A World Apart?

In the spring of 2017, 23 Rivendell students travelled to Saverne, a small town in eastern France, and stayed for one week with families of students in the local high school, Lycée Leclerc. In October, those students came to America to stay with students from Rivendell for a week, spending some days in classes and other days doing various activities around the Upper Valley. A visit to Burlington, a stop at Ben and Jerry’s, and tours of the Dartmouth campus, Rivendell Elementary schools, and a sugaring house kept the students busy for their week in the community. This exchange of students has been going on for 17 years, orchestrated by French teacher Gail Keefer and her French counterpart, an English teacher at Lycée Leclerc. Ms. Keefer remarked how difficult it was getting for her to distinguish who was French and who was American. Apart from the language spoken, students from Rivendell and students from Saverne are more similar than one might think.

While the French students were here, several of the boys from France participated in the varsity soccer practices. Although their school has no team, many of the French students play sports for various clubs in and around Saverne. Senior Owen Pelletier commented on their impact during the practice time with the team. “It was fun, they were really skilled and a good addition to the team to challenge us.” The French students also showed great school spirit when attending home and away games, cheering alongside Rivendell supporters and even starting their own chants.

To wrap up their time at Rivendell, the exchange students spent an afternoon in classes with their host students. In a French class with Ms. Keefer, students discussed life in both countries. Almost everyone in the group were scared, or had a dislike of spiders, insects, clowns, heights, and airplanes. Stories of teachers and homework were swapped seamlessly. Every student appeared to have similar responses to stress at school, late night work, and favorite classes.

Oceane Dusch, who stayed with senior Sierra Longto, gave her opinion on American culture. “It is exactly like in the movies. The cars, the houses, the school.” When entering the high school gym for the first time, many of the French students took copious amounts of photos and videos because they don’t have spaces like it. Other places like the locker room, library, and weight room also fascinated them. Additionally, Gatien Sovis, who stayed with senior Dashiel Fukushima, noted the different role that sports played. “We do not have any of these things in France, but we see them in movies. You have so many sports in your school.” Americans don’t often consider how different life could be in other countries, but by making this exchange, everyone gains global perspective.