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Experience-Centered Seminar

Experience-Centered Seminars (ECSs) provide Upper School students with opportunities to apply knowledge and learning to real-world situations.

“My 2018 ECS to Peru was the most impactful Seminar I have ever participated in. I love Spanish, so the ability to travel to a Spanish-speaking country where I could use the language was the perfect opportunity for me. It was the first time I traveled out of the country, and I would love to go back again.”
Whitney Richardi '21, CSS Lifer Since PreK

The ECS program, consisting of local, regional, national, and international offerings, sets our students apart as they transition to the collegiate world and beyond. Each March, Upper School students – grades 9 through 12 – participate in a three-week ECS course of study hand-selected from a variety of Seminar offerings, ranging from Geology of the Southwest and Journalism to Life in Cameroon. The ECS curriculum is designed to promote direct, active participation and hands-on engagement in an experiential setting. The result: optimized critical thinking, organized inquiry, and use of in-depth analysis as students synthesize their learning and experiences via oral and written presentations, blogs or journals, group projects, and tests.

Below are descriptions of our 2024 ECS offerings.

The Great Iron Pour 2024
The Great Iron Pour ECS 2024

Updated March 18, 2024

CSSI - Crime Scene Investigators 2024
CSSI ECS 2024

Updated March 14, 2024

Broadway & Arts in New York 2024
Broadway & Arts in New York ECS 2024

Updated March 12, 2024

Panama Canal 2024

Panama Canal & Embera Indigenous People

Updated March 18, 2024

Sustainable Development in Cambodia 2024

Sustainable Development in Cambodia


Updated March 17, 2024


ECS Scholarships

The Colorado Springs School is committed to making Experience-Centered Seminars accessible to families representing a wide range of economic backgrounds. For this reason, two scholarship programs have been established and are available for eligible students. For more information, please contact the Experiential Education & Auxiliary Programs Coordinator.

Meet the Experiential Education & Auxiliary Programs Coordinator

Bronwyn Holman
Bronwyn Holman

Experiential Education & Auxiliary Programs Coordinator
(719) 434-3572
bholman@css.org