Fort Worth Country Day is committed to preparing young people to make a difference in a complex and changing world. We strive to cultivate the knowledge, skills, and disposition necessary to understand and act responsibly and creatively to resolve local and global issues. While many schools simply offer their students opportunities to travel, FWCD seeks to cultivate global competence in all JK-12 students by weaving global perspectives into the curriculum, working with local partners to contribute to our Fort Worth community, and providing meaningful international travel and hosting exchanges.

Our Mission

The mission of the FWCD Center for International Studies is to provide programs and experiences that build students’ capacity to thrive in an ever-changing global community. 

Center initiatives include overseas summer expeditions, exchange opportunities and cultural programs meant to ensure that all FWCD graduates gain an understanding of the following global competencies:
  • Experience in and ability to investigate the world beyond their immediate environment.
  • Ability to recognize and appreciate perspectives other than their own.
  • Ability to engage in open, appropriate, and effective interactions across cultures.
  • Ability to take action for collective well-being and sustainable development.

The Center at a Glance

Summer Travel Opportunities
 to Europe, Australia, South America and Asia.
Summer 2018 included excursions to France and Spain.
One of 11 schools in the prestigious service learning program. FWCD students volunteered in Detroit and at Pine Ridge Reservation in Summer 2018.
International youth trips and exchanges intended to develop deeper cross-cultural mindsets and understanding.
Short-term hosting opportunities
in collaboration with Fort Worth Sister Cities Ambassador Middle School Program and Language & Friendship, Inc.  During the 2017-18 school year, FWCD hosted students from Japan and France.
Campus-Based Initiatives
World Heritage Day, Multiple Service Learning Activities, On-going Development of Global Competency Curriculum and Alumni Travel

2018-19 Program Opportunities

List of 8 items.

  • Art History/Latin Studies in Italy

    Grades: 9-12
    Dates: TBD
    Additional details coming soon.
    Questions? Contact: Bryan Carlson

  • FWCD French Immersion in Southwest France

    Grades: 9-12
    Dates: June 2019
    Additional details coming soon.

  • FWCD Spanish Immersion in Avila

    Grades: 9-12
    Dates: July 2019
    Additional details coming soon.

  • Fort Worth Sister Cities Sponsored Trips

    Cultural immersion, Spring Break, and Summer trips.
    Grades: 8-12
    Approximate costs range from $350 - $3800. 
    Limited financial aid is available.

  • Florida Everglades and Keys Adventure

    Dates: June 1-5, 2019
    Grades: 7-8
    Cost: $3200
    Deadline: Oct. 5, 2018
    Learn More

  • The Thistle and the Shamrock

    Trip to Ireland and Scotland with Mrs. Rains, Mr. Parker, and Mrs. Spikes.
    Grades: 7-9
    Dates: June 15-27, 2019
    Approximate Cost: $5700
    Review itinerary

  • Topics in Geology: FWCD Goes to Iceland

    Students in grades 8-10 are invited to join this Iceland study abroad course through the American Council for International Studies, led by Dr. Heather Peace, Studies topics include the geothermal environment and its people, geologic foundations and global change. 
    Dates: June 17-20, 2020
    Grades: 8-10
    Cost: $5,520
    Learn More

  • Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder (SStS)

    Ethical leadership development through experiential courses. SStS courses offer unique opportunities to work alongside local NGOs in nine different locations as they seek to improve conditions in their communities. The 2019 Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder (SStS) application is open now. View the digital flyer.
    Grades: 8-12 
    Dates: Summer 2019
    Approximate Costs: $1600-$5700. Limited scholarships are available through SStS.
    Review the list of SStS experiences.  View the 2018 SStS Student Information Presentation

Center for International Studies News

List of 1 news stories.

  • FWCD Hosts French Students, Nîmes Names a Sister City

    Fourteen FWCD students and Upper School French Teacher Andréanne Annis welcomed Jean-Paul Fournier, Mayor of Nîmes, (pronounced NEEM) France, to Fort Worth in February. Annis served as a translator/interpreter for a Fort Worth Sister Cities International (FWSCI) visit with a French delegation from Nîmes last year. “We welcomed the delegation with a beautiful banner designed by Isabel Garza [’21], who united the logos and the architectures of both Sister Cities and flowers,” Annis said. “Our students showered them with lovely statements in French about the benefits of uniting these two cities, which provides additional educational as well as cultural opportunities and commerce.”
    Read More
Archive

Summer Studies 2018

Pine Ridge Reservation

“This trip was far and away one of the best experiences of my life, and something I will never forget. While on and around the reservation, I met some incredible people and heard even more incredible stories, and learned about life on the reservation. While the reservation may be economically poor, it is rich in culture and heritage and the people I met who live there are incredibly nice and greeted me with open arms.”   
 -Henry '22

Partnership Programs

Meet the Director

“A global perspective is not developed in one class, one department or division. It takes a JK-12 commitment. The center seeks to develop our students’ capacity to thrive in an ever-changing global community. We plan to do this through assisting teachers in weaving global perspectives into their curriculum and providing students with meaningful travel and hosting exchange opportunities.” 

Stephen Blan, 
Director of the Center for International Studies
817.302.3200 x 3551
4200 Country Day Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76109
Phone: 817.732.7718
Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) is a JK-12 private, independent, coeducational, nondenominational college-preparatory school located on approximately 100 acres in Fort Worth, Texas. The mission of Fort Worth Country Day School is to foster the intellectual, physical, emotional, and ethical development of capable students through an academically rigorous college preparatory program that integrates the arts and athletics.

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  • Website Accessibility Statement

    Fort Worth Country Day is committed to understanding and respecting differences. To further support that initiative, FWCD is focused on making the information on our website accessible to all students, parents, and other members of the community. Achieving our goal of making the FWCD website fully accessible requires auditing numerous sections and correcting elements with minimal disruption for daily users.

    We appreciate your patience as we transition our content to a format that more closely adheres to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Additionally, some pages of the FWCD website may contain links to third party sites that do not comply with accessibility standards and not within the range of the School’s control.

    For questions about the FWCD website, please contact Web Content Manager, Tiffini Crum at  tiffini.crum@fwcd.com.

    Learn more about Fort Worth Country Day’s Mission, Philosophy, Core Values and Commitment to Inclusivity.