From left: Lincoln Academy students Mackenzie Bernier, Gigi Blake, and Frances DeGeer with their French immersion students Elisa Gombault, Rebecca Goyet, and Margot Fribault. The French exchange students will be here until May 2.

There are a few new faces at Lincoln Academy this month. Three French immersion students are visiting the midcoast from March 28 to May 2, living in homestays with LA families. The students are all from Ensemble Scolaire St. Benoît in Angers, France, and are here to experience American culture, live with a family, and attend classes during the school day. 

The three American hosts will have the opportunity to spend four to five weeks in the reciprocal immersion program in Angers next fall. They will stay with the families of the girls that they are hosting this spring and will also have the opportunity to discover French culture and attend classes at St. Benoît. 

Participants from Lincoln Academy are Mackenzie Bernier, Gigi Blake, and Franny DeGeer. Participants from St. Benoit are Margot Fribault, Elisa Gombault, and Rebecca Goyet. 

Lincoln Academy’s mission statement announces that the school is ‘grounded in community, global in vision, and rich in opportunity,’ and programs such as this one give local students the opportunity to expand their global horizons and discover a new part of the world. 

The program was established by French teacher Alain Ollier, who hails originally from Rennes, France, a city nearby Angers. Ollier has a goal of expanding the partnership in future years between Lincoln Academy and St. Benoit to include a shorter-term exchange program for a larger number of students.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for students from both schools to immerse themselves in a new culture and experience a different educational system firsthand. Beyond just learning a language, they will discover the vital role that communication plays in connecting with the world around them.”