Bonjour tout le monde! Hello everyone! Some lucky WHB juniors and seniors spent their February break in France. While taking in the culture and breathing in the foreign aroma, students enjoyed the week-long trip visiting castles, devouring crêpes, and exploring famous French monuments.
On the night of Saturday, February 16th, 18 students and chaperones boarded the 6-hour flight out of JFK to Paris, saying au revoir to America and bonjour to France!
The students participated in the LEAP program, adventuring on a nine day tour to see the great lights of Paris as well as the old and stunning architecture of central and southern French cities. The group visited famous places such as the sweeping Champs-Elysées and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and even enjoyed breathtaking views from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Other attractions that the students saw were the medieval walled city of Carcassonne, the Roman Pont du Gard aqueduct, and the Hall of Mirrors in Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles.
Many of the students looked most forward to was experiencing the french culture. It had the “overwhelming and amazing, alluring charm” that junior Graham Brown was looking for, one of the reasons why he hopes to go back to France one day.
When the students recalled the trip, the one thing that came to mind was the food! Piles of puffy pastries, succulent entrées, and fresh and crunchy baguettes were junior Kirsten Dagostino’s favorite food aspect. “Holy flour! The bread is just so great. Crêpes as well! I could eat a nutella and banana crêpe for every meal,” Kirsten exuberantly recalled. Graham, on the other hand,was a little upset that he didn’t try anything new, “I couldn’t find any snails,” he said, or escargot as the French call them.
Everyone on the trip had a blast, but a lot is put into planning a trip and tour abroad. Mrs. Petroski, one of the French and Spanish teachers here at WHBHS, worked endlessly planning the trip. “I started with Mr. Herr. The next step was to talk to Mr. Radday, the superintendent. After that we set a date on the calendar to talk to the Board of Education. They had to vote for or against having the trip,” Mrs. Petroski recalled.
Mrs. Petroski searched for reasonably priced tours that best showcased France’s landscape and versatility the most. She came across the LEAP Program, which had great opportunities for the students to see as much as France as possible. Mrs. Petroski says she “always wants the students to see Paris, and the historical sites like Oradour sur Glane,” which were included in the tour.
Overall, the total cost of the trip per student was $3,333. Mrs. Petroski added that “the cost falls on the students and their parents. Most students get a job and work to earn. We did bake sales, bag sales, Yankee Candle sales, and car washes.”
This year’s France trip was a huge success. The students returned home with smiles on their faces and tons of memories that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Le voyage de France est terminée, mais préparez-vous pour le voyage en Espagne l’année prochaine – The French trip is over, but get ready for the Spain trip next year!
