On April 11th, 2025 the French Club will have the opportunity of visiting France for the week of spring break. Twenty-three students, in grades 10, 11, and 12 will be attending this trip, along with five teacher chaperones including Morgan principal, Keri Hagness, and Jared Eliot principal, Kristen LaLima.
On Monday, March 24th, the French Club held their final meeting before their departure to France. They will attend Paris, Loire Valley, Brittany Region, and Normandy Region and visit places such as the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and the Louvre.
“I’m looking forward to sharing all these amazing sites, like Versailles, the Louvre, et cetera with people that have never seen it before,” said Morgan’s French teacher, Lisa Finnegan, who has lived in France for a year. Finnegan states that she thinks the biggest difference for students will be the size of things compared to America. For example, the streets are narrower, and the hotels are smaller compared to America.
Something that could potentially worry students and chaperones is the pickpockets in France. “Even though I am very excited to go on this trip, I heard a lot of stories about pickpockets,” said junior Katherine Barrera-Sanchez. According to Quotezone, France has the second-highest number of pickpocketing mentions in Europe with 251 per million visitors. To deal with this fear, Finnegan has made it very clear to students that they should hold on to personal belongings. For example, Finnegan suggested bringing bags that close all the way to put belongings in to ensure safe travels. “Madame has made us aware of this, and I’m glad because it’s good to be prepared for things like this,” said Sanchez.
Julien Milcent, a math teacher at Morgan and chaperone on the trip, has travelled to France before and is focused more on the positives of the trip. Millicent has been to France because he has family there, so knowing a bit more about France makes him less nervous. “I think I’m probably going to be less nervous than some other people who have not been before. My French isn’t perfect, but I think it’s possible.”
Students aren’t the only ones who will be learning new things on this trip. This can be a great experience for staff going on the trip to make traveling more meaningful and memorable. “I’m excited to do some educational-based activities. When I go to France, it’s typically to visit family, so this will be a kind of new experience for me,” said Milcent.
For sophomore Maddy Grenon who has never been to Europe, this will be a great learning experience. “A lot of people my age don’t get this opportunity, so I am very thankful that I get the chance to travel to France. This is definitely something I will end up remembering for a while.”
This is a good opportunity for students who want to travel abroad or go into things like art or history when they are older. Even if students don’t want to go into things like this when they are older, it can still be an eye-opening experience to encourage students to dream bigger and explore the world. “I am very thankful to have the opportunity to travel to France at 16,” said Grenon. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am really excited to experience all of these places.”
