Manual students recently hosted 25 high schoolers from France as part of a two week foreign exchange program. 

Those participating in the exchange took a trip to Frankfort, Ky. last Nov. 5, visiting state capitol building, the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery and the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass mall in Simpsonville, Ky.

“It was a very good trip and a good experience for me,” Mat Masson, one of the visiting French students, said. “I got to live a real American life.”

The students had the opportunity to attend school with their hosts and to visit several parts of the city.

“It’s my first time, and I love the United States,” Masson said. “I hear that Manual is a very good school–my teacher said it’s the best high school in Kentucky.”

Maud Erny is one of the French English teachers who accompanied the exchange students on the trip. 

“It’s been great for the kids,” Erny said. “They’ve had a great experience, both culturally and in terms of English language.”

“My favorite experience was when we carved pumpkins together,” Tyonne Howard (10, HSU), one of the hosts, said. “[My exchange student] had never done it before, and it was a good experience for him.”

French teacher Ms. Denee Walsh (Foreign Language) was the one to spearhead the foreign exchange initiative.

Walsh said that the experience was a great way to give local students greater linguistic and cultural knowledge while also allowing participants to meet new international friends.