GATEway Program

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Cultural and Academic Enrichment

GATEway, or Global Access To Education, offers global programming that supports, enhances, and develops our students’ view of the world, its diverse cultures, and its people. Through academic and cultural immersion programs, we broaden our students’ perspectives of life beyond our borders in order to foster a mutual understanding and appreciation among all individuals, both at home and abroad. GATEway is first and foremost an academic program. It differs from other travel programs because it is designed and executed by educators, for the benefit of students. Through hands-on and experiential education, GATEway prepares our students (our “GATEmates”) to be lifelong learners and true global citizens.

In the Upper School, students have the opportunity to spend 4 weeks living and learning at one of our multiple sites across Europe, may choose to explore different cultures through one of our X-Term travel experiences around the globe, or may spend one week working at an orphanage in Central America. Upper School students can also use their experiences abroad to earn a Global Studies Diploma Endorsement at graduation. In Middle School, GATEmates find adventure and cultural immersion in Québec, Panamá, Buenos Aires. Not to be left out, our littlest GATEmates in Lower School explore the world through the comfort of their own backyard right here in Miami. Whatever our students desire, GATEway is their passport to discovery!

The Global Experiences That Start at MCDS

Mission Experiences

Students not only learn about other cultures, but also have opportunities to give back to the world. We look to improve the quality of life of others, while also learning about ourselves. Currently, MCDS supports the Hogares Nuevo Paraíso (HNP) home for abandoned children outside of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. HNP instills in its residents a sense of citizenship and ethics and we are proud to be a part of this noble global mission.

Academic Experiences

GATEway is first and foremost an academic program. Students in the Upper School can earn academic credit for their time abroad and our Middle School GATEmates participate in a week-long academic and cultural seminar that enhances their onsite exploration. A GATEway experience entails far more than visiting sites and taking pictures. Instead, it is hands-on and experiential program designed and run by our educators to help students experience firsthand the wonders of the world.

Student Exchange Programs

GATEway offers a multifaceted approach to helping our students interact with their peers from around the world. From sister school and partner school exchange programs to facilitating individual study abroad experiences, we encourage our students to see the world, interact with their peers and form lifelong friendships all over the globe.

Diploma Program

The Upper School offers a pathway to earning a GATEway Global Studies Diploma Endorsement which prepares our graduates to be culturally competent global citizens. To be a part of this prestigious program, students complete five components on world language, travel, community service, curriculum and global project.

Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

North America

Canada

Bermuda

Puerto Rico

Honduras

Costa Rica

Panama

South America

Peru

Colombia

Galapagos Ecuador

Argentina

Europe

Spain

France

Switzerland

Italy

Finland

United Kingdom

Iceland

Ireland

Greece

Africa

South Africa

Asia

China

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Register for Life-Changing Exploration

Our variety of courses and experiences within GATEway allow students and even parents to discover different cultures and perspectives and to embrace a global community. Sign up for a language course, exchange program or cultural activity.

- Gateway > Cultural and Academic

years. 8 Global Learning Experiences.

255 lives changed

educational hours on a summer GATEway experience

$178,595

Scholarship awards by private donors since 2017 to support GATEway students

programs in the U.S. like GATEway’s 4-week summer academic and cultural program

Contact Glen
“One’s Destination is Never a Place”
- Henry Miller

GLEN TURF Chief Officer for Global Initiatives, Equity, and Belonging

The fall of my junior year, I was fortunate to live in Madrid, Spain with my study group from Colgate University. I grew up near New York City, but I was always raised to fear "The Big Apple". While at Colgate, I lived in the shelter of a small town with one stop light in central New York state. When I arrived in Madrid with only the address of my host family’s house, I was forced to do things I had never done before – like use Spanish in a native-speaking environment, hail a cab, use an apartment intercom system, and figure out how to plug my Walkman charger in an outlet that did not look like the ones back home. And that was day one! When I think about what we can do for our students now to prepare them to be global citizens in the future, I am rooted in my own experiences of being a fish out of water. ”

The Possibilities GATEway Enables

MCDS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, age, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by Federal, State, or local laws.

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GATEway

Cultural and Academic Enrichment