Experiential Learning
Please note, this list is not exhaustive. Additional experiences may be added based on interest, and some trips may not run every year. Please stay tuned for trip updates and communications throughout the year.
GRADE LEVEL OPPORTUNITIES
“Shabbaton” comes from the word “Shabbat,” which literally means “rest” or “cessation.” A Shabbaton is a sleepover retreat at a destination location over the Sabbath. It is designed to foster bonding among peers and help develop an appreciation for the beauty of observing Shabbat.
Once per school year, each grade has the opportunity to spend a Shabbat in the company of their peers, under the guidance of their instructors and school leaders. On a Shabbaton, we come together as a community to celebrate and get to know each other outside of the classroom and school setting.
Shabbaton programming is an integral part of FJA's role in building community, school spirit, and Jewish identity among our students. The Shabbaton is also an opportunity for students to get to know their instructors outside of school hours. We encourage staff to bring their own families on the Shabbatonim, giving students the chance to see how adults from all walks of Jewish life, observe and celebrate Shabbat.
2024/2025 Shabbaton Dates
12th grade - September 27-28
11th grade - January 31-February 1
10th grade - December 13-14
9th grade - February 28-March 1
2024 trip cost - $3400
Our 9th graders travel at the end of the school year to engage in a cross-cultural learning experience on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana. This experience introduces them to the history, culture, and spirituality of a vibrant native group who have sustained their cultural identity despite great struggle. The curriculum and culminating immersive, experiential trip is designed to broaden students’ cultural literacy as well as foster and facilitate reflection on students’ own spiritual and existential challenges as individuals and as Jews.
The 9th grade trip includes opportunities that few Americans experience in their lifetimes. This programming has been thoughtfully developed by an organization called The Lodge Approach in partnership with members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. Their team of professionals, which includes decades of experience in experiential education, Jewish education, and place-based cross-cultural learning, work closely with our educational team to tailor lessons and enhance Jewish and secular learning outcomes important to our educational philosophy. This experience will not only change the way students understand the complexity of the world in which we live, but will also help them develop their own sense of self and confidence.
The 2024 canceled Poland/Prague trip cost was $7500, 2024 canceled Israel trip was $6200.
Students travel to Poland to learn about Europe’s vibrant Jewish communities that existed prior to World War II, witness the evidence of the Holocaust, and explore the resurgence of Jewish life and communities in Poland. Students will then learn about their history and traditions by visiting and exploring Israel.
SCHOOL WIDE OPPORTUNITIES
2024 costs - $3300
This experience will introduce students to the history, culture, and geography of the Pacific Northwest, as well as provide an opportunity for students to engage in community service. In keeping with our values of serving the Jewish and general community, and promoting service opportunities for students, students will learn about some of today’s social issues, including housing, food, and environmental challenges through a Jewish lens. Daily hands-on social and communal work will give students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of what Judaism, Jewish history, and Jewish sources have to offer them as agents of positive change.
This experience has traditionally been our 10th grade level trip. For the 2024-2025 school year, we hope to offer this as an optional experiential trip to our entire FJA student community. The programming has been thoughtfully developed by an organization called Tivnu. Their team of experienced Jewish educators and social justice professionals will work closely with FJA’s educational team to create a trip that fits our school’s mission and educational philosophy. This experience will not only change the way students understand the various challenges communities can face, but it will also give them an understanding of how grassroots efforts and ambitious communal initiatives can affect positive change in the lives of others.
2022/2023 school year cost - $3400
The Nadav Shoham Robotraffic Competition was created through the Leumi Robotics Center at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Their goal is to give students hands-on experience in developing hightech solutions to challenges through the process of research and development. In this unique robotics competition, students build an autonomous robotic car which can move according to traffic rules, including obeying traffic lights, signs and signals, and keeping a safe distance from other cars.
2024 cost - $850
Expected 2025 travel dates - early/mid February
The Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUNMUN) is a student-run simulation of the workings of the United Nations that gives students an opportunity to experience and learn about the complex landscape of international diplomacy. Playing the roles of delegates to actual United Nations member nations, participants represent a variety of positions, often ones with which they may not agree. In advocating for a given country, students must conduct thorough research of that country's interests and policies across a wide range of issues and concerns. Students gain a unique perspective, adding both to their knowledge of world affairs and their aptitude for research, preparation, communication, and critical evaluation.
March 27, 2025 - March 30, 2025
The Maimonides Moot Court High School Competition offers students an empowering look at the inner workings of Jewish legal tradition. In the months leading up to the competition, students will explore and examine source texts and develop a Jewish legal decision regarding a contemporary ethical quandary. They will then travel, spending a weekend including a Shabbaton with students from across North America, culminating in a team competition as they present their ruling in front of a panel of expert judges.
2024 cost - $1699
During this trip to Washington, D.C. students will see history come to life! They will walk the hallways of the Capitol where current and past politicians have changed the world and explore the amazing exhibits in the Smithsonian Museums. So much more than a history trip, the trip to Washington, D.C. is designed to complement and enhance FJA’s social studies curriculum. Students will gain a deeper understanding of our history, consider the consequences of politicians’ choices, and discover the American story.
2019 cost - $900
FJA’s Performing Arts Department has designed a unique travel opportunity for performing arts students to visit and experience New York City through a theater lens. Students participate in a Broadway workshop, meet professional Broadway working actors, and attend three Broadway shows. While in New York, students also took time for all the “Big Apple” has to offer including sightseeing and shopping!
2024 cost - $40 per trip to U of M and MSU
2024 cost - $3400
Students travel to Israel for an intensive volunteer opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with our Israeli “brothers and sisters” and compassion and care for Israel's most needy. In ways not fully possible in the diaspora, students will form a kinship with the people of Israel, and gain a deeper appreciation for our homeland. Students will have the opportunity to meet, interact with, and work alongside members of Israeli society, giving them a better sense of the diversity of the Israeli population, and how ordinary citizens and committed volunteers provide much needed support and hope to those in need, regardless of religious, economic, or social affiliation.
Historically no cost to students
To honor and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. together as a school community, our school is intentionally in session. We devote the day to service that can affect positive change, making an impact on our Jewish and general communities. We are happy to provide this mission affirming opportunity for our students to work with local organizations as a way of giving back to our broader community.
In This Section
There are also other miscellaneous day trips that run throughout the year as opportunities present themselves. For example, this past year we sent a delegation to participate in the March for Israel in Washington, DC, and also all grades were provided an opportunity to travel to the path of totality for the eclipse.