The St. Luke’s school year had scarcely finished when thirteen students and two teachers embarked on a twelve-day immersion program with its partner school—St. Michel de Picpus, in Paris, France. The students, rising sophomores to rising seniors, and their teachers, Evan Downey and Beth Yavenditti, were warmly greeted upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport early June 8. After a few hours of rest, they began exploring Paris in earnest.
Their first day brought them to the Champs-Élysées where they climbed the Arc de Triomphe and saw first hand the influence that Georges-Eugène Haussmann had on Paris when he redesigned the city at the end of the 19th century. The next day they had a guided tour of the Latin Quarter and Notre Dame capped off with a baking lesson where they learned to make macarons. The week continued with visits to Versailles, the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay as well as various other neighborhoods like Montmartre. On average, they walked 12 miles a day! When they were not exploring the city, the students were experiencing la vie française with their hosts.
They finished the program with a 2-1⁄2 day tour to Normandy where they visited Rouen (where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake), Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery as well as Arromanches. They spent a night in Honfleur, a picturesque seaside town where the Seine meets the sea. They also visited Saint-Malo, a beautiful Breton town, where they could sample the local fare—crêpes! They finished their excursion with a trip to Mont St.-Michel before returning back “home” to Paris for their final night.
