Haggerty plans to take students to France for spring break

The foreign language department is in the process of organizing a trip to France over spring break that will be open to all students.

Led by French teacher Elaine Haggerty, the group will delve into French culture, examine the educational system in France and tour historically significant sites, including Versailles, Avignon, The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Aix-en-Provence, Cassis and the Church of Notre Dame.

The students will stay with host families just outside of Paris, where they will sleep and eat meals. They will also take the morning RER, a train that connects outlying suburbs to to the city, where they will then transfer to the metro taking them to their planned activity for the day.

Haggerty and Spanish teacher Arnaldo Rodriguex will serve as chaperones for the group of students. But if more than a couple of dozen students wish to attend, Haggerty said she will need to ask another world language teacher to chaperone.

This trip was last done was over 10 years ago by then-French teacher Peter Jordan.

Since this is the first time Haggerty is planning a trip like this, she does not know how many people will take interest, but she is “happy that students seem to be excited about the trip.” So far, five students have committed to the trip, and many more are thinking about it. The deadline to commit to the trip is tentatively the end of October.

Though Haggerty says some students may hesitate because of the hefty price tag of $4,000, she is optimistic about the educational enrichment the trip provides for students, from being able to use some of the French they have learned to seeing places they have only read about in their textbooks.

For example, sophomore Ali Lichtenberg hopes to connect what he has learned about France in World History MAP with what he will see on this trip. He especially looks forward to seeing sites like the Palace of Versailles.

“We have been learning a lot about the places we are going to during the French Revolution unit and there have been a lot of interesting recommendations from [history teacher Mike] Davey,” Lichtenberg said.

Haggerty hopes to repeat trips like this in the future, along with traveling to more accessible French-influenced areas, which will allow for significantly lower costs and more student participation.

Although many trips in the past have been started, they have been called off due to a lack of signups. Haggerty says that with the quoted price, it is assumed at least 15 students will go, and if fewer students sign up, it would mean a higher price for the remaining students. Even with the obstacles, Haggerty thinks the trip will be one to remember.

“Ideally, I see us taking this trip every couple of years, with perhaps a trip to French-speaking Canada in between,” Haggerty said.