By Sarah Opdahl

Traveling to Europe is a frequent occurrence for New Fairfield High School (NFHS) French Teacher Heidi Edel, a seasoned European traveler whose husband is from France. Her formerly most recent trip there with family at Christmas time was, of course, quite different from the school trip she just completed   Edel, four NFHS students, and a large companion group from Joel Barlow High School in Redding took in the sights in the City of Light and beyond in an eight-day “go go go tour,” from February 13-20.

New to traveling abroad, the students’ eyes were opened in a way that grand travel affects, “I could see the click happening as the larger world opened itself to them,” Edel shared, “it was wonderful to see students take in the cultural differences that I take for granted but also try to teach in class.” Student Isabelle Drouin emphatically said, “I think my favorite take away was seeing a new city and how they operate differently than America,” while fellow student Ava VonSteenburg added that the trip has inspired her, “definitely yes to traveling more!”

With long flights bookending the trip, the days between were packed with one amazing location after another. Three days in Paris were spent logging hours at famed sites—visiting the Eiffel Tower, entering Notre Dame, walking the Champs-Elysées, touring Musée d’Orsay, seeing the Arc de Triomphe, exploring the charm of the Montmartre neighborhood, feeling the gravity of the Panthéon, and so on. The group then boarded a high-speed train to the South of France, with four days in Marseilles,the country’s oldest city and an active trading port since antiquity. Beyond taking in the waterfront and walking in vibrant neighborhoods steeped in culture—and having fantastic meals—the students toured the legendary soccer stadium Stade Orange Velodrome, plus a luxe candy factory, gorgeous churches, and treasure-filled museums. At the La Savonnerie du Midi, one of the last historical soap factories in the region, the students experienced a soap workshop in which they cut, stamped, and customized a handmade soap souvenir. A standout in Marseilles was a ferry trip to Île d’If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago, to visit Château d’If, an impregnable fortress and formidable prison that was the setting for Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Wide-eyed, the students “particularly liked the raclette evening, and they were also impressed with how majestic the buildings were, including Notre Dame Cathedral but also the Panthéon and the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica and all of the buildings around the Mucem in Marseille,” Edel shared.

For Edel, who has cheered for a return to regular international travel after it was halted during the pandemic, first taking a large contingent of students to Quebec, and now realizing a plan to bring students to France, the trip was a resounding success. Watching her students use French throughout the trip was a joy, though there were of course some challenges in leaning on the language in real time. “Students noticed that people were much friendlier if they attempted to speak French with them,” she said, going on to say “I loved seeing the aha moments when they discovered how the metro worked or that they could order what they needed in a boulangerie.” In addition, students were said to appreciate the “temps libre,” when they were able to discover things on their own. Edel was pleased that “they had many follow up questions about history after digesting the information.”  There were many connections to the NFHS French curriculum, “for example, in the Panthéon we saw the tomb of Joséphine Baker, whom students had learned about in class. Not only was she a successful African American entertainer, she was part of the Résistance. We had read and watched Au Revoir, Les Enfants in UConn Early College Experience, so when we saw Baker’s tomb and then the propaganda poster from the Vichy regime in the Mucem in Marseille they connected dots.”

Traveling with Joel Barlow’s staff and students was described as a wonderful experience and made costs more efficient. A large group also meant waiting for long periods, but Edel said the students “were very patient.” A side benefit was shared by the students, with Drouin saying, “teaming up with another school was an amazing experience because I definitely made new friends!” and VonSteenburg shared her sentiments. Friendships grew through shared, admittedly exhausting, experiences and Edel declared that they “were troopers.”

The teacher was happy to share that the school administration was very supportive and “everyone in the school community was super excited before we left and when we came back, so I think there is an appetite for it now. Now that we have gone, I think the way is a little more paved for future travel.” She is also thankful for broader support, especially from the New Fairfield Community Thrift Shop “who supported the trip with donations of $450 per person to cover tips, insurance, and the cost of round trip bus transportation to JFK.” She said of the students, “They all really appreciated being there. One student confided that she is thinking about studying in Europe for college.” Edel’s biggest takeaway? “Seeing the world open up to students is worth it!”