This past month, on top of the existing Spanish and Italian exchange programs, the French department added an exchange program of their own with Martinique, a French-speaking island in the Caribbean. From January 12 to the 19, students visited Martinique, accompanied by social studies teacher Robert Geremia and French teacher Julie Leogal.
When the students arrived in Martinique, they were met with warm tropical weather (the same week DC struggled through below-freezing temperatures), crystal clear blue water beaches, and welcoming host families. For the first two days, students went with their host students to school in the mornings and got to experience high school on the island. Junior Sage Deora said that school in Martinique was very different from Jackson-Reed as “classes were much more like lectures with students writing word for word what their teachers said.”
When not in school, students explored the tropical island, visited waterfalls, went to museums, and participated in activities like jam-making and traditional dance lessons. Leogal expressed that “the exchange was really great because [students] got to experience a new francophone culture and get a better idea of Martinique society and culture.”
Arguably the best part of school in Martinique is that every Wednesday they have a half-day! That meant an afternoon at the beach for students, lounging on the sand, swimming, and relaxing. Unfortunately, their week-long experience in the Caribbean had to come to an end and JR students were greeted by 10-degree weather back here in DC.
Still, the exchange is not yet over as the students from Martinique will be coming here from March 30 to April 6 to experience Jackson-Reed. According to Leogal, students will “be coming here for two mornings, one A-day and one B-day, and then in the afternoons/evenings we will be exploring DC together.”
Overall, the trip was a huge success and Leogal says she “hopes to do another exchange in the future, maybe with a different francophone country, like Guadeloupe.”
