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Students studying French came back on the Fourth of July from a three-week trip centered around the Lycée International of Ferney-Voltaire. After visiting the school, with which McDonogh has conducted exchanges for over 20 years, the students, along with faculty chaperones Mara Daniel and Peggy Warner, embarked on a whirlwind tour that included visits to a chocolate factory in Geneva, Switzerland; a cheese factory in Gruyère; the Château de Chillon; the Olympic Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland; the alpine lake town of Annecy; the peak of Mont Blanc; Monaco for the changing of the guards; Nîmes for the chance to swim under a Roman aqueduct; the cities of Chamonix, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Les Baux, and Cannes; and Paris for three nights.
“All of the memorization, vocabulary drilling, and conjugation of French class becomes reality for the students as they realize that they have the tools to communicate with their host families, ask questions in the street and in stores, and navigate the Parisian metro," said Daniel. "It is a big pleasure for me to see my students’ wide eyes and awareness of all the cultural differences and similarities our countries share.”
As John T. ’06 points out, “On this trip I really had to use my experience in the French language just to get around so it helped me in that regard a lot. Also, for me it was kind of overwhelming because we saw everything that we’d studied or that I’d heard about, so that was really cool.”
Just across the Pyrenees Mountains from France, 21 McDonogh students and their chaperones, Patricia Tasher and Lisa Fineman, spent June 13 to July 3 on the second annual summer Spanish exchange to the International School in Benalmadena. The town, situated in the coastal province of Malaga, is located on the sunny Costa Del Sol.
After an initial three days in Madrid and day trips to Toledo, Grenada, Ronda, Seville, Cordoba, and Morocco, a majority of the students’ time was spent in picturesque, beach-front Benalmadena. They quickly adopted the easy-going pace of morning classes, a long lunch to avoid the hot sun, an afternoon by the beach or on an excursion, dinner with their host family, and a free evening to spend with their new friends.
The students’ arrival coincided with the Feast of St. John, which led into a week-long fair in Malaga. Said Tasher, “They got to see a totally different approach to living. To [the Spanish], these celebrations are very important. They tone down the whole business side of their lives and get totally immersed in the fiesta.”
Lily B. ’07 agrees. “I found the active role my [host] parents played in their small, close-knit community really interesting because it contrasts with our fast-paced American lifestyle.”
McDonogh's seventh exchange with Faust-Gymnasium in Staufen, Germany, included 14 students and chaperones Buck Lyon-Vaiden and Marie-Helene Field. Students visited the nearby Black Forest as well as Alsace, France; Lucerne, Switzerland; and Munich. There was also a sobering but important visit to the remains of the World War II concentration camp in Dachau.
McDonogh students spent the majority of their time with their host families as they observed German home and school life, including the chance to attend Abiball, a combination of graduation exercises and prom night.
“The German Exchange provided the door into a new world for these 14 McDonogh students" said Buck Lyon-Vaiden. "They have now begun to learn what it means to be a German as well as to see the U.S. in a different light. It is now up to them to continue to develop their new friendships into hopefully life-long relationships. This first-hand experience cannot be gleaned from any textbook nor as a casual tourist to Germany.”
Adds Neil P. ’07: “The German exchange trip was a rewarding experience because we got to learn a lot about the German culture and at the same time create unique friendships that we will never forget.”
As if to prove this perspective true, Matt Mashburn ’05, an alumnus of the exchange trip, grew so found of the country that he spent his senior project in Germany and brought his family to visit for the first time over the summer, during which he met up in Staufen with the exchange group.
Students studying French came back on the Fourth of July from a three-week trip centered around the Lycée International of Ferney-Voltaire. After visiting the school, with which McDonogh has conducted exchanges for over 20 years, the students, along with faculty chaperones Mara Daniel and Peggy Warner, embarked on a whirlwind tour that included visits to a chocolate factory in Geneva, Switzerland; a cheese factory in Gruyère; the Château de Chillon; the Olympic Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland; the alpine lake town of Annecy; the peak of Mont Blanc; Monaco for the changing of the guards; Nîmes for the chance to swim under a Roman aqueduct; the cities of Chamonix, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Les Baux, and Cannes; and Paris for three nights.
“All of the memorization, vocabulary drilling, and conjugation of French class becomes reality for the students as they realize that they have the tools to communicate with their host families, ask questions in the street and in stores, and navigate the Parisian metro," said Daniel. "It is a big pleasure for me to see my students’ wide eyes and awareness of all the cultural differences and similarities our countries share.”
As John T. ’06 points out, “On this trip I really had to use my experience in the French language just to get around so it helped me in that regard a lot. Also, for me it was kind of overwhelming because we saw everything that we’d studied or that I’d heard about, so that was really cool.”
Just across the Pyrenees Mountains from France, 21 McDonogh students and their chaperones, Patricia Tasher and Lisa Fineman, spent June 13 to July 3 on the second annual summer Spanish exchange to the International School in Benalmadena. The town, situated in the coastal province of Malaga, is located on the sunny Costa Del Sol.
After an initial three days in Madrid and day trips to Toledo, Grenada, Ronda, Seville, Cordoba, and Morocco, a majority of the students’ time was spent in picturesque, beach-front Benalmadena. They quickly adopted the easy-going pace of morning classes, a long lunch to avoid the hot sun, an afternoon by the beach or on an excursion, dinner with their host family, and a free evening to spend with their new friends.
The students’ arrival coincided with the Feast of St. John, which led into a week-long fair in Malaga. Said Tasher, “They got to see a totally different approach to living. To [the Spanish], these celebrations are very important. They tone down the whole business side of their lives and get totally immersed in the fiesta.”
Lily B. ’07 agrees. “I found the active role my [host] parents played in their small, close-knit community really interesting because it contrasts with our fast-paced American lifestyle.”
McDonogh's seventh exchange with Faust-Gymnasium in Staufen, Germany, included 14 students and chaperones Buck Lyon-Vaiden and Marie-Helene Field. Students visited the nearby Black Forest as well as Alsace, France; Lucerne, Switzerland; and Munich. There was also a sobering but important visit to the remains of the World War II concentration camp in Dachau.
McDonogh students spent the majority of their time with their host families as they observed German home and school life, including the chance to attend Abiball, a combination of graduation exercises and prom night.
“The German Exchange provided the door into a new world for these 14 McDonogh students" said Buck Lyon-Vaiden. "They have now begun to learn what it means to be a German as well as to see the U.S. in a different light. It is now up to them to continue to develop their new friendships into hopefully life-long relationships. This first-hand experience cannot be gleaned from any textbook nor as a casual tourist to Germany.”
Adds Neil P. ’07: “The German exchange trip was a rewarding experience because we got to learn a lot about the German culture and at the same time create unique friendships that we will never forget.”
As if to prove this perspective true, Matt Mashburn ’05, an alumnus of the exchange trip, grew so found of the country that he spent his senior project in Germany and brought his family to visit for the first time over the summer, during which he met up in Staufen with the exchange group.