For Immediate Release
Global Leadership Academy 8th Grade Students Head to The Bahamas
GLA scholars will embark on a capstone international educational excursion as part of their global studies and leadership curriculum.
Who
Global Leadership Academy Charter School Southwest 8th grade
Global Leadership Academy Charter School West 8th grade
Dr. Naomi Johnson Booker, GLA founder
When
Sunday, May 10, 2025
5:15 AM – 6:00 AM
Media Opportunity
The media is welcome to take footage and photos at the school. School Choice and Civil Rights activist Dr. Naomi Johnson Booker, who founded this unique school system 20 years ago, will be onsite at GLA-W and is prepared for interviews.
What
The 8th-grade scholars from GLA-SW and GLA-West will embark on an educational excursion to The Bahamas on Sunday morning, leaving from their respective campuses at slightly different times. This expedition marks the capstone excursion for the scholars as they complete their Kindergarten through 8th-grade pathway, which is based on a global studies and leadership curriculum.
By the time GLA’s scholars reach 7th grade, they are passport-holding, world-traveling scholars. After they return from their 8th-grade excursion and prepare to graduate from GLA the following week, the scholars will have traveled more miles heading into high school than most students graduating from college.
Both schools are a part of the Global Leadership Academy Charter Schools. GLA-W is approaching its 20th year in operation, and GLA-SW is approaching its 10th year.
Capstone Excursion Highlight
This 6-day trip to The Bahamas connects classroom learning to historic sites and real-world experiences tied to scholars’ studies on the transatlantic slave trade.
Where: Campus & Times
Global Leadership Academy-West
4601 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, PA
Students arrive: 5:15 AM
Students depart: 6:00 AM
Details
The 8th-grade classes from GLA-W and GLA-SW will rise and shine early Sunday morning to meet at their respective schools, where they will catch motor coach buses to begin their 6-day trip through history as they head to The Bahamas.
The purpose of this expedition is to bring the scholars to historic sites that they had learned about in the classroom as part of their studies on the transatlantic slave trade.
Each school year, GLA’s 8th-grade class embarks upon its capstone excursion to an international destination. Past international destinations have included Africa, China, Haiti, and Jamaica. GLA plans to add Ghana to the travel roster shortly.
Preparing Future Leaders of the World
GLA’s educational excursions reinforce the school’s mission of nurturing independent scholars through global learning, leadership development, and real-world experiences beyond traditional classroom settings.
Visit GLA Charter SchoolsBackground
GLA Charter Schools is recognized for its motto, “Preparing the Future Leaders of the World,” and for sending its K-8 scholars abroad on educational excursions. Expeditions begin in kindergarten at local historic sites and expand further in distance each year to destinations that include:
- Harrisburg Capitol
- Amish Country, PA
- United Nations
- 6th grade: Several Southern states to learn firsthand about the nation’s battle for Civil Rights
- 7th grade: Scholars follow the Underground Railroad into Canada
- 8th grade: Scholars embark upon their capstone international excursion
For More Information
Learn more about Global Leadership Academy Charter Schools and its global studies curriculum.
www.glacharter.org