We're in The Oklahoman

Black Friday - http://newsok.com/photo/pid/1572707 

Harn Homestead - http://newsok.com/photo/pid/1578794

Goodbye and thanks a lot for everything, we love you

Dernier commentaire depuis les USA

Voila deja presque 2 semaines que l'on a quitte la France pour les Etats-Unis. Un petit point sur la semaine ecoulee. Cette semaine avec les professeurs nous avons visite le State Capitol, un tres beau batiment qui renferme des politiciens et un peu de l'histoire de l'etat. Le lendemain nous avons eu une visite du National memorial Museum, tres eprouvante du fait de tous les commentaires a propos des victimes de l'attentat. On a totalement change de registre le lendemain avec le National Cowboy Museum! Au programme la ruee vers l'ouest, cowboys et indiens avec de nombreux tableaux tous plus beaux les uns que les autres. Hier la visite etait celle de harn Homestead ou l'on a vu l'univers du XXeme siecle, bu du chocolat chaud et mange des marshmallows grilles ( c'est surtout les 2 derniers qu'on retenu la plupart des eleves)

Le soir venu, nous sommes alles a une soiree d'adieu.

Pour conclure, ce sejour a Oklahoma s'est tres bien deroule et meme un peu trop vite car il est deja temps de partir...

Our thanks to Classen - Nicky Randall and Aurelien Chapolard

Our stay in Oklahoma is drawing to a close and it is with a sense of sadness that we leave our American colleagues and all the friends that we have made over these last two weeks. Our pupils have spent two very rewarding weeks in Oklahoma City and will return to France with a much broader perspective of this fascinating city, state and nation. Their communication skills have improved and they are much more confident in their use of the English language. Their eyes have been opened to new ways of learning and viewing the world.

We are grateful to all the members of staff of Classen High School who have welcomed us so warmly into their school community and have given us a true sense of belonging.  We would like to thank Laura Borja and Sue Waters for all the hard work they have put in to make this exchange such a positive experience . We also take this opportunity to thank all the American parents who have hosted the pupils of Luzarches with such warmth, and who have contributed so much to ensure the success of our stay.

We are looking forward greatly to the return visit by the students of Classen to Lycée Luzarches, Amiens in March 2012. We will do our utmost to match up to the wonderful hospitality that we have enjoyed over the past two weeks, and are confident that the firm links that now exist between our two schools will continue to flourish.         

                                                       Nicky Randall and Aurelien Chapolard

Notre séjour en Oklahoma arrive à sa fin et c’est triste que nous quittons nos collègues américains et tous les amis que nous avons rencontres pendant ces deux dernières semaines. Nos élèves ont passé deux semaines extraordinaires à Oklahoma City et vont revenir en France avec une connaissance plus importante de la ville, de l’état et de cette nation américaine. Leurs compétences en langue ont progressé et ils sont beaucoup plus confiants dans leur utilisation de l’anglais. Ils ont ouvert les yeux sur de nouvelles manières d’étudier et de percevoir le monde.

Nous sommes extrêmement reconnaissants à l’ensemble de l’equipe de Classen High School qui nous a accueilli si chaleureusement au sein de leur ecole et qui nous a totalement intregre au sein de leur communauté. Nous voudrions également remercier Laura Borja et Sue Waters pour l’immense travail qu’elles ont fourni afin de donner vie a l’échange et en faire une expérience positive. Nous voudrions également remercier tous les parents américains qui ont accueilli les élèves de Luzarches avec tant d’hospitalité et qui ont contribué à faire de ce séjour un tel succès.

Nous attendons avec impatience la visite retour des etudiants de Classen au Lycee Robert de Luzarches a Amiens en mars 2012. Nous ferons tout notre possible afin de repondre a l’hospitalite dont nous avons profite au cours des deux dernieres semaines. Nous sommes confiants dans la solidite des liens qui desormais existent entre nos deux ecoles et qui vont continuer a prosperer.  

