School Hosts Second Cohort of Australian Exchange Students

Launched last year, the Australian exchange program partners with St. Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Brisbane to give students at both schools the opportunity to experience the life and culture of another country.

During their exchange, Lottie Kerr ‘26, Ruby Reynolds Campbell '26, and Luci Sprott '26 experienced some of Chatham Hall’s most sacred traditions, including Decoration Day, participated in two partial sport seasons, joined St. Mary’s Choir, and lived on dorm. They were also able to travel to Washington, D.C. during Fall Long Weekend, Richmond, Va. for the Junior Class Trip, and Texas with a classmate to experience their first Thanksgiving.

“A highlight for me is how welcoming everyone is here. It’s a really different culture and it’s been great to experience the ‘southern-ness’ of this place,” Kerr said during a recent podcast interview.

St. Margaret’s is an independent day and boarding school for girls from Pre-Prep to Year 12. There are approximately 1,300 students in the school, with nearly 900 girls in the secondary school. Up to three rising Chatham Hall sophomores will travel to Brisbane next summer before our third cohort of Australian students arrive on our campus. The exchange students offered some advice for students interested in applying.

“Get to know everyone. That’s what we came here to do and it really worked out. We’re really happy we got to know all these people from around the world,” Reynolds Campbell said.

“My number one piece of advice would be to immerse yourself in anything you possibly can. Take up all the sporting opportunities, all the extracurriculars our school has to offer. Try everything,” said Sprott.

Students interested in participating should submit their the application to Dean Griswold by Jan. 3. Learn more about this and all of our global programs here.