Enrichment
We are glad to offer students multiple opportunities for academic enrichment outside of the classroom. Academic trips are offered over the summer as well as during School breaks. In addition, students have opportunities to apply for fellowships and internships.
The Haney Fellowship was established in 1998 by William "Bill" Haney, III '80, in honor of his father, the late William Haney, Jr., who lived and worked at Portsmouth Abbey School from 1968 to 1991 as a chemistry teacher, houseparent and golf coach. This creative and generous fund was established to provide Fifth-Form students with a unique educational experience during the summer before their Sixth-Form year. Over the years, students have traveled to places such as Nepal, Argentina, Kenya, New York City, Vietnam, Los Angeles, South Africa and more.
The Rome Humanities Program is a complement to the Humanities course that students take in their Fourth-Form year, which focuses on interdisciplinary grounding in the language, literature, history, and thought of the West from Augustine in the late fourth century to the present. Students apply in the spring of their Fourth-, Fifth-, or Sixth-Form years. Students travel to, and live in, the oldest part of Rome for two weeks to experience immersion in the history and culture of Rome.
The Oxford Summer Programme
The Oxford Summer Programme invites students to encounter the medieval imagination in the “city of dreaming spires.” Through an intensive study of medieval architecture, pre-Raphaelite art and the literature of the English Catholic revival from Newman to Tolkien, and with pilgrimages to medieval churches, celebrations of the Divine Office, and walks along the winding streets of Oxford, students experience the enchanted vision of the medieval mind and pursue the Catholic intellectual life among friends and teachers.
Costa Rica Science Exploration
During March break, six to ten upper-level students travel with teachers from the Science Department to Costa Rica to stay at Cirenas, near the village of Manzanillo on the Nicoya Peninsula adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Cirenas is a living laboratory and educational facility located on a 5,000-acre ranch overlooking the ocean. Students work to integrate their Science education in a real-world setting that emphasizes ecology, sustainability and renewable energy.
Students will have the opportunity to embark on an 11-day, 10-night exploration of Ireland and England’s rich cultural history. The trip will focus on the literary, performing, and visual arts of these two countries, with some of the highlights being: The Long Room and Book of Kells at Trinity College, Dublin. A traditional Irish music session, including Irish dance, in Galway. In London, a personal tour and show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, as well as time at the Tate Modern gallery. A London Symphony Orchestra concert, and a trip to Leavesden Studios, home of the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour will round out this educational arts tour.
Every January, a group of Abbey faculty and students travel to the March for Life (MFL) in Washington, D.C. The March is a peaceful pro-life walk from the National Mall to the Supreme Court to raise awareness for the dignity of life. Outside of the MFL, students are given time to soak in the history and culture in D.C. by visiting historic monuments, meeting with senators from our respective states, attending concerts, and touring Federal buildings,