Partnerships are central to the work we do at Beaver, and we’re excited for students in our French classes to continue building on the partnership with started with the Lycée Jean XXIII School in Les Herbiers, France last April. The French students visited Beaver and experienced homestays with our students, and now this April students from three French classes—Art & Society, Intro to Storytelling, and French Literature—will have the opportunity to travel to Les Herbiers and experience their own exchange. Students in these classes will complete coursework on themes of environmental impact, urban vs. suburban environments, the definition of what makes art, and the creation of museums, and students who go abroad will also work on projects over the course of their time in France to make connections in person.
Our Modern Languages Department Chair, Rachel Veto, has a personal connection to the school and this work—one that’s impacted her throughout her life. Rachel shares:
I am so excited to bring a partnership to Beaver that is personal to me. In 2001, I hosted a student from Lycee Jean XXIII in 2001 when I was a junior in high school. That student has remained a family friend, and my whole family participated in the exchange when my brother was a Senior. I have coordinated exchanges with this same school for 14 years, always with the goal of homestays and authentic connections and experiences.
While not every student will travel to France, all students will benefit from the discussions and the partnerships formed from the planning of the travel experience. Joined by science teacher Drew Zachry and Visual Arts teacher Amelia Walske, the group will travel to Paris first—visiting the Olympic Athletes village to assess its impact on the city and environment, multiple museums, and the largest urban garden in the city. Then, students will travel to Les Herbiers for their homestays, where they will spend a day at school, tour a chateau, visit the Puy du Fou theme park, and have time with their host families.
We are so excited to build these experiences for students, both in class and in another country. We cannot wait to see what they discover and create because of these partnerships and unique opportunities that Beaver is helping to create for them.
— Rachel Veto, Modern Languages Department Chair