The American school in France Notre-Dame International High School

How to study in an American school in Paris

Not many French schools know how to work with international students. Moreover, it is difficult to find a school where teaching is also handled in English.

Therefore, a visit to Notre-Dame International High School, an American school located half an hour from the center of Paris, has long been on my list of trips.

Visiting Notre-Dame International

The most convenient way to get from the center of Paris to school is by regional train. It takes 35 minutes from Gare St Lazare to Vernouillet Verneuil, where the school is located, and trains run every 30 minutes. You can also get there by express #14 from the end of the 1st metro line La Défense.

I speak very little French, so I choose the express train, where there are no intermediate stops. The bus terminal at La Défense is hidden underground, so watch out for signs carefully. The school website says bus # 14 is needed. At the bus station I find platform 14 and everything seems to be correct. Here is the timetable for this express, departing every half hour, the journey takes 36 minutes. A couple of minutes before departure, I start to panic that the express may not be leaving from this platform. I have enough French to say I'm looking for this - just enough to be understood, and explanations are usually accompanied by active gestures. Across the road through the door I get inside the terminal and just in time for the bus departure. I buy a ticket right on the bus - 6 euros one way. A comfortable big bus, the road runs along the highway all the time, no more than five people travel by express. In Vernouis, the stop is right at the station square, which means that it doesn't matter where you leave Paris from - the road will take the same half an hour and the final stop is in the same place.

I go to school according to the scheme that I have uploaded on the website. Mobile Internet in France works disgustingly, I was connected to orange and there is no coverage either in buildings, or in transport, or on many streets of Paris, and in Verneuil there is no signal at all. Therefore, I cannot use Google maps, again, my question "sorry, I'm looking for Notre Dame International" is enough, and to understand the answer from the expressive explanations of the French. In general, it takes about ten minutes from the station to the school.

I found the school without any problems, Notre Dame is a fairly well-known French private school and very large for little Vernuis - everyone here knows this school. It remains to be seen how the American school is integrated here into the French one.

The campus of the school occupies a huge territory. In a large park area, there are both the old buildings of the middle, senior and junior schools, as well as the modern high school building with scientific laboratories.

The guards do not speak English, but they are warned of my visit and show me at the school reception. In the waiting room, too, I have to use my meager supply of French, and I am no longer sure that an American school exists here. But very soon after me comes Mr. Zikari, the headmaster of the school, he is Italian American, and I again feel comfortable communicating in English.

Dan Zikari shows me the territory of the school and dormitory and leaves me with the students of the school, exactly what I wanted - only when I stay with the students without the supervision of the teachers, I can get to know the real atmosphere of the school. However, first, what I saw and learned about Notre Dame International.

History of Notre-Dame International

The school was founded as the European branch of the American St. Paul School. Ten years ago, the international organization Nacel, which deals with international exchanges for schoolchildren, opened a private school in Minnesota. Very soon, in cooperation with a Polish private school, Nacel opened a branch of the school in Warsaw. After that, they concentrated on the Asian market, opening Saint Paul branches in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, later in Turkey and Poland. Five years ago, Nacel opened a Saint Paul branch on the grounds of the renowned private French school of Notre Dame.

Teaching at Notre-Dame International

You don't need to know French to enter school, but everyone here learns it. The school gives the American High School Diploma program, with training at the Advanced Placement (AP) level in several subjects: mathematics, science, English and literature. Currently, the school has 40 students, from 14 to 18 years old. Classes for 4-11 people. All students know each other and live as a big family.

The school occupies one wing of the second floor of the French high school building. For certain lessons, scientific laboratories, sports grounds are used, but the students of the American school do not mix with French students in the classroom, they only participate in some projects. To my surprised question, "why?" international students simply answer: “Imagine, if 40 foreigners are sent to our school, who is interested in them? Well, at first, they are of course interested, and then, - they have their friends, a well-established life and hobbies, - each lives in his own social group, we live separately and they live separately. "

Some of the students live in a residence located on the campus, many international students live with French host families. Some students live with their families if their parents came to work in Paris.

