The School recently unveiled a significant overhaul of its Winterim program, highlighted by the establishment of a new Winterim Committee.
Spearheaded by Upper School Head Joshua Neudel and Assistant Head of School Carl Vallely, the oversight change seeks to enrich the program while tackling its expanding complexity, underscoring its vital role in the curriculum.
“Winterim is a signature program of Brimmer,” Vallely said. “It’s an important part of the Upper School experience, but it has grown to be more complex, so we made the decision to expand the oversight to a committee structure.”
This restructuring transitions former Global Studies Director Kelly Neely to the new committee, alongside Associate Director of College Counseling Dan Birdsall, Science Department Chair Cecelia Pan, Dean of Students Paul Murray, and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Jessica Christian.
“This enables more voices to be part of the program development and manage logistics and operations to improve the overall experience,” Neudel said. “Each member has a specific background and role on the committee, based on their experiences.”
Since launching in the 1990s, Winterim has long stood as Upper School students’ most beloved School experience. The domestic and international trips have provided opportunities to explore new sights, learn about diverse cultures, and bond with classmates every other year.
Starting next year, every trip must also incorporate a community service element to promote direct interaction with local communities.
“We wanted an authentic element to Winterim, where students actually work with organizations that benefit the communities they visit,” Neudel said. “For example, some trips will include a day of service, while others might be fully service-oriented.”
During the recent break, the School also distributed a survey to better align trip options with community interests, focusing on cultural engagement, interests, socializing, and cost.
According to Neudel, families prioritized travel to new places, followed by socializing with friends, and equally valued learning about new cultures and participating in interesting programs.
New guidelines specify that destinations must be reachable via a direct flight no longer than eight hours to Boston or New York City, limiting choices to the Americas or Europe.
“Post-COVID, we’ve implemented detailed safety parameters to ensure a robust medical and safety infrastructure,” Neudel said.
Neudel also stressed the importance of improving access to Winterim for all students, particularly by assisting those who require visas for certain destinations.
“We have families here from different countries, and places like Puerto Rico ensure they can experience traveling outside of the continental United States without worrying about visas,” Neudel said.
Jackson Tarbox ‘26 once dreamed of visiting Japan, inspired by a teacher last year who described the trip as potentially life-changing.
“It’s something I really wanted to experience,” Tarbox said.
Vallely echoed Tarbox’s sentiment, expressing a personal dream to lead a trip to Japan one day.
“It’s a place I would love to travel to with students,” Vallely said. “We’ll see what the future holds, and we certainly hope to go back to places in Asia or Africa again on future Winterim trips.”
Work on the Winterim program begins 18 months in advance, according to Neudel.
“This means that decisions on options are weighed based on the existing global framework and what the world may look like in the future,” Neudel said. “As we continue to emerge from a post-COVID world, the School loosened its travel restrictions from 2022. Since our initial program development, we have already seen some trips removed or updated based on world events.”
