THE NORMANDY EXPERIENCE
Leadership Academy in Normandy
This is not a sightseeing trip. It is a nine day leadership academy for high school students ready to learn, contribute, and see history with their own eyes.
Students live in Sainte-Mère-Église, walk historic ground, study the stories and decisions of D-Day, and take part in morning briefs and afternoon debriefs that turn experience into leadership.
Seven days on the ground in Normandy. Two leadership sessions each day. A small cohort built for students who want more than a trip.
BUILT TO LEAD
Morning briefs and afternoon debriefs connect the lessons of D-Day to the choices leaders make today.
LEARN
1
Students stay together in Sainte-Mère-Église, share family style meals, and experience daily life in Normandy.
LIVE
2
Walk the beaches, battlefields, museums, cemeteries, and villages where history demands more than a textbook can offer.
ENGAGE
3
YOUR PLACE IN NORMANDY
A small cohort. A once in a lifetime leadership experience.
Price: $5,500
9 DAYS TOTAL
7 DAYS IN NORMANDY
10 TO 16 STUDENTS
2 CHAPERONES
Each paid cohort opens one date at a time. When a cohort reaches capacity, the next available date will open. A minimum of 10 students is required for a cohort to move forward.
Sainte-Mère-Église
Leadership Group
Paid Cohort
July 4-12, 2027
Status
Now Enrolling
Sainte-Mère-Église
Leadership Group
Paid Cohort
July 18-26, 2027
Status
Opens Next
Sainte-Mère-Église
Leadership Group
Paid Cohort
Aug 1-9, 2027
Status
Upcoming
PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION POLICY
Enrollment is confirmed with a $750 deposit that is applied toward the full $5,500 tuition. Families may pay the remaining balance in full or use an available payment plan at checkout.
MORE THAN 90 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE
Families may cancel and receive a full refund of all tuition paid.
61 TO 90 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE
Families may cancel and receive a refund of all tuition paid, less a $250 administrative fee.
60 DAYS OR FEWER BEFORE DEPARTURE
Tuition is nonrefundable because DLA commits funds for airfare, transportation, lodging, meals, staffing, admission fees, and other program costs well before departure. At DLA’s sole discretion, families may request to transfer paid tuition to another paid DLA cohort if space is available and the student remains eligible and accepted. Transfers are not guaranteed, cannot be exchanged for a cash refund, and may require payment of any difference in program cost or applicable transfer fees. If DLA cannot approve the requested transfer, no refund will be issued except as required by the signed enrollment agreement or applicable law.
NOTE:
If DLA cancels a paid cohort because the minimum enrollment of 10 students is not met, families may choose a full refund or transfer their payment to the next available paid cohort.
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This website summary does not replace the signed enrollment agreement, which governs payments, cancellations, refunds, transfers, travel requirements, and participant conduct.
WHAT YOUR TUITION COVERS
Your $5,500 tuition covers the essential costs of the academy, so students can focus on the experience, the learning, and their cohort.
Travel & Transportation
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All D-Day Leadership Academy arranged airfare from the student’s home airport to the designated group hub and the international itinerary to and from France
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Transportation to and around Normandy
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Airport coordination and chaperoned handoff at the designated group hub
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All museum and site entry fees
LIFE AND LEARNING IN NORMANDY
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Dorm lodging in Sainte-Mère-Église
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Three family style French meals each day in Normandy
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Bedding, Towels, soap, and shampoo
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Two leadership classes each day
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All classroom materials
NOTE: Students should bring personal spending money for snacks, optional meals during free time, and souvenirs.
HOW STUDENTS TRAVEL TO NORMANDY
D-Day Leadership Academy coordinates the full cohort itinerary, including student travel from each student’s normal home airport to the designated group hub and international travel to and from France. Families receive the assigned itinerary and any required authorization steps before travel.
1. TRAVEL TO THE GROUP HUB
D-Day Leadership Academy will arrange the domestic itinerary from each student’s normal home airport to the designated group hub as part of the paid cohort itinerary. Families should provide the student’s usual home airport and promptly identify any travel needs or restrictions.
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Airline unaccompanied minor service fees are the family’s responsibility when a family chooses or requires that service. D-Day Leadership Academy will provide the separate authorization requirements for any parent authorized connecting travel.
2. TRAVEL TO PARIS AS A COHORT
D-Day Leadership Academy accepts responsibility when a student meets a chaperone at the group hub. Parents and guardians complete a separate travel authorization acknowledging the assigned hub and handoff.
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The full cohort travels from the hub to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, then continues together to Sainte-Mère-Église. Two approved chaperones travel with every cohort.
3. RETURN HOME WITH A PLAN
At the end of the academy, chaperones accompany students back to the group hub. Chaperones remain with students until each student has boarded a direct flight home or begins parent authorized unaccompanied connecting travel.
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D-Day Leadership Academy provides the return itinerary to the group hub. A parent or guardian must authorize any unaccompanied connecting travel in advance.
NOTE:
D-Day Leadership Academy selects one Delta hub with direct service to Paris Charles de Gaulle for the active cohort after flights are arranged. Student airfare from the home airport to the group hub, as well as international travel, is included in tuition. Airline unaccompanied minor service fees, when required or selected by a family, are the family’s responsibility.
THIS IS FOR STUDENTS WHO WANT MORE
This is not a vacation package. It is a student only leadership academy for high school freshmen through seniors in their graduation year.
