One of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School’s most rewarding international learning opportunities is the student exchange program with partner schools in Spain and France. Recently, Good Counsel’s exchange was partnered with Lycée Carnot in Cannes, France. The exchange program, organized by GC French teacher Ms. Zaghdoun, involves students from Good Counsel living with their exchange student overseas, and then hosting them here in the United States. Several students participated in this year’s exchange, visiting France for about a week in November, and hosting
the same student they visited for eight days earlier this month. Experiences include tourism, cultural immersion, and perspectives of high school in another country. The goals of the exchange program are to build lasting relationships among students from around the world, allow students to learn about varying educational systems, and give students an opportunity to apply classroom foreign language skills to a real-world environment.
Visiting the United States had a lasting impact on both exchange students and their host families. When asked about their first impressions of Good Counsel, most students noted the school’s size, saying it was larger than expected. Another comment made by three French students, Leonore Santovert, Lola Despre-Gilardo, and Luna Houweling, was that the teachers were all extremely kind and that they were pleased with the teachers’ and students’ welcoming attitudes. One notable memory of Leonore’s, one of the French exchange students, was “seeing so many squirrels,” because they are abundant in Olney, Maryland, compared to France. Another common difference between high schools in the United States and in France was the emphasis on sports. Luna said one of her favorite memories at Good Counsel was attending a basketball game, noting that in France, not as many students participate in after-school sports as at Good Counsel. Additionally, when asked where to visit in France, Luna recommended “The South of France, where there is the beach, and it is sunny.” The students explained that snowfall is rarer where they live than in Maryland, and they experienced the colder weather amid the abundant snow from the storm the week before their arrival. Lola also shared one of her favorite places in France, the Massif de l’Esterel, a mountain range along the Mediterranean. She encourages everyone to visit because of its “beautiful view of the red rock next to the sea.”
Good Counsel High School students were inspired to participate in the French Exchange program for varying reasons. Mia Maelle Sanchez-Castellanos “27, said she was inspired to go because she was born in France and lived there for four years, and “wanted to revisit and connect” with France. The experience impacted Good Counsel’s students equally as much as it impacted the French exchange students who visited Good Counsel. Natalia Brzezinski “28 and Catalina Coots “28 both explained that visiting France for a week and following the life of a high school student there “opened their eyes” and allowed them to engage in different routines and experience new cultural and social norms.
The exchange program offered by Good Counsel has historically given students around the world opportunities to engage with unfamiliar cultures and routines. Giving them opportunities to visit historic sites, capital cities, restaurants, and stores that are not available to them in their home country. The experience has widened perspectives on both ends, allowing students to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Every student exclaimed that they would like to return to the country they visited in the future, and see other sites while revisiting their host family. The French Exchange program is a unique and successful way to bridge cultures among students from diverse backgrounds, and this year’s group was particularly impactful, creating lasting memories among its participants.