Sarah Mazer commented that although it was difficult for her to fit in another school system than the one she was used to, the students, teachers, and families of CHS are “very welcoming people” and that it’s “wonderful to discover another culture and way of life.”
On October 14th, a group of Coventry High School students, families, and teachers gathered by the doors of the school, eagerly awaiting a bus carrying students and teachers from France.
These visitors to the United States included twenty students and two staff members from St. Joseph Les Maristes High School in Marseille. Their school, located in the south of France, partnered with CHS through Prometour. Prometour is a Europe-based company which connects schools wishing to participate in exchange trips.
This particular exchange trip was organized by Mme. Teixeira and Mlle. Champlain of CHS, along with M. Allegrini and Mme. Janiec, an administrator and an English teacher, respectively, from St. Joseph Les Maristes.
According to Sarah Mazer, a student from Marseille who participated in the exchange, each student had to write a letter explaining their motivation to partake in the trip, and Allegrini and Janiec read those letters to decide who would be able to go.
The French students were assigned host students from CHS, who they would live with and follow around school over the following ten days. Some families at CHS took in as many as three French students to provide all the students with a place to stay.
Over the course of their time in Coventry, the French students attended regular classes with their host students to experience the American schooling system first hand. Outside of school, the French and American students went on various trips throughout New England to experience the various local activities.
Throughout all of the planning and various activities. One challenge was communication, said Teixeira, a French teacher at CHS. “Communication between the students, communication between myself and the families, communication between the families in France with their teachers (as the teachers who accompanied the students did not have working phones, unfortunately).”
In order to remedy the challenge, students, teachers, and family members used an app called Band to arrange rides, plan events, and share photos of their endeavors. Over the course of ten days, the students visited sites including Plymouth Plantation, the Newport Mansions, Brown University, Mystic, Six Flags, Narragansett, and local malls.
Because Halloween isn’t celebrated in France, the French students were able to experience certain New England fall traditions for the first time, such as corn mazes, pumpkin carving, and the Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular.
Towards the end of the trip, the French students were asked what surprised them about the United States. Students commented that they enjoyed the food here – specifically Taco Bell. They also remarked that they were surprised by the personable relationships students had with teachers. Another shared sentiment from the French students was how much they appreciated the warm welcome they received.
Sarah Mazer commented that although it was difficult for her to fit in another school system than the one she was used to, the students, teachers, and families of CHS are “very welcoming people” and that it’s “wonderful to discover another culture and way of life.”
When the French students and teachers departed on the morning of October 25th, they were sent off with many tearful farewells from students and parents that they had bonded with over the course of the trip.
During April of 2018, a handful of students from CHS will reunite with the students from St. Joseph Les Maristes when Coventry students venture to France. In addition to sightseeing around the country, they will attend St. Joseph Les Maristes with host students from Marseilles, completing the exchange trip experience.
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