working through what I learnt from the experience, but I know I have matured from the experience. I was able to navigate the challenges of completing schoolwork in Buffalo as well as the work I needed to keep up with at St Catherine’s School. This gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to work independently. I would recommend the experience to others who are interested in travelling on exchange,” shares Amelie. 

Educational travel can have differing outcomes depending on the interests and age of young travellers. Programs can offer opportunities to further develop languages by travelling on exchange to France, China, or Japan. Studying in country France, China or Japan is sought after by students studying Language in VCE years, where the study of language and immersion in country provides a deeper understanding. 

St Catherine’s students explore their interests and strengths in many areas of our school, both in and out of the classrooms. Exploring travel opportunities and learning through different experiences on a school exchange provides an array of colours for our students to throw at their canvases.