French Delegates Visit Newtown Schools

Near the end of their stay in Newtown, Claire Choquet and Valarie Zink, teachers from Lycée Alain, a school located in Le Vésinet, France, agreed they had been welcomed warmly and the visit had been a productive one for the sister school relationship between their school and Newtown.

Le Vésinet is a suburb roughly 30 minutes west of Paris. The delegates stayed with host families during their time in Newtown.

“Thank you to all of you,” said Ms Choquet on Monday, November 12, to all the people who had welcomed her during her stay. “I’m sure this partnership will last, because the friendship ties we have are so intense already that it cannot but be lasting.”

The purpose of their visit was to meet with Newtown’s France Project team, Newtown International Center for Education (NICE) leadership, and district staff to broaden their understanding of Newtown Schools and the American educational system, according to a press release from NICE.

The delegates also met with Language Department Head Paula Greenfield and French teacher Jen Davidson. Ms Greenfield, Ms Davidson, Ms Choquet, and Ms Zink all said on Monday that their talks also included plans for when French students visit Newtown High School in March and for when a group of 23 NHS students will visit France in April.

Even with dealing with Superstorm Sandy and a winter storm, Ms Choquet said people opened their homes to her and Ms Zink, and it was appreciated by both.

As a gift on Monday, NICE Program Coordinator and NHS Assistant Principal Jason Hiruo presented Ms Choquet and Ms Zink with a 2012 NHS yearbook, to browse and share with their students back home in Le Vésinet.

“I think this really best represents our school culture,” said Mr Hiruo.