Trips to France
Once every three years or so, proficient students travel to France for a 17 days tour, usually visiting the Normandy beaches, the Mont Saint-Michel, and Paris, as well other urban and rural sites tailored to the group's taste for artistic, historic, and academic venues. The highlight of the trip is usually a five to six nights in a homestay; this is why we require a minimum of two years of French for these trips, although most participants have had three to six years of instruction.
While traveling throughout France, we ask students to demonstrate their linguistic and cultural knowledge by requiring them to complete many daily task; these efforts allow the application of classroom knowledge to everyday life. Nothing builds language skills like shopping for lunch at the market!
In order to raise funds for those trips, students hire out as servers and service workers for formal public functions, as well as weddings. They also complete their annual Quiche Take-Out in mid-winter; combined with personal funds and grants from the Lopez InSTEP, these multiple contributions make the trip possible for all students who wish to work and study for it.
Over the years, many students have pursued careers directly related to the French language. Members of the French Club who choose to do so routinely challenge college-level courses at prestigious institutions. Most of all, they are changed by the traveling experiences.
While traveling throughout France, we ask students to demonstrate their linguistic and cultural knowledge by requiring them to complete many daily task; these efforts allow the application of classroom knowledge to everyday life. Nothing builds language skills like shopping for lunch at the market!
In order to raise funds for those trips, students hire out as servers and service workers for formal public functions, as well as weddings. They also complete their annual Quiche Take-Out in mid-winter; combined with personal funds and grants from the Lopez InSTEP, these multiple contributions make the trip possible for all students who wish to work and study for it.
Over the years, many students have pursued careers directly related to the French language. Members of the French Club who choose to do so routinely challenge college-level courses at prestigious institutions. Most of all, they are changed by the traveling experiences.