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Students come to Normandy to learn, immerse themselves in another culture, honor the people connected to this history, and have a meaningful amount of fun along the way.
COME READY TO LEARN
SHOW RESPECT FOR THE HISTORY, COMMUNITY, AND COHORT
CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS
Every paid student completes a short application and admissions conversation with a DLA staff member, alongside a parent or guardian, before enrollment is finalized. Once accepted, each student receives an assigned American service member for their pre academy leadership study. College students are currently not eligible.
THE LEADERSHIP LEGACY STUDY
Before traveling to Normandy, every student receives an assigned American service member to study. This is not busywork. It is the beginning of a personal connection to the history they will encounter overseas.
THE PERSON BEHIND THE UNIFORM
Who was this person before service?
A ROLE IN HISTORY
What was their role during the war, and what did that role require of them?
LEADERSHIP UNDER PRESSURE
What leadership trait can you learn from their story?
A CONVERSATION ACROSS TIME
What question would you ask them?
Students complete a short written reflection before departure. Their work becomes part of a meaningful moment during the academy in Normandy.
WHAT FAMILIES NEED TO KNOW
Clear expectations help every student arrive prepared, participate fully, and make the most of their time in Normandy.
PASSPORT READY
Students are responsible for obtaining a valid passport. Passport information must be submitted to DLA at least 30 days before departure.
HEALTH AND FOOD NEEDS
Families must disclose allergies and medical needs. Students are responsible for bringing and managing their prescribed medication, including allergy medication and epinephrine when needed. Because meals are prepared family style, DLA cannot accommodate gluten free, halal, celiac, or other specialized meal plans.
ACCESSIBILITY
The academy is not currently able to accommodate wheelchairs. Lodging includes upstairs dorm rooms, and many historic sites have uneven terrain or limited accessibility.
CONDUCT AND RESPONSIBILITY
Students and parents sign a behavior agreement before departure. Students are expected to learn, show respect, follow directions, and contribute positively to the cohort.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A COHORT DOES NOT REACH THE MINIMUM ENROLLMENT?
DLA requires a minimum of 10 students for each paid cohort. If a cohort does not reach that minimum, families may choose a full refund of all tuition paid or transfer their payment to the next available paid cohort.
Note:
Families are encouraged to purchase travel insurance at their own discretion.
A DAY IN THE ACADEMY
Each day combines historic exploration, leadership instruction, shared responsibility, and time to reflect on what students have experienced.
MORNING
Breakfast together, followed by a leadership brief that prepares students for the day’s sites and stories.
DAYTIME
Travel through Normandy to museums, battlefields, beaches, cemeteries, villages, and places of historic importance.
AFTERNOON
A leadership debrief connects the day’s experience to the choices, character, and responsibility of effective leaders.
EVENING
Dinner together in Sainte-Mère-Église, time with the cohort, and preparation for the next day.
QUESTIONS FAMILIES ASK
Everything families need to know before applying for a paid DLA cohort.
Who is eligible to apply?
Paid cohorts are open to high school freshmen through seniors in their graduation year. Students who are 18 and graduating from high school may apply. College students are currently not eligible.
How many students travel together?
Each cohort includes a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 16 students, with two chaperones.
Do parents travel with the group?
No. This is a student only academy. Parents do not travel with or stay alongside the cohort.
What does tuition include?
Tuition includes all D-Day Leadership Academy arranged airfare from the student’s home airport to the designated group hub and the international itinerary to and from France, transportation to and around Normandy, lodging, family style meals in Sainte-Mère-Église, museum and site entry fees, leadership instruction, and classroom materials.
Can my student travel to the group hub alone?
D-Day Leadership Academy arranges the student’s domestic itinerary from the home airport to the designated group hub. Students may travel independently on a nonstop or connecting domestic itinerary before meeting a D-Day Leadership Academy chaperone at the hub.
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If a parent or guardian prefers airline unaccompanied minor service or another airline accompaniment option for one or both domestic flight segments, the family must coordinate that service directly with the airline and is responsible for any related fees. D-Day Leadership Academy does not coordinate airline accompaniment services and accepts responsibility for the student when the student meets a chaperone at the designated group hub.
Can DLA accommodate specialized food plans or wheelchairs?
DLA can consider some allergies, but cannot provide specialized meal plans. The academy is not currently able to accommodate wheelchairs because of the lodging and the terrain at many historic sites.
BRING YOUR GROUP TO NORMANDY
DLA welcomes schools, churches, youth organizations, and other groups prepared to fill an entire paid cohort. Group applications are only for organizations that intend to enroll all available student spaces in one trip.
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Students applying with friends should submit individual applications and note the names of friends they hope to travel with in their application. Shared travel is not guaranteed, but DLA will consider those requests when placing students in a paid cohort.
READY TO EARN YOUR PLACE IN NORMANDY?
Paid DLA cohorts are intentionally small. Complete your application to begin the admissions process and be considered for the next available cohort.
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Use three short steps:
1. APPLY
A parent or guardian submits the student application.
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2. CONNECT
The student and parent or guardian meet with a DLA staff member for an admissions conversation.
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3. PREPARE
Accepted students confirm their place, complete required agreements, and begin their Leadership Legacy Study.
When a cohort reaches capacity, the next available cohort opens.