Tulsa-Amiens Student Exchange Recap

Tulsa’s Edison High School French exchange with Lycée Luzarches has been successfully completed.

Edison, along with fellow TPS Rogers HS and Memorial HS, took twenty-four French learners to Amiens, France March 4 to March 18. In turn, these same TPS schools hosted 27 students from Lycée Luzarches March 28 through April 11.

The exchange is spearheaded by teachers Poppy Kelley (Edison High School, French) and Aurélien Chapolard (Lycée Luzarches OIB, American Studies) with support from Tulsa Global Alliance and the Alliance Française de Tulsa.

The visit to Amiens, France, this year was very impressive.

TPS students learned about French culture through museum visits, tours, sports, going to school with their hosts, and their homestay with French kids and their families.

Two exciting new additions to the itinerary in France were an English-centric tour of the Battle of the Somme through the countryside of Picardie and a two hour class in escrime, fencing. Of course getting to see Paris was a highlight, but getting to Paris during the strikes was a true cultural experience in itself!

Upon returning home, we had one week before Amiens came to Tulsa.

Since Lycée Luzarches had added a sports component, Edison recruited the high school softball coach and her team to hold a clinic and ballgame for them. They were treated to a Rt. 66 tour, a trip to Pawhuska, OK, a tour of City Hall, and museum visits in Guthrie Greens and Greenwood.

On April 3, AF de Tulsa, in collaboration with TGA and Tulsa-Amiens Sister City Partnership, hosted a welcome reception for the French teachers. There was great conversation and story-sharing throughout the night.

After practically a month together, the tears were flowing at the airport both times. And as all the French teachers say, “That’s always a good sign of money, time, and effort well spent!”