As we grow further away from the 2026 Immersion term, Ram Report wanted to take a retrospective look at the various Immersion programs that occurred throughout MVS’s Upper School. Immersion has been a longstanding staple of MVS for many years, and still remains one of our schools many unique advantages.
The Immersion program traces back to 1974, where it was originally conceived as a two-month-long study of a student’s chosen language, French or Spanish. If you stayed within your language, you could either stay local or pursue travel opportunities in Mexico or France. The travel option included language schools where no English was allowed to be spoken, along with host families for accommodations. The local option involved new teachers hired specifically for Immersion who were native speakers living either in Paris or Mexico, and were relocated to the Dayton area for the month.
Around five other options were also available to students not interested in pursuing a chosen language. “The Art of Photography” traveled to Hillsboro, Ohio to capture wilderness shots while camping, with a total trip cost of $20. Meanwhile, “Winter Expedition” took to the Canadian wilderness for nearly three weeks of cross-country skiing, ice fishing, and ecology fieldwork led by a professional naturalist. “Business Mathematics” placed students as apprentices in local Dayton department stores and banks. Finally, “Independent Study” provided an option for students with a strong passion to pursue their own goals, closely resembling today’s “Independent Immersion” with requiring highly detailed proposals.
Fifty-two years later, the philosophy that drove the very first Immersion experiences is largely the same one that still drives Immersion today: get students out of their comfort zones to explore something completely different from traditional classes, either locally in Dayton or potentially across the world.
Despite the drastic changes the program has gone through, we can see that spirit in this year’s Upper School Immersion programs such as “Tropical Marine Biology and Ocean Conservation,” which traveled to Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula to get hands-on experience with marine research, something normally out of reach for many in the Dayton area. When students this year were asked about their Immersion experiences, Owen Guy ‘27, who was on the “Bewitched: The Salem Witch Trials” Immersion, stated that “Immersion strikes a good balance between education and fun, and my Immersion’s trip to Boston was super valuable to our learning.” This shows another core Immersion concept that has stayed the same: “learning through experiences.”
Trip Peterson ‘27, who went on the “Clay Odyssey,” Immersion, said that they enjoyed how it allowed them to dive deeper into something they were already interested in, allowing them to grow their ceramics skills. This shows how dedicating an entire month to an area of study allows much deeper growth than period-based schedules, which was referenced in all the 1974 Language Immersion programs. They focused on total language immersion throughout the entire month, which was proven to significantly improve their skills.
The “Clay Odyssey” Immersion will be holding an Open House at the Wright State Creative Arts Center until March 14th, with a closing reception on March 14th from 1-3 pm.
Freshman Immersion, which was added a few decades after 1974, has proved to be quite successful. “Inward Bound, Outward Bound” is always both a rewarding yet challenging experience offering a chance for the new Upper Schoolers to learn self-reliance and confidence. This year from volunteering opportunities to staying in Bradford Woods to the final “Tree of Me,” they were certainly extremely busy.
Independent Immersion, an option available for rising Juniors and Seniors, offers an entirely self-directed alternative to traditional Immersion experiences. Beginning with a proposal in May, students spend the fall semester building out a detailed day-by-day calendar in collaboration with an outside mentor, with everything finalized before January. Luka Garvic ‘27, who pursued “Second-Hand Fashion” described it as demanding but rewarding in a way that a regular Immersion simply can’t replicate. “When you’re doing something you like, the work doesn’t feel as hard,” he said, but was also quick to note that the freedom comes with real responsibility. No one tells you what to-do or not to to-do each day, and students should not go into it unprepared. Advice for future Independent Immersion scholars: Plan ahead, stay on top of everything, and treat it like the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it is. When you have the opportunity to study anything with near total freedom is something unique to Independent Immersion and speaks to the opportunities available at MVS. Some examples of programs this year included: “Materials Science and Nanotechnology” by Wyatt Eros ‘27 and “Orthopedic Surgery” by Federico Juricic ‘26.
Yet for everyone, as many alumni will attest, Immersion is always a unique time for unique experiences that can last a lifetime. As an unnamed 1974 MVS teacher put it: “The real value of the experience may not be the many new skills acquired by the students but their personal growth in awareness of the world around them.” It can mean whatever you want it to be, so make your Immersion important to you.
