On January 30th, 20 high school students from Centaurus welcomed students from Pau, France, for a little less than two weeks. The volunteer students were partnered up with French students from a sister school, Lycée Saint Cricq à Pau, with similar interests who could get along. During February, the Americans hosted the French with a glimpse into real American life. During Spring Break, the same students will be living with their host families in France while uniquely only speaking French, ending with a visit to Paris.
The French exchange program is an opportunity to learn more about culture, practice the language and connect with foreign students. When asked about the exchange, the French teacher, Madame Hubbard answered about the impact it could make, “I think being able to live with a family and experience their everyday life, it’s probably, from a language perspective, the best experience that you can have”. Not many people have the opportunity to experience the culture of another country in school or be so close with a foreigner.
While in Colorado, many of the American students tried to show the landscape, culture, and identifiers of the state to the French. Some of these activities done together included, but were not limited to, skiing, hiking, visiting Red Rocks, visiting Casa Bonita, watching American movies and trying American Dishes. As a whole group, all the students did a scavenger hunt around Lafayette, visited Buffalo Bill’s grave, and visited the School of Mines. During their time, the French students visited downtown Denver, Pearl Street, CU, The Modern Art Museum, and explored. Of course, the students shadowed their American counterparts around the school, and experienced American High School. When asked about what was the biggest culture shock, the French students mentioned the low-key vibe, less workload, and more connections to being a community. Adèle Gracia, a seventeen year old French exchange student mentioned her surprise at electives, having carpet along with “The school is more chill and friendly” and “Almost everything is twice bigger than in France”.
When asked about if this program will continue, Madame Hubbard mentioned her hopes for the upcoming years: “The first time…we started in 2019, but we had COVID. Hopefully, nothing like that will happen again and we’ll be able to follow through with our plan”. She, along with students, mentioned that they wish that this program has the opportunity to continue every other year, and that it will hopefully continue well into the future!
