Our Lasallian Network = Student Opportunities

The trip to France last year marked the beginning of a new Lasallian exchange program called “Lasalle-Go,” an exciting opportunity to build cultural and academic bridges with Lasallian schools around the globe. By the end of last year’s ten-day educational sojourn, the two schools had agreed on a yearly cultural and academic exchange. The newly created program includes a short ten-day cultural exchange for twelve students, and a longer two-month academic exchange running from March 10 through May 10.

Justin-Siena returned the hospitality by hosting twelve French students and two of their teachers in February. Although Justin-Siena has had an ongoing French exchange program for seven years, this year’s visit marks the second of an exciting new Lasallian exchange called “Lasalle-Go.” This new program takes place exclusively between Lasallian schools. Madame Bouldt, veteran French teacher and International Student Program Director, pointed out that, “It is very important to me to have an exchange with a Lasallian school because we have never had one before, especially the interaction with a Lasallian school from the country of our founder’s origin and teachings!” French students from our sister school in Burgundy were selected to tour and enjoy a variety of cultural landmarks and Bay Area events while attending classes at Justin-Siena. On February 19 and 26, our French guests received a very warm welcome at the Home of the Braves. On those two days, they shadowed their American hosts through their daily class schedule to experience the academic and social lives of their Lasallian cohorts.

With Department Chair Bouldt’s expert guidance and coordination, the “Lasalle - Go” relationship was established last November during the 2017-2018 school year with five of our students visiting Jeanne d’arc high school. Juan Mora ’19, Alegra Negrete ’19, Olivia Boles ’19, Daniela Villasenor ’19, and Connor Havlek ’19 visited Paray le Monial as American Lasallian ambassadors to our sister school in France. On this year’s current leg of Lasalle -Go, Juan Mora ’19 is hosting Corentin Jolivet, and his brother Christian ’21 is hosting Augustin Billaut. I had the pleasure of meeting Augustin, who was on his very first visit to the United States, and while he spoke very little English it was quite clear from the light in his eyes, the expression on his face, and his vocal inflection that he was elated to be here and, “ready to absorb as much of the American experience as possible.” Corentin and Augustin attended classes for two days and lived as members of the Mora family for ten days. Juan observed that hosting is “...a little more stressful because I have to balance school with caring for my guests, which is not easy at all. While attending to your own work and responsibilities it is also essential to make sure that your guest is both entertained and having a meaningful experience.” Christian and Juan will both stay with Augustin’s family when they journey to Paray le Monial April 15 through April 22 during our Spring Break. Juan’s friendship with Corentin began when he stayed with his family two years ago. Since then they have developed, “an abiding friendship.” Another observation Monsieur Mora shared was that, “...you also gain stronger relationships with your American peers through travel. The most exhilarating part of travel is being put in a situation where you don’t know what to do, and figuring it out. When you travel with a group of American peers you rely on each other in such a way that your bonds become even stronger than they were in the safety and comfort of home.”

Madame Bouldt observed that upon the “Lasalle-Go” arrivals from France they were, “having the time of their lives.” She added, “When they came out of Customs I got teary-eyed because we had waited for them for so long. Everyone was so joyful and excited because they recognized each other from social media like Instagram and Snapchat as well as emails.” Madame Bouldt also recounted their first large dinner at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto here in Napa. “This was the entire Lasallian family; the students, their hosts, and the parents, more than fifty people all together who were feeling blessed, and delighted to be united. It was a very moving and complete embrace of the program.”

I had an opportunity to sit down and chat with Jeanne d’arc’s president Eric Didio, and English teacher Laurent Fichot, who both took time out of their schedules to make the Lasalle-Go journey with their students. When asked about the Lasallian connection Laurent pointed out that it’s a very valuable, “...cultural and linguistic exchange, but it’s really easier because we share a common vision of life. We know why we’re here. When we opened the door and started the exchange with David [Holquin] and Annick [Bouldt] we could sense the common feeling, a philosophy of education that makes this experience unique.” One of the goals of the program is to build up the two-month academic exchange by creating opportunities through “Lasalle- Go” to pursue advanced studies, internships, and trade school training at Jeanne d’Arc that could be applied to both high school graduation as well as college credits for American universities. President Didio sees the purpose of the program as, “...creating an opportunity for both French and American students to build relationships with their peers that will extend and endure long beyond their visits.”

Some of the exciting travel opportunities mentioned by Monsieurs Didio and Fichot were field trips for their students that included Fort Sutter, The Statehouse, and the Capital of California in Sacramento. This allowed them, “the extremely valuable historical experience of exploring the very origins of the state and the current seat of its government.” As a result, “...we were able to experience California’s rich past and witness the making of history through the modern lawmaking process.” Our guests also traveled to San Francisco to visit Alcatraz where Laurent pointed out his, “... students in the literary program continued their curricular study of myths and heroes. Learning more about the history and civilization of an English speaking country.” “Not to mention,” President Didio added with a smile, “a chance to see Chinatown and the internationally famous view from the winding street of Lombard.” From there, our visitors also had the opportunity to visit the Muir Woods National Monument, an important and ancient part of California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, known for its towering old-growth redwood trees. One very important thing to keep in mind is how all these activities demonstrate the support of our entire community. The host parents are the ones who provide all the transportation that make these memorable field trips possible.

Speaking with some of student hosts for the French visit brought another perspective of the program. Sophia Craig ’20, who is hosting Jade Soret. “Jade and I like a lot of different things, which is cool, but one of the biggest surprises was having conversations. Since Jade doesn’t speak a lot of English it made greater demands on me, and my family, to speak more French which was a greater learning experience than I expected.” Another discovery Sophie made was that her guest was very shy and reserved. “It demanded me to be even more outgoing to make sure that she was having both a fun and meaningful experience.” When Morgan Scher ’20 originally inquired about the program she discovered, as did Sophie, that the two-month academic exchange required a commitment that would prevent them from attending tryouts, the prom, and final exams. This would have required a great deal of catching up upon return. “Madame Bouldt encouraged us to consider the ten-day trip as an alternative. My guest, Victoria, and I started exchanging emails a month and a half before she came to stay. Receiving her snapchats and Instagrams allowed me to get to know her much better” and Morgan added with a smile, “stock up on her favorite foods. Luckily she wasn’t picky” Sophia and Morgan both pointed out that their first assignment was to write letters of introduction to be “...paired up and establish compatibility and trust with their new friends. We also used Skype for face to face meetings to break the ice and get better acquainted prior to our guests’ arrival.” Sophia and Morgan both regret that they couldn’t spend more time traveling with their visitors, but they also added, “...that we learned much more than we expected as a result of their visit.”

During 2019, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and the entire Lasallian Family, are celebrating the 300th anniversary of the death of our founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Patron Saint of Teachers. The Institute has designated 2019 as the Year of Lasallian Vocations. With this understanding, the theme of the Tercentenary, “One Heart, One Commitment, One Life” represents the fullness of De La Salle's life and the continued vitality of the Lasallian Mission and vocation in 80 countries around the world. “Lasalle- Go” is just one of the many ways we live out our mission and bring together students from around the world to honor and celebrate our common heritage of providing a human and Christian education to the young. “Lasalle - Go” emphasizes that our inherited international passport around the world is simply, “All heart!”

Read more about the Lasalle-Go Program.