By Kathy Kurtz Ferrari
Contributor
6/19/08

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The Nogues’ son, Lucas, attends Ecole des Bois (School in the Woods), a private, non-traditional elementary school in Bordeaux, where the children focus on caring for animals, along with their other studies. Students in Europe often take trips with their teachers to other countries but crossing the Atlantic Ocean to visit America was special.
“When Christine lived here, they found out about Milton’s immersion program and rented a home here so Lucas could attend school,” says Fagan. “They loved the immersion program and realized what a great thing it was for kids to start thinking globally. From there, we all thought it would be a great idea to do an exchange.”
With the weak dollar and the strong euro, it was more practical for the French students to visit the U.S., so they raised money for the trip by selling T-shirts and other items. The idea initially met with some resistance from Milton school administrators because of the young age of the students, but once they learned more and got feedback from teachers, the program was approved.
It was agreed that all four elementary schools would participate, and the timing had to be adjusted several times to avoid MCAS test dates and Town Meeting for Fagan. The fifth grade teachers had to be on board, as well. Host families were sought via e-mails, and more applied than were needed. The French families stipulated that the children be placed in homes in groups of two.
On Thursday, May 29, the arrival area at Logan Airport was full of anticipation as Milton children waited to greet the arriving visitors. And then the fun began.
The Milton families quickly learned that the visitors spoke little or no English. Suddenly the immersion students had to put their language skills into action. With amazing aplomb, they switched from English to French. They realized there was a reason behind learning a foreign language.
Many activities were planned for the visitors, including a walking tour of the Freedom Trail, and Plymouth Plantation on a yellow school bus—exciting on its own, as the French have no similar transportation. Families also did their best for diplomacy, conducting their own side trips to Duck Tour rides and even Red Sox games.
Observing the children at play, at times it was hard to differentiate the natives from the visitors, and it became apparent that most children enjoy the same things no matter where they’re from. But one place the French kids stood out was on the field playing soccer. The game is as popular there as baseball is here.
Of course, accepting strangers that don’t speak English into one’s family isn’t always seamless. Some families adjusted better than others. Cunningham fifth grader Hana Ferrari, one of the hosting children, found the experience challenging.
“It was a little annoying dealing with two more boys at my house, since I already have two brothers,” she shrugged, “and they speak French so fast we had to tell them to speak slower and repeat a lot. I don’t think I would want to do this again,” she said.
But Cheryl Bacon, whose daughter Arianna goes to Cunningham as well, hosted two children, a boy and a girl, that fit right in with the family.
“It has been a fantastic experience. They are well behaved, polite, and overall it’s been great,” said Bacon. “They have immediately assimilated to U.S. culture.”
After a backyard cookout, hosted by one of the Milton families, the visitors departed on June 9.