Andrew's April

Hello everyone,

It seems like I'm always on vacation! The month of April was amazing for me! It started out with a school field trip with my 2nd graders. We took three days prior to the vacations to do a discovery course on water. This class took us to the Mont St.Michel, the "floating city" here in Normandy, and the channel island of Jersey where I got to speak English all day long (a welcomed treat). Leading up to this trip I taught my children directions and they were able to follow any that a guide (or myself) gave them during our time on the island. It was a proud moment seeing 50 students all understand! Upon returning to school, we promptly headed off to our last big vacation. This one Elizabeth and I had been looking forward to for months as my parents were coming to visit, and so was her boyfriend. My parents and I took a week to explore Deauville, Paris (the big sites), Geneva, and lastly to meet my host families from my exchange! Being able to see all my families in one spot, and how well they got along was more than I could ever ask for. Afterward, I took a cool down trip to the city of Rennes with a close friend, then headed back to Deauville to start back school. During this time Elizabeth and her boyfriend got to explore Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Santorini, Greece. At the return of school, I essentially continued vacation for another week as I got to go on another school trip with my 3rd graders to a discovery class on wind. I lucked out and the class was held on the sand dunes of a beach village 2h30 from Deauville. There we spent a week discovering the ins and outs of windmills, yachting, and how to make the perfect kite from plastic. We're currently full swing into the last semester of school teaching food, sports, more directions/places, families, and how to take care of chickens! 

School Trip with my 3rd Graders

My parents and me at the top of the Eiffel Tower

City Center of Rennes

Geneva in full bloom!

Elizabeth and her boyfriend in Greece

Madison's Semester in Caen

It feels strange to be writing a post about my experiences in Caen, the spring seemed to pass by in a matter of weeks, surely a result of all the busy and exciting times here. Since my arrival in January, I’ve been able to visit other countries but I’m most grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend in Paris and exploring Caen. I’ve seen old faces and created memories with new ones, and even had the pleasure of introducing my friends here to friends from the 2014 Deauville Jumelage. The sun has finally started to come out, and it’s becoming harder and harder to tear myself away from the Sunday market and castle to work on exams. Not only have my technical French skills improved, but I have gained a new confidence in speaking that feels natural and real, something that I am glad to have been able to pick up from experiences around the city. I am excited to come home and share all that I’ve learned and seen but I can’t say I won’t be a little sad knowing I’m walking into Monoprix and buying my favorite (and now familiar) foods for the last time. I am so glad to have had this time in Caen and in France, but even more happy knowing that I have these experiences to remember and take home with me. 

2019 Young Artist Competition

Chloe Ertel, a students at Frederick Douglass High School, was selected as the 2019 winner of the 31st Annual Lexington Sister Cities Young Artist Competition. 

The Sister Cities Young Artist Competition is sponsored by Central Bank and the John G. Irvin Galleries, as well as the Lexington Sister Cities Commission. The contest was open to all Lexington students aged 13-18. 

The theme of the competition was “Global Citizens: Resilient Communities”. Chloe’s piece, “People of the World”, was done on velour paper with pastels. Of her inspiration for the piece, Chloe says, “I was inspired by the prompt, and how people need to put their differences aside and come together in peace.” The writing in the background of Chloe’s artwork is the prompt for the contest written in four different languages.

Second place was awarded to Chase Faulkner of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School for his piece “Resilient Spirit”. Third place went to Maryam Al Azzawi of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School for her work titled “Together”. Gwen Ganadillo from Frederick Douglass High School received honorable mention for her piece “World Peace”. Chloe won $250, Chase received $150, and Maryam won $100 from Central Bank. Additionally, honorable mention Gwen Ganadillo was awarded $50 from Lexington Sister Cities. Mayor Linda Gorton, Luther Deaton of Central Bank, and Councilmember and Sister Cities Chairman Bill Farmer awarded prizes to the winning students.  

The winning art teacher, Rebecca Banks of Frederick Douglass, received a $250 prize from Lexington Sister Cities to use for classroom supplies. 

First Place Winner

Chloe Ertel goes to Frederick Douglass High School. Her artwork, "People of the World" has the prompt written in four different languages in the background.

Second Place Winner

Chase Faulkner goes to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. His piece, "Resilient Spirit" includes animals that represent each country with which Lexington has a Sister City.

Third Place Winner

Maryam Al Azzawi goes to Paul Laurence Dunbar. Her artwork, "Together" shows a beautiful turban with the flags of many countries. The background is made up of a college of black and white photos.

There were 32 pieces from 6 different schools. Thanks to all of the students and teachers who participated!

