The idea for an all-adult EXCEL trip came from the “Bulldog Big Idea Bonanza,” an event driven by Chief Financial and Operations Officer Steve Ginsberg. In this meeting, faculty and staff pitched initiatives they thought the school should implement during the early development of Nobles’ strategic plan to gather ideas that could later be folded into it. The adult-only EXCEL trips were among the initiatives most appealing, leading to the goal of including one adult-only trip each year in the strategic plan. The goal of the adult-only EXCEL trips is to allow teachers to experience them the same way their students do, as exemplified by an all-teacher trip to Rwanda that followed the same path as the students’ trip last year. The initiative blossomed following Director of Foster Gallery John Dorsey’s unexpected discovery of a beautiful yellow house in Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste (Prats), France. After sending 15 teachers there last summer, Nobles is preparing to settle in for a long stay, with two more sets of teachers traveling to the property for 10 days each this summer, and plans to possibly send students there in the summer of 2027.

Dorsey’s original proposal to Nobles centered on the house’s unique layout: 11 apartments with balconies spread across two floors, a central living, dining, and kitchen area, and, distinctively, a fully built pottery studio. The property lies in the quaint, idyllic cobblestone town of Prats in the French Pyrenees, just seven miles from the open border between France and Spain. It is ideal for EXCEL, as it offers opportunities for art, meditation in the calm, rural village, European history, and language immersion in both French and Spanish. Nobles also plans to expand learning opportunities in Prats. Ginsberg said, “It’s going to be a place for longer, deeper learning … There’s some really exciting EXCEL on steroids programming that wasn’t on our radar at the beginning … I think it’s really differentiating for Nobles.” Along with the property’s potential for extended trips, the surrounding village offers a unique opportunity for in-depth, multi-year cultural exchange and connection. Director of EXCEL Laura Neubauer said, “Having a home base that we go back to on a regular basis will help us become a true member of the community, and my hope is that we move beyond just visitor status to a place where we are trusted neighbors.”

The group of 15 staff and faculty members who traveled to the property in June of 2025 began developing relationships with the town — for example, they met the mayor — and experienced the many wonderful learning opportunities the property and area offer. In excursions around the village and neighboring countryside, as well as in activities within the house itself, the “students” made pottery and participated in painting workshops with Dorsey and Visual Arts Faculty Nora Bourdeau, writing workshops with English Faculty Gia Batty, and mindfulness retreats with Wellness and Personal Development Instructor Kate Harrington. To make the visit even more similar to an EXCEL trip, the attendees journaled every day, divided by numbers for bus rides and chore duty, and tried to limit phone use to photography and navigation. The adults who undertook the trip enjoyed their first opportunity to experience the magic of an EXCEL trip from a student’s perspective immensely. Executive Assistant to Dean of Faculty and Head of Upper School Amy McHugh said, “I came back, and I felt like a new person … Not only was it an amazing trip, but it really broadened me. And who would think I could have that happen to me in my 50s? So it was just awesome.” 

Currently, there are plans for two more batches of Nobles faculty and staff to travel to the home in Prats next summer. Each trip involves many of the same activities as the first set of teachers experienced last summer, while also exploring various other options for future groups of Nobles adults and students. Though the exact future of our new base in Prats is not set in stone, the wealth of opportunities for excursions, education, and community connection that the property offers ensures that this newest Nobles venture will be exciting, unique, and fulfilling.