                                                                          Nicky Randall et Aurelien Chapolard

Last post from Oklahoma - Clemence Levecque

Cette deuxieme et derniere semaine aura encore ete fort charge. Chaque eleve a du faire sa presentation sur les sujets que nous avions choisis, les audiences les plus jeunes ont vraiment ete enthousiasmes par la presence de francais et leurs questions, nombreuses. De plus des cours, chaque après midi, nous avons visite un endroit : le Capitole, tres luxueux; le memorial d’un attentat, tres poignant; le Cowboy Museum, tres rapide et hier soir, une derniere visite a Harn Homesteads, qui consistait en une degustation de chocolats chauds et de marshmallows grilles ainsi qu’une visite dans une representation d’anciennces maisons d’Oklahoma. Cette visite etait suivie par la Farewell Party, et le mot “Farewell” est tout simplement insupportable a chacune, car beaucoup d’entre nous n’ont pas eu assez de cette vie americaine, et le depart de demain semble bien trop proche.

Clemence Levecque

Notre dernier jour a Classen - Louise Leroux

Vendredi, notre dernier jour a Classen. C’est dur de dire au revoir aux personnes qui nous ont loges, aux amis que l’on s’est faits. Pour ce dernier jour tout le monde semble triste de notre depart et pour nous de devoir quitter ce lycee. Mais pour la plupart d’entre eux, nous les reverrons en mars quand ils viendront en France. J’espere qu’ils recevront un aussi bon accueil qu’ils nous ont offert.

J’ai passe un incroyable moment en Oklahoma grace aux « Okies » (les habitants d’Oklahoma) mais aussi grace aux professeurs : Madame Randall, Madame Borja, Monsieur Chapolard et Madame Waters qui nous ont fait decouvrir beaucoup de choses sur la culture americaine et nous ont fait visiter beaucoup de musees comme celui des cowboy, d art, ou le musee national  d Oklahoma… mais aussi en programmant des sorties comme « the lights show » a Chickacha ou encore le match de hockey des Barons ce soir.

Je pense qu en disant cela je parle pour tout les participants a l echange Classen/Luzarches que nous avons passe un moment inoubliable aux Etats Unis et nous remercions les professeurs pour leur patience, leur gentilles et leur investissement dans ce projet

A demain en France !!!

Louise Leroux

Regles Hockey Sur Glace

http://terry.timbre-echange.com/Hockey_Sur_Glace/HarbitrageRegles2base.html

So How Was America? Adrien Jacquin

How Was America?

Well, it was something very interesting, an experience that you need to have at least once in your life. Indeed the way of life is quite different, first because of the food.  Then the state of Oklahoma is enriching, we discovered many places and many things about the past of the state, such as the Cowboy Museum, the Capitol (like the White House but in Oklahoma), the Memorial Museum about the terrorist attacks in 1995. All of that was organized by the teachers of the OIB section, and this exchange was very friendly.

Americans are so cool, funny and crazy .. we met a lot of friends and that created strong links between France and the USA. We hope that the next exchange will be as perfect as ours!!

Adrien Jacquin

I don't want to leave the country of cowboys - Ophelie Ponnelle

We are now two days before leaving this great city that is Oklahoma City. Everyone is going to be sad, because 15 days is too short, but enough to create links with everyone. This trip was really good, and  all the activities were very well organized and really interesting. We discovered lots and lots of things and I liked them all.

It is so great here! The school is completely different from France, and it is in a good way!   This trip was very, very good, and I don’t want to leave the country of cowboys.

Ophelie Ponnelle

Farewell Party

Goings on at Classen

Classen, a really good school - Aubane Decobert

Hi,

 

Today will be one of the last visits before we leave, unfortunately... I really enjoyed staying at Classen, that's a really good school. I'd like to come back here. My favorite museum was the Oklahoma City memorial, that was was very touching. The reconstitutions were very well done and some witnesses were very hard. 

 

I also enjoyed the "Poodles and Pastries (and other important matters): the new paintings exhibition by Franco Mondini-Ruiz at the Oklahoma City MOA. We didn't have so much time to visit the Cowboy museum but I enjoyed the reconstitution of the Cowboy Town.

