On Oct. 7, students from Antony, France, arrived in Lexington to live with their host families for ten days as part of the French Exchange Program (FREX). French students attended classes at Lexington High School with their assigned Lexington FREX student, engaged in group activities, and visited local attractions and restaurants. As students interacted with each other, they deepened their understanding of American and French culture.

During their time at LHS, students from France presented French fashion, films, food, and monuments in French classrooms at LHS. Lexington French students learned about French culture through small group conversations with students from France.  

“The presentations are on things that interest [students]. One of them was on food from different regions of France. Another one was on the monuments and what [they mean]  to an actual French person,” Beckie ‘Brankin’ Rankin, French teacher and coordinator of FREX, said.

In February, Lexington exchange students will visit Antony, France, a suburb of Paris, to see the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Palace of Versailles, and the Panthéon. They will also visit Francophone towns and neighborhoods, such as Le Marais and Montmartre. This visit will allow LHS students to experience French culture while improving their linguistic abilities. 

“We have data from either the year before COVID or the year before that, that [after visiting France] 60% of students made a leap in their ability to speak French,” Rankin said. 

Lauren Wu, a current senior at LHS, participated in FREX this year. 

“I really wanted to expand my horizons and … learn about another culture,” Wu said. 

Participating in the exchange exposes students to new cultures, a more immersive language learning experience, and new friends from across the world. 

“My favorite part is just making connections with all these people and just [being] able to meet so many new people from another culture,” Wu said.