On Friday, April 3, 2026, five students will be coming all the way from Marseille, France, to Clinton, Connecticut, to spend a week abroad with host families and attend school at Morgan to experience life as an American student. In total, there are 12 students, but the others are going to be with students from Haddam-Killingworth High School.
This is not the first time that the French Exchange Program has occurred. Two years ago, in March of 2024, French Exchange students also came. This program is relatively new since it is a program run solely between the French teachers at Morgan and Hadam-Killingworth High School, and a friend of Morgan’s French teacher who teaches in France. Although the number of students is less this time because fewer French students signed up, the host students are still excited and preparing for their arrival on Good Friday.
Host students signed up in September and found out who they were hosting in February. The host students got to choose who they were hosting. They then received contact information from them and got the chance to start talking to them. The hosts are expected to welcome the students into their home and everyday family, school, and social life. The students who host have to be high school students, either from Hadam Killingworth or Morgan.
For juniors Libby Burns and Katrina Harris, this is their second time hosting students for this exchange program. Both of them hosted at least one student during their freshman year. Burns hosted a senior boy, and Harris hosted two senior boys.
“I decided to host a student this year because I had a really fun time last time, and I think it’s a great opportunity to be able to help students come to America to see and learn our culture and how different cultures and experiences are,” said Burns.
Now, two years later, Burns is excited to experience the exchange as a junior.
“This time I have a girl, so I think it’s gonna be a much different experience. We’re also a lot closer in age. Last time I was 14, and he was 18, which was kind of awkward and weird. So this time we’re both 16, and I think it’ll be pretty fun,” said Burns.
Compared to her two students last time, this year, Harris will only be hosting one student. “When we were hosting
the first time, I tried to communicate beforehand with them and did, but only the basic information. At the time, I was 15, and they were 18, so it made it a bit difficult. This year, I am 17, and she is 18, so we are a lot closer in age, and I’m excited. I’ve been texting and Snapchatting with her,” said Harris
Last year, French students did not come, but Morgan students went on a trip over spring break to Paris and the Loire Valley, France, not with hosts, just a regular trip to indulge in the culture. They did not go with the hosts because the schedules did not align with Morgan’s spring break. So this year it was the French students’ turn again.
The five students will be arriving on Good Friday and will be here for Easter. Harris and her family are celebrating
Easter and making sure to include her student in their traditions. “[My family and I] get to learn a bit about her culture around some holidays, including Easter, and the differences and similarities,” said Harris.
Harris’s French student will be getting an Easter basket on Easter from Harris’s parents, as that is something they do every Easter.
The French students will be following Burns and Harris’ daily lives, including school, sports, and social life.
Burns said, “She will come to all of my classes, lunch, and my lacrosse practices, and also will get to hang out with some of my friends and I. My friends are very welcoming, so I think it will be a great experience for her.”
On top of following the host around the school, Morgan is also hosting a special Boston trip for the French students and the hosts for a day. “We’re going to Boston on Saturday, where we will see the city. I don’t know the exact plans yet, but last time we did a walking trail around the city, went for some shopping, and went toward Fenway.
“I like to host and am excited because I like getting the chance to make new friends from around the world and experience different cultures and traditions while also sharing our American traditions and showing what America is like to these students,” said Harris.
