News & Events

All five of the Batten Leadership Program's Fellows programs will be traveling this summer, gaining experiential learning experiences along the way. 

The leadership program aims to develop civic-minded, socially aware and active leaders. Students regularly reach out into the community to gain knowledge through service projects. Students apply in ninth grade and are involved throughout Upper School.

The first programs - Chesapeake Bay Fellows, Global Affairs Fellows, Global Health Fellows, and Literacy Fellows - leave in late June. Engineering, Design, and Innovation Fellows leave in late July. Students will be sharing their experiences here:

Friday, June 23

Literacy Fellows arrived today at a retreat and conference center near Portland, Oregon. The center's mission is enriching lives through learning, reflection, and renewal. 

Global Affairs Fellows arrived in Billings, Montana this afternoon and began their trip by visiting Pictograph Cave State Park. The caves in the park are important archaeological sites that date back millennia, and they contain some of North America’s oldest indigenous art. Over the next week, GAF will travel through Montana and study how globalization is impacting the American West. 

Sunday, June 25

To start our first full day in Montana, Global Affairs Fellows headed to the Crow Native American Reservation to learn about their culture, history, and how globalization has impacted their community. Unfortunately bad weather canceled some events, but we made the most of it by meeting with tribal elders and visiting the Little Big Horn battlefield and Custer’s Trading Post, where we looked at old Crow artifacts and enjoyed a popular indigenous meal for lunch. We ended our time at the reservation with the Big Horn County historical museum and enjoyed learning more about the history of the Crow. After that we headed back to Billings and played group bonding games in a park. To end the night, we all enjoyed a Pioneer League baseball game. - Claire '25 

Meanwhile, Literacy Fellows were at Multnomah Falls, which is the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest with more than 2 million visitors a year. 

Monday, June 26

Our first full day in Bozeman was so much fun! The Global Affairs Fellows drove to Yellowstone National Park and went on long road trips to see the beautiful views. After breakfast, we drove to the entrance of the park where we saw geysers, wildlife, and a variety of different rocks. Then we drove a bit further to see a tall waterfall. On the way, we saw many bison and bears. From there, we drove once again to see to the Yellowstone River and the accompanying strong rapids. It was perfect for extreme white-water rafting. Afterwards, we stopped at a convenience store for lunch. Then, on our final drive further down the grand canyon, we saw a bison in the middle of the road stopping cars. Our final destination had a massive waterfall with a long river attached. It was beautiful. After staring at the view and taking photos, we drove back to get ready for dinner. We ate with our separate cohorts, which was special. Next, we took the bus back to the hotel to debrief. Then we all got ready to sleep and prepared for the next day. - Aditya '26 

Tuesday, June 27

The first day in Atlanta for the Global Health Fellows started at the Emory Reproductive Health Center. There, we listened to Dr. Jennifer Kawwass '99 and Mrs. Barrera as they spoke about reproductive health and the high maternal mortality rate in the United States. We battled topics of ethics and racism/discrimination in the field of reproduction and maternal health. We then hurried to Mellow Mushroom, where we enjoyed pizza. Some Fellows took the pizza and distributed it to the homeless population. Next, we went to Emory University for a tour. The Fellows got an understanding of Emory college life and a comprehensive look into what the school offers students. We then headed to the hotel and prepared for the Braves baseball game. We then made it back to the hotel and shared bonding time before heading to bed, awaiting another busy and educational day. - Joe '24, Eliza '26, and Charlotte '26 

During the Global Affairs Fellows' last full day in Montana, we took everything we’ve learned throughout the past few days in Bozeman and Billings and learned how it applies to the society we live in. In the morning, we met with an expert and educational consultant on the Crow people, Dr. Shane Doyle, a member of the tribe, and discussed the hardships the longtime residents of Bozeman are facing because of increasing property values. In the afternoon, we had a tour of Montana State University, where we explored how it may look to attend MSU, what different programs the university offers, and unique opportunities such as a NASA-funded Eclipse Ballooning Project. We were lucky enough to have an unprompted tour of the American Indian Hall by a Northern Cheyenne student. We were grateful to gain the perspective of a younger member of one of the many tribal nations in Montana, and he shed light on many situations younger Native Americans are facing across the country today, such as generational trauma and giving back to their communities while gaining an education. Overall, this trip has been incredibly insightful and an amazing bonding experience between the new members of Global Affairs and their older counterparts. - Natalie '25 

Tuesday, August 1

Engineering, Design, and Innovation Fellows, the final BLP cohort to travel this summer, are in Michigan this week. On Tuesday, the group was at the University of Michigan, where students explored the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Students were taken on a tour of the department’s structures lab, where they observed ongoing experiments in structural and geotechnical engineering. They saw cutting-edge research being conducted in these fields and learned ways that civil and environmental engineers work to improve society.