Discover your voice: In France

Angers

Our Angers program is centered on a month-long homestay in Angers, France (about 200 miles west of Paris). In October, Waring 9th graders each host a French student from the Lycée David d'Angers for three weeks; then in March, they journey across the Atlantic to spend a month living with that same student. The program is designed as an immersion in both French culture and language, and it benefits all levels of French students, from those who have been studying the language for several years to those who come to Waring with no previous experience. 

Many of the 9th graders' classes continue in Angers, as Waring teachers accompany them on their trip to ensure they do not fall behind in regular coursework. In addition, students sit in on certain classes at the Lycée David d'Angers and complete a research project on an aspect of French culture that particularly interests or surprises them. 

The class often travels on weekends (to Paris, Chinon, and Mont Saint-Michel, to name a few places) and is encouraged frequently to venture downtown, to the boulangerie, the cinéma, or a grand magasin.  But the emphasis remains on interaction with their correspondents at home. Our students often develop deep and lasting relationships with their correspondents, some of which are carried on through many years and many subsequent visits. The complete immersion experience greatly aids the students' fluency in French, and paves their way to a deeper understanding of French culture.