French students visit 10 days
Bonjour and adieu to Voorheesville



VOORHEESVILLE – Thanksgiving came early this year for about 60 Voorheesvillians who shared the traditional feast with 15 students and their two teachers visiting from Sedan, France.

The group, led by Virginie and Jean-Francois Gillery, was visiting as part of an exchange program between the Clayton A. Bouton High School and the Lycee Mabillon – a high school in the northeastern part of France, near the border with Belgium. Sedan is a city with a population of about 20,500, near the cities of Reims and Charleville.

The visitors arrived on Oct. 13, left for New York City on Oct. 22, and departed for France on Oct. 24.

For the nine days that the group was in Voorheesville, the students and teachers stayed with host families.

The hosts were selected through an application process based on the Voorheesville student’s level in his or her foreign language class, said Robert Streifer, the chairperson of the foreign language department at Voorheesville.

Buddy families are also set up, Streifer said, so that a French student may have dinner with another American student’s family, he said.
"The program has a tremendous impact on many, many people," he said.

At least 15 families host the students, he said.

The International Club at the school helps to sponsor the exchange, Streifer said. They also rely on plenty of volunteer help, he said.

Not only do Streifer and the International Club host exchange students, they are also hosted. Streifer and a group of students are spending this week in Spain.
"We have a two-language program here," he said.
The students put a lot of energy into preparing for their experience abroad, he said. They write "Dear host" letters in either Spanish or French before they go, and write detailed thank-you letters on the plane on the way home, Streifer said.
"We need more people who are comfortable in an international environment," he said.