This spring marked the 12th year of Fieldston’s exchange program with French Guiana, welcoming a new group of visiting students. They stepped into a new school and city, fascinated by the differences from their quiet lives in Cayenne, French Guiana, a French overseas territory on the northern coast of South America. As they placed their suitcases down, they were greeted by their host families and welcomed with smiles and boxes of pizza. Over the next four days and nights, the students experienced American life and culture firsthand.
The exchange students attend Lycée Melkior-Garré in Cayenne and are part of the school’s American International section, which was created in September 2013.
This section requires students to study for the Franco-American International Baccalaureate (B.F.I.), and is highly selective, accepting only “the best in French Guiana,” said French Guianese teacher Sophie Boucherot.
Students pursuing the B.F.I. work over eight additional hours each week compared to other students. They read 15 works of American Literature and study four hours of U.S. history each week. Because they spend their entire high school experience studying American culture, it’s only fitting that they finally get to experience it firsthand.
In late 2013, three teachers from Lycée Melkior-Garré, Sophie Boucherot, Roderick Craig and David Bertrand, reached out to Ms. Cécile Droz and Ms. Melanie Cooper-Leary, both French teachers at Fieldston at the time. Together, they organized their first trip to New York City in May 2014, marking the beginning of a long partnership between the two schools.
The exchange program has evolved significantly over the years, becoming more immersive
. In the program’s early years, the French students were paired with a Fieldston buddy and stayed in a hostel in Manhattan.
As the program grew, however, students began staying with host families, allowing them to truly experience American life.
Teachers from Lycée Melkior-Garré have expressed their appreciation to the families who have hosted their students: “Every year, their warm welcome and kindness will always be remembered by our students, and many lasting friendships have been established over the years,” said Sophie Boucherot.
Maya – French Student
The French students also put in an incredible amount of effort to make this trip happen. Despite some students coming from underprivileged backgrounds, the class, teachers and parents fundraise from September to April to cover the costs of international travel. They organize car washes, bake sales and even bingo games, working together to make the trip a reality. As Sophie Boucherot said, “This is also a great part of the experience, and our students learn that by organizing and working hard together, their dreams can come true!”
Every French student expressed that the unforgettable experiences they had on this trip made all their hard work worthwhile.
Upon their arrival in New York City, the students were shocked by the city’s rapid pace and its skyscrapers. Anaïs commented, “In New York, there are people everywhere, skyscrapers all around, and everything seems to move so quickly.
Cayenne feels much more relaxed.” Kiran similarly expressed, “Arriving in New York, seeing all those huge skyscrapers, the waves of crowds and the multitude of screens with advertisements in Times Square, I quickly got overwhelmed in a good way.”
Many students also noted the drastic climate differences, “New York City was so cold and dry compared to Cayenne’s warm and humid climate. I definitely wasn’t used to wearing so many layers every day,” said Anaïs.
The students’ impressions of Fieldston were equally memorable. Anaïs said, “At Fieldston, the atmosphere, the way classes are organized, and even the relationship with teachers felt very different from what I’m used to.” Kyra added, “It was so cool to see the way you guys do things differently… your classes are much smaller and the hours as well.” Marjane noted how different the class dynamic felt, “I found how your classes worked very interesting and very open to discussion, which was quite different from our system.”
The students had the chance to experience the range of classes and activities that Fieldston offers. Some teachers even held special workshops for the students.
Maya expressed her love for the “Learning about Soca” workshop with Dr. Jones, which featured upbeat music from English-speaking Guyana.
Another highlight was watching the cast of The Lion King perform at the African Students Association assembly
Marjane shared, “One of my favorite parts was that we had the chance to see the Lion King Broadway crew live, which was amazing because we did not have the chance to go to Broadway this year, and Broadway came to us.”
A few exchange students also had the opportunity to shadow students in the City Semester program at Fieldston. This experience gave them a unique perspective on hands-on learning in New York City. Marjane explained, “I was with a ‘buddy’ who was in the City Semester, so I found their classes very interesting… We even went out to clean a park. Even though it does not sound very appealing, it was very cool to go out and help others and the community, and very fascinating to see that this was actually part of the program!”
Beyond their classes, the exchange students enjoyed exploring New York City with their host families. Families took the time to show them a New York City experience, including Broadway shows, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Staten Island Ferry, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park, a basketball game and many restaurants. Maya shared, “One of the most memorable moments was going to Broadway with my host family to see ‘SIX,’ the musical. It was nothing like I had seen before.”
The French Guianese exchange program has now been running at Fieldston for over a decade, and with each year, new and meaningful experiences are added. In just a few days, students from completely different parts of the world go from strangers to friends, learning from each other in ways that go far beyond the classroom, and the French students return home with memories and firsthand experience of American life. Madame Cooper Leary shared, “It’s always the relationships. Watching the students connect with each other at Fieldston is always an incredible moment.”
Every exchange student spoke about how kind and welcoming the Fieldston community was. “All students were nice, even the ones that weren’t directly involved in the exchange,” said Kiran. “Every single person I met was warm and welcoming, which truly made an impact on me,” added Flavien.
A special thanks to all the families who hosted exchange students this year, the teachers who made this program possible and everyone in the community who helped make the students feel welcome.