 

This school trip was very rewarding in a cultural way but also because we improved our English a lot.

 

Aubane Decobert

We will miss this place - Agnès Rouhier

Bonjour la France !

 

So how was my trip in Oklahoma City ? I would say rewarding ! Thanks to this trip I've met new people, improved my English and learned a lot about Oklahoma history ! 

 

Each morning I went to class and during the afternoons we were all together, most of the time the Americans were with us, to visit museums. The Memorial, a rich place for the Americans really pleased me. But the Art Museum and the Cowboy one too !

 

Classen, as a high school, is a really good one. I really enjoyed my time there. To experience, I went to dance, photography, TOK (theory of knowledge), arts and ceramics classes. And in order to compare with the French system, I went to French, Physics and other classes. Now I can say that the way they teach in Classen is clearly different from the one of Luzarches. 

 

In two days everything will finish. Yet we know that we will miss this place and the people.

See you soon, Agnès.

Thank you Classen from Céleste

Approaching the closure of our stay, I think it's time to express my feelings about Classen, Oklahoma and the USA in general. 

 

We have all had a really great time, many visits were scheduled, the families were great, American students were always warm and welcoming, we never felt out of place. Everyone was just so very nice with us. I think that meeting so many different people and having so many expericences is going to be memorable for all of us. 

 

Now, there weren't all good things, I missed French food and also just walking around town and hanging out with friends. The problem is that Oklahoma is so large that people have room to expand, so the houses are a lot bigger than in France and everything is wide and open, there are very nice landscapes and all but this makes things so widespread, nothing is in walking distance. You need a car to go everywhere and at first it's quite surprising. Another bad thing is that I lost my money in the very first days and I quickly realized that without money... there isn't much to do in the US. But I had a great experience nonetheless and I am so happy I came!

 

But there are also so many wonderful things, school is shorter and easier with more focus on art and athletics. Academics are important but they are not the only thing that counts like it is believed in France. Classen High School puts emphasis on organizing events, hosting clubs and everything so students feel completely integrated in their school. I think it's really great. Experiences like the mall, Thanksgiving or Black Friday we can never live in France and I find that it is missing. What we haven't seen and I would have liked that Classen organized that for us Frenchies was a dance. There are no dances in France and I really wish we could have them, something like Prom would be extremely fun and also it would bring some realism to the OIB section because it is such an full American experience. 

 

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay, I'm happy I'll be able to go back to France but I wish I could stay longer I was just starting to know Classen and some of the students and I really think two weeks is too short.

 

I hope to stay in contact with the Americans I met and I was also very happy to meet and talk with the 11th graders that I had barely ever seen or talked to. I wish we could have done some get together like that before.

 

This is basically what I have to say about my stay in the US, and I hope the Americans will enjoy France as much as I enjoyed Oklahoma! 

 

Céleste Charbonnier

I will miss Oklahoma - Louise Phung

We are at the end of our trip, everything was very interesting.

I will say the most impressive visit was the Memorial but what I prefered was staying with my family to learn the American culture and going to school. Even if it is so different, and that sometimes shocks, the way of life is sweeter; the teachers make the students confident, there are lots of art classes to express yourself and the people are very nice.

I will miss Oklahoma.

Commentaire de presque fin de sejour - Solenne

Ces deux semaines furent tres enrichissantes autant sur le plan culturel, grace aux nombreuses visites et aux jours passes dans la famille et au lycee que sur le plan linguistique . J ai appris beaucoup sur la culture americaine et sur l american way of life ! J ai aussi beaucoup apprecie l Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Le National Memorial Museum est aussi extremement bien fait et tres touchant.

   Ensuite au niveau de l apprentissage de la langue il est clair qu il n y a rien de meilleur que ce genre d echange permettant une immersion dans un pays parlant cette langue pour progresser. Notre anglais s est beaucoup ameliore !

   Je vais garder un tres bon souvenir de cet echange, et attend deja avec impatience la venue des Americains en mars.

  Je compte profiter des derniers moments de cette magnifique experience a fond !