January Term at GFS: What’s New and Exciting for 2026

When GFS Upper School students and faculty return to campus after Winter Break, it’s anything but business as usual. Instead of resuming regular classes, the whole division embarks on a month of adventurous, expansive learning. While juniors are kicking off their Junior Projects—off-campus independent studies and internships—ninth, tenth, and twelfth graders are diving head-first into January Term. 

J-Term, as it is affectionately known, is a series of special elective courses and travel opportunities that runs throughout the month of January (this year, that’s from January 5-29). Every year, dozens of different classes and workshops are on offer; in 2026, there are 91 in total.

Back in November, students chose from the robust J-Term Course Catalog to create their own unique January Term journey—no two students’ schedules are alike. The courses take place across each school day; most days consist of three courses, with time built in for lunch and other breaks and activities on various days, like advisory, Meeting for Worship, pop-up classes, and assemblies. 

“Campus looks and feels different in January—and this is by design,” said Director of Upper School Matthew Young. “The pace is a bit slower, classes are a bit longer, and there are unique pockets of time and opportunity to make new friends, expand existing friendships with peers, teachers, and mentors, and learn in exciting new ways.”

The J-Term catalog features a wide array of classes geared toward nearly every interest and curiosity. Course topics and curricula are dreamed up by GFS’ faculty, and each year there are a subset of classes co-taught with faculty by ambitious sophomores, reflective seniors, and passionate alumni.

“The classes are not graded, and are purely about the joy of learning, both for the students and for the teachers,” said Kasey Henderson, Classics teacher and Director of January Term. “The goal is for everyone involved to actively participate in investigation, reflection, and experimentation together.” 

Some courses are related to pop culture, like Bad Bunny 101, Exploring the Eras: Taylor's Version, and Bob Dylan on Film; others lean academic, like Reading Moby Dick, fully dedicated to Melville’s classic, and The Current Supreme Court Term, examining current U.S. Supreme Court cases.  

There are J-Term courses focused on arts and crafts (Sewcialism for Beginners, Make a Wooden Bowl, and Hand Built Ceramic Vessels, to name a few), music (Rockestra, The Inner Juke Box, SoundWorks) and dance and theatre (Zumba with a Hip Hop Twist, From the Floor Up, The World of Production). There are STEM courses, like Laser Lab, Bacteriology and Biology of the Senses; games-related courses, like The Adventurer’s Guide and Bridge: The Greatest Card Game; writing workshops, fitness experiences, and everything in between. 

What all of the J-Term courses have in common is that each one creates spaces for new passions to blossom through interdisciplinary experiences. 

“J-Term is about active learning; students will be moving, making, or producing something every day, learning about the world and themselves in new ways,” Henderson noted. 

January Term also evolves slightly with each new year. There are a few updates and changes in 2026, including a new A/B schedule. Alternating days instead of splitting the month into two halves will stretch each course across the entire month, helping to strengthen camaraderie between classmates and faculty. 

This January, the J-Term Committee is expanding student leadership and community celebration of learning, considering: Why do humans celebrate? How do we build community? Using J-Term as a living laboratory, students and committee members are working to organize celebratory moments throughout the month, like pop-up classes and community art projects. 

Pop-up classes were introduced in 2024 as spontaneous, community-centered opportunities to try something new or share a passion. These one-time, 45-minute gatherings can be taught by faculty, staff, or students and can be about anything; last year there were pop-up classes about GFS Athletics, chess, immigration, and roller derby, among others. 

Young Alumni On-Campus J-Term Shadow Day is another 2025 innovation that will be back this year. On January 8, 2026, GFS alumni from the graduating classes of 2005-2025 are invited back for a one-day J-Term deep dive. They’re welcome to sit in on classes, take a tour of campus, enjoy lunch in the Dining Hall, and reconnect with favorite teachers and each other. (More info and registration can be found here). 

Additionally, J-Term includes five international student trips: an immersive experience in China, exchange programs in Tlaxcala, Mexico and Winchester, UK, a language intensive in France, and a science and community trip in Costa Rica. This year, there also is a new wilderness expedition through the Florida Everglades.

Entering the new calendar year with January Term is just one of the many ways that GFS encourages boundless, creative modes of learning in community. Stay tuned for more stories about this extraordinary month of exploration!