Despite the large size of the campus, only lessons are held here, unlike most boarding schools. School students who live in families go home after school and do not stay for sports and club activities in the school, because they do not exist here. Students who live in the school residence visit the local gym and pool in the city. They say that those who live in the residence find it more boring since there is nothing special at the school: a football field, basketball and volleyball courts. Boarding students are allowed to leave the school grounds during the school week only for 45 minutes after lessons. Typically, school students gather for these 45 minutes in a kebab or pizzeria in the city center to chat and relax. Those who live with families have more freedom to organize additional activities. The family can help the student arrange visits to the pool or tennis courts in town.

The school day consists of 5-6 lessons covering basic subjects, arts and subjects at an advanced level. Everyone can choose the subjects they want to study, and they study according to an individual schedule. For example, last year a girl with a talent for drawing was helped to organize an exhibition: they invited a photographer, provided premises and organized press coverage of the exhibition. The same applies to the organization of after-school events: if someone has an idea to go to the theater or arrange an evening of talents, then the school goes to the meeting and will help organize it.

However, all the students with whom I managed to talk are satisfied with the school, the curriculum and accommodation. The girls who live in families said that families are wonderful and they have the opportunity to practice French. Children are constantly involved in the life of the host family, and they feel at home. Everyone who lives with a family intends to live with the same family until the end of their program.

The residence is located on campus. In addition to international students, several French people of senior school age live in the residence, who study according to a separate program and meet only for breakfast. Rooms in the residence are for 1 person, toilet and showers are on the floor. There are separate floors for girls and boys. The rooms are quite simple, Internet is not available in all rooms - try your luck.

I got to school by the end of the year. In the last week of the program, all students were on excursions and entertainment. The day before my arrival, the whole school was at Versailles. On the day of my visit, in the morning, all the students were kayaking on the river. Everyone returned from the excursion happy and wet, so the children came to meet me as soon as they had time to change.

Meeting with students of Notre-Dame International

Dasha, a senior year student, was born and raised in Moscow. 4 years ago, Dasha went to a British school between Cannes and Nice, she thinks that the education there was terrible, but still she graduated there from the international high school I-GCSE program. Next year I went to Miami for 1 year: I didn't like it either, but because she prefers Europe to America. Last year, her parents found this school for her near Paris. Dasha thinks this year has been an amazing experience. At first I doubted that there were only 40 people studying at the school, but now I really like everything. At the same time, she studied abroad and took exams at the Moscow school, so she finishes her studies with two certificates. She submitted documents to universities in England, the Netherlands and MGIMO with a degree in higher mathematics - she is enrolled everywhere, she is still waiting for confirmation from the University of East Anlia, but she thinks that she will choose Moscow. Dasha graduated from school with honors, studied subjects at the AP level in mathematics and sciences. He lives in a hostel, as he believes that family is difficult for the Russian mentality. Since until the age of 18 all students have to live with a family on weekends, Dasha, until she turned 18, left for the weekend with a host French family, which she did not like. He says that when you come only for the weekend, you feel uncomfortable, you get conflicts. She says that the family wanted her to spend all the time with them, sit at the table, have dinner, watch TV, but she wanted her own space and it was very difficult. Therefore, now Dasha is very glad that now, when she is 18 years old, he can stay at the school residence for the weekend.

Liza, a 10th grade student from Zaporozhye. Lisa is studying at Notre Dame for her first year and is going to finish school here. He says that learning is easier and more interesting than at home. Each student has an individual schedule. In some subjects you study with high school students, so you know everyone. Before arrival, it was not clear, on the school's website there were 3,000 children in the school, 40 people to study in American, in Russia there were so many in the class. But, as Lisa says, if there were more children in the school, then everyone would be divided into small groups, and there would not be such a friendly large team. The school is very open to any initiative, Liza wanted to organize a talent show, she spoke with the director and she was helped to organize an event for all students.

Territory and club activities.

Despite the fact that the students told me that there is not much to do at the school - Notre-Dame International offers quite a lot of club activities: there is a drama club, dance classes, a volleyball and badminton section, individual music lessons and a MUN club (Model United Nation). At the request of students, the school organizes individual lessons in urban youth sections: football, swimming, tennis, as well as winter skiing and summer trips to language schools in Spain, Germany, USA, UK and France.

Overall impression.

The school is new and is developing well. All the students are happy.