Padraic Walsh '18 Writes About His Experience with #ArchmereinFrance This Summer
In June, World Language teachers Mrs. Nancy Cooper and Ms. Katie Thiel traveled to France with 16 Archmere students for a 2-week immersive exchange program. Students lived with host families from the Lycée Privé Saint-Vincent in Senlis, France. In addition to participating in excursions to Paris, Giverny and the surrounding area, they traveled to Normandy to see Mont Saint-Michel, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, the American National Cemetery, and Caen.
Padraic Walsh '18 reflected on his two weeks in France and wrote the below passage:
This past summer, I, and fifteen other Archmere students and our two French teachers packed our bags, left our families, and embarked upon an unforgettable journey that took us all across Northern France. Our group consisted of fourteen girls and two boys from three different grades. As part of Archmere’s French exchange program, we had the opportunity to completely immerse ourselves in the French culture by living with a family in France for two weeks. We had no choice but to do our best to speak and listen in French, and as a result our language skills developed immensely. Far beyond the scope of language, I think I speak for the entire group when I say the experience was nothing short of incredible. The trip took us to places like Raray, where we played golf under the shadow of a French château, Giverny, where we took in the beauty of Monet’s gardens, and, of course, Paris, where we enjoyed a picnic in the Jardins de Luxembourg. Even a seven hour bus ride back from Normandy with no air-conditioning proved to be a memory none of us will soon forget. Deciding to go on the French trip was undoubtedly the best decision I’ve made throughout my Archmere career. The bonds I formed with Archmere students, even those I haven't met before, reaffirmed my belief that the Archmere community is compromised of the most genuinely great people.
The Archmere group documented their travel adventures each day with pictures and stories on their own blog, #ArchmereinFrance. To visit their blog site and view photos from their trip, click here.
Archmere Academy is a private, Catholic, college preparatory co-educational academy,
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.
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