Roswell Welcomes 26 French Students In Exchange Program

From Roswell High: Roswell High School hosted a welcome reception on October 15 for visiting students from Epinal, France, through at exchange program between the two schools. The French visitors are attending Roswell High School and visiting the Atlanta area from October 10-19.

“Living with families is an opportunity that is unique and gives [students] the opportunity to [be] diplomats,” explained RHS French teacher Barbara Bell. “They learn a lot about themselves and gain confidence.

The group of students and faculty are from a school with a strong world language emphasis, similar to a magnet program, at Lycée Claude Gellée, their school in Epinal, France. Twenty-two RHS families are hosting the students and faculty. RHS French teachers Bell and Sarah Kempf have coordinated this exchange with their French counterparts, as well as a previous visit with 19 RHS students and four faculty. RHS will take another group of students to visit Epinal during spring break in 2019.

“We are constantly collaborating,” said Bell. “It is such an enriching experience to work with colleagues not only here but overseas.”

During their time at RHS, visiting French students will attend core classes as well as courses in coding, fine arts, video production and cosmetology. They will be able to take part in Roswell High School’s homecoming week festivities, and will meet with RHS counselors about American colleges and universities. Students will spend two days exploring Atlanta as well.

“The value is this is pretty simple,” said Principal Robert Shaw, addressing the French and American students on Monday. “In this interconnected world, hashtags and social media don’t replace face-to-face connections.”

Image via Roswell High