For more than half a century, Fountain Valley School students have stepped outside the classroom for one of the School’s most enduring traditions: Interim Expeditions.

This week, students got their first look at Interim 2027, with experiences that will take them across Colorado and around the world.

“The focus of Interim Expeditions is not the destination. It is what is done while there,” said Missie Alley, Director of Interim Programming and Spanish Instructor.

That means learning by doing: living with host families, speaking another language around the dinner table, working alongside local communities, navigating unfamiliar places, exploring new ecosystems and cultures, and saying yes to experiences that might mean strapping on a backpack, diving beneath the ocean, crossing a glacier, picking up a shovel or finding your way through a city halfway around the world.

At All-School, Mauricio V. ’27, Maëlys G. ‘28 and Savanna A. ’28 reflected on their Interim experiences from last year and offered some advice to students preparing for what’s ahead: keep an open mind, lean into the experience and be willing to try something new. They spoke about everything from language immersion and living with a host family in Paris to service work in the Puerto Rican rainforest and adventures closer to home. Their advice? Go in with an open mind, get to know people you might not normally spend time with, and say yes to the experience, even when it pushes you, or perhaps especially when it pushes you.

This year’s Interim experiences include an incredible range of destinations and adventures:

Argentina • Costa Rica • Paris, France • Chengdu, China • Peru • Louisiana’s Bayou • Puerto Rico • Hawaii • The Bahamas • Morocco • Cozumel, Mexico • Colorado backcountry hut experience

Eighth and ninth graders will also take part in experiences designed specifically for their place in the FVS journey.

For eighth graders, Trailhead: The Journey Begins will introduce students to Interim through an outdoor experience built around camping, cooking, exploration, teamwork and discovering what it means to be part of the FVS community.

Freshmen will participate in the fourth year of the Freshman Interim Experience, intentionally centered largely on FVS’s own campuses. Students will have the chance to climb, mountain bike, ride horses and explore parts of Fountain Valley they may not encounter during their everyday routines.

Sophomores move into FVS’s Global Experiences, where language study comes to life through immersive travel. Students will live with host families, attend school, practice their language throughout the day and experience what daily life looks like in another part of the world.

Upperclassmen can choose from a wide range of experiences built around themes including sustainability, culture, outdoor adventure, service and leadership. Seniors are also encouraged to take on greater leadership roles, working alongside faculty to help plan travel and educational experiences.

Across every grade and every destination, the goal remains the same: growth through experience.

Students may come home with stronger language skills, a new appreciation for another culture, confidence gained from doing something difficult, or friendships with people they might never otherwise have met.

For more than five decades, FVS has believed some of the most important learning happens when students step into something new, get their hands dirty, challenge their assumptions and discover what they’re capable of.

In 2027, another generation of Danes will get their turn.