Middle Schoolers Experience French Culture First Hand

 

Head of Middle School Susie McGee and Language Department Chair Cathy Favreau joined 12 middle school students in exploring France from March 8-16. Destinations included Paris, the Loire Valley, the Palace of Versailles, the Monastery of Mont-St-Michel, and Normandy.

 

 

“The opportunity for kids to travel and experience different cultures in a way that also connects to our curriculum both in terms of humanities and language is really the goal of the trip,” said Ms. McGee.

 

While the focus language of the trip was French, the opportunity was available to all students in the middle school. Whether students take French, Spanish, or Latin, the trip offers a little something for everyone.

 

“People speak very fast there so sometimes it can be hard, even as a French student, to understand what they are saying,” said Ella Caggiano ’19. “But it was interesting to work with the language in a different context because when you are in the world and need to ask about something you want to buy or where the bathrooms are or interact with someone it is very different from being in a classroom.”

 

For the non-French-speaking students, the experience of being in another country where you do not know the language was particularly challenging.

 

“There were times where we had to work together to figure out the best way to communicate, whether we had a French student right there or not,” said Marie Jennings ’19. “It was eye-opening because you are so used to being able to express yourself and when you’re put into a new situation you have to adapt and figure it out.”

 

The students arrived in Paris and spent the first three days exploring everything the city had to offer. With help of a local guide, students visited landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. One day the students ventured outside the city to Auvers-sur-Oise where Vincent Van Gogh last lived, took part in a painting workshop, and finished the day with a walking tour of Montmarte and the Basilique du Sacre Coeur.

 

They then travelled to the Loire Valley where they visited the Palace of Versailles and its gardens. There, students took part in a role-playing activity that explored issues leading up to the French Revolution.

 

“Seeing Versailles and considering what life was like for the peasants, you get a sense of why the revolution needed to happen,” Ms. McGee said. “So it’s interesting because on one hand you look at it and think ‘this is gorgeous,’ but on the other hand it really isn’t because the opulence is just so over the top.”

 

The last site on the trip itinerary was Normandy where the students were able to see where the outcome of World War II turned on D-Day, visit the American Military Museum, and look deeper at the stories of particular soldiers who were there that day in 1944.

 

“Normandy was really powerful because you were standing in a place where so much history actually took place,” Lindy Billhardt ’19 said.

 

Beyond the language and cultural components, the annual foreign language trip offers students an opportunity to see the world alongside their peers. For many, it is the first time they will travel without their parents and that sense of personal responsibility and independence is an important step in their growth.

 

“The students love the independence this trip offers – it’s their experience and they can take ownership of it,” Ms. McGee said. “This group in particular were fantastic travelers. They were willing to try everything, they were excited at every step along the way, and they really encouraged each other to try new things and step outside their comfort zones.”