Chloe Ertel, "People of the World"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Rebecca Banks

1st Place

Chase Faulkner, "Resilient Spirit"

Dunbar

Teacher: Deborah Eller

2nd Place

Maryam Al Azzawi, "Together"

Dunbar

Teacher: Deborah Eller

3rd Place

Gwenn Ganadillo "World Peace"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Rebecca Banks

Honorable Mention

Najla Amarkhail, "Time for Peace"

Frederick Douglass

 Teacher: Rebecca Banks

Rose Linn, "Together We Can"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Rebecca Banks

Kathryn Frias, Untitled

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Rebecca Banks

Lindsay Maystead, "We Are One"

Dunbar

Teacher: Deborah Eller

Briana Denning, "Helping Hands"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Jason Sturgill

Addyson Turner, "The World, Revitalized"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Jason Sturgill

Paige Hensley, "Pathway to Peace"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Jason Sturgill

Nash Dotson, "Global Graffiti"

Christ the King

Teacher: Tania Zivkovic

Dergham Al-Alami, "The Puzzle of Fates"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Rebecca Banks

Ashley Smith, "Garland of Flags"

Frederick Douglass 

Teacher: Jason Sturgill

Sophie Wingo, "Peace on the Horizon"

Woodford County

Teacher: Katharine Marks

Rebekah Dunlap, "Amarie"

Lafayette

Teacher: Sarah Detraz

Jules Stowe, "Dash of Idealism"

Lafayette

Teacher: Sarah Detraz

Shadia Kincaid, "Ringent Opportunity"

Lafayette

Teacher: Sarah Detraz

Linn Nguyen, "Restoration"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Jason Sturgill

Molly Thompson, "Resilient Communities"

Christ the King

Teacher: Tania Zivkovic

Grayson Downs, "Sister Cities"

Christ the King

Teacher: Tania Zivkovic

Lina Moammar, "The Origin of Unity"

Sayre School

Teacher: Anne Allen

Dylan Stern, Untitled

Dunbar

Teacher: Deborah Eller

Maria Moreno, "Helping Hand"

Dunbar

Teacher: Deborah Eller

Ryan Willard, "Puppet Show"

Dunbar

Teacher: Deborah Eller

Katrina Baniak, "The Traveler's Collection"

Dunbar

Teacher: Deborah Eller

Ben Cravens, "Working Together"

Christ the King

Teacher: Tania Zivkovic

Samantha Schnelle, "Peace Through the World"

Christ the King

Teacher: Tania Zivkovic

Cassidy Smith, "Holding the World"

Christ the King

Teacher: Tania Zivkovic

Jayan Smith, "Unity Tree"

Frederick Douglass

Teacher: Jason Sturgill

Mary Smith, "The Face for Change"

Beaumont Middle School

Teacher: Jonathan Hall

Lucy Nash, Untitiled

Christ the King

Teacher: Tania Zivkovic

Elizabeth's April Teaching Assistant Blog

The spring vacation is now upon us. It was well-deserved and highly anticipated. I am writing this in the Rome airport, having just departed Santorini, Greece and awaiting my transfer to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Being so close to international travel destinations and having ample time off to see the world is one of the highlights of this program. This vacation is special, because my boyfriend was able to fly over from Kentucky and share my vacation with me. Being away from home for so long can take a toll on you, so it is important to recharge and reconnect with your loved ones. Andrew also was lucky enough to have his parents fly in for a week. We all met in Paris, and got to show our guests France (and Europe in general) for the first time.  Together we toured the Louvre, and shared a dinner and a lunch together. We also got to show off our French to those who don’t speak a word of it.

            Life at school is progressing well. There are still kids I haven’t gotten a chance to bond with and I think that will always be the case, however, the children that I do have relationships with make the entire experience here a little brighter. I am proud of my students who show their progress in English, as it makes me feel like I am doing the right thing here in France. I have a handful of students who ask me after school every day to play the English games that I create for their classes. Even though this means I play endless games of memory match, bingo, and Pictionary 5 days of the week, I am still happy to see the enthusiasm for what I do.

            Our third and final trimester is approaching at school, and I have been preparing APE’s (after school activities) for the students. This trimester, I am doing a choir which will prepare a song or two for the end of the year show, and an English theatre club, which potentially could also perform at the end of the year show. We’ll see how well that pans out. I am excited to bring two of my favorite activities from grade school to France and put my own twist on them. I can’t wait to see how much more my students can learn and grow and progress. Until next time!

-Elizabeth        

One of many games of memory match with one of my CP students, Clémence.

Discovering new corners of Paris on a weekend trip.

Jessi, another TA and I in front of the Moulin Rouge during a weekend in Paris.

Experiencing a Santorini sunset, feeling lucky to be able to travel so much.

Making new memories in Paris with my boyfriend, Matt.

Madison's Caen Update

My time in Caen so far has been very busy but I am glad to finally sit down and reflect on what this experience has already given me. I arrived unfamiliar with the city, the school, and the students and it was difficult at first having no idea what to expect but the university and international society have made it very easy to feel at home in Caen. Living with other international students creates the sense of community I was hoping to find and my classes are great. The professors here are very helpful and friendly, and I still can’t believe I am taking all of my classes in French! 

In addition to my academics I have been lucky enough to experience other things like traveling around the UK a bit as well as Deauville/Paris to visit past exchange friends and my correspondent Mathias. I’m so glad I have been able to stay as close to Mathias and his family as I have and I definitely plan on continuing to visit them throughout the semester- it’s so nice to have a family in France!