Central students and teachers traveled to France over spring break to experience authentic French culture and use their speaking and listening skills to communicate with native French speakers.
The students left on Friday, March 14th, at 6:00 PM and got back on March 23rd at around 7:00 PM.
Because France is six hours ahead, the jet lag that was experienced was severe, but they persevered nonetheless. Right after getting off their eight-hour flight, they headed to Rouen, where they visited the Notre-Dame de Rouen Cathedral, had lunch, and explored the city. They went to Trouville, where they stayed at the Hotel Mercure Trouville for two nights.
While in Trouville, the group visited the Caen Memorial Peace Museum, the American Cemetery, and Omaha Beach. The students learned a lot about France’s history and America’s role in it. They also visited Leonardo da Vinci’s house: Chateau du Clos Luce and the Chateau de Chenonceau, where King Henry II’s wife, Catherine de Medici, lived.
On Tuesday, March 18th, they went to the beautiful town of Tours, where they saw the Chartres Cathedral. After, they went to Versailles where they visited the palaces of Louis XIV, where the Hall of Mirrors is located, and the Treaty of Versailles was signed.
Students arrived in Paris that night, where Central French teacher, Jamie Schrader, and Central Spanish teacher, Kaysee Williams, walked them to the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées.
On the morning of the 19th, the group went on a sightseeing tour that was followed by a walkthrough of the Louvre, where students saw the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. They ended their night on top of the famous Eiffel Tower, where they got spectacular views of the city at night.
The quaint town of Avignon was explored by the group on the 20th where they visited the Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard. In the afternoon, students were given a lot of time to explore within the city walls and experience the shopping culture.
The next morning, the kids drove to Aix-en-Provence, where they activated their creative side by painting the beautiful landscape of the Mountain Sainte-Victoire. The students found a lot of joy in this activity. When going around and talking about their favorite parts, a junior at Central, Kokomi Liao, said painting was “really fun and relaxing”. After, they got to explore the city with their tour guide Jo Lurie.
On March 22nd, the students drove to Nice and enjoyed the views of the Jardin Exotique. They visited the Fragonard Perfume Factory, where they learned about the art of making perfume. In the afternoon, they went on a bike tour where they got to see Place Garibaldi, Place Massena, and Old Town.
They woke up at 3:15 AM on the 23rd to catch their flight to Amsterdam, where they had a connecting flight to Chicago. Including the bus ride back, the students got back at around 7 o’clock.
Throughout the trip, new friendships and relationships were made between peers and chaperones. Even after they were home, the kids frequently communicated with each other through text or verbally.
