The 2025 France trip is coming up this June. It’s a 10 day trip, Jun. 4-14, meant for DGS students to learn more about French culture.
French teacher Sophia Reuillon was the coordinator of the 2023 France trip and is the coordinator for this one. Reuillon spoke upon the main goal for this trip.
“The thing I love the most about these trips is seeing the kids have the opportunity to use their French for real life situations where they can’t get by without having to use French. In class, everyone knows that they can make mistakes and still get by. So it’s exciting for me to see them have this opportunity to really need to use their French,” Reuillon said.
The trip varies from sightseeings and different activities. They will be visiting Paris, the Louvre Museum, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, going on a Seine River cruise, an excursion to Fontainebleau to visit the Royal Palace of Fontainebleau, Eiffel Tower, D-Day Beaches, the Normandy American Cemetery, watching a Film at the Arromanches 360 circular cinema, visiting Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, visiting the Château de Chenonceau, visiting Monaco, an excursion to Grasse and touring the Fragonard Perfume factory.
Senior Riley Flood went on the 2023 France trip with Reuillon. She spoke about what her favorite parts of the trip were.
“I really enjoyed visiting Nice; we went to a perfume factory, which was super cool. I bought some, and I still have them to this day. I will never forget the way the sun was shining on the buildings when we first arrived in Nice; the colors were so bright and everything felt very lively,” Flood said.
Another main purpose for this trip for Reuillon was to help show DGS students what the world is like outside of Downers Grove.
“The major goal for me is the cultural piece, that it’s giving them the chance to step outside of our own little world, our own little culture that we know, and see with their own eyes, how other people live in another place around the world. And I know it’s just one place, but I think it’s so hard to really understand what it is to live in another culture unless you can travel and get there. I just hope it gives everybody a good taste of travel so that if this is their first international trip, it will be their first of many,” Reuillon said.
Reuillon worked with the company Passports to help plan this year’s trip. Reuillon also has four other DGS teachers going on the trip with her and students: Patick Dufer, Amy Murphy, Georgina Cervantes and Kathy Klaren.
The trip’s cost is $4,500, which includes all travel expenses, breakfast and dinner, all activities and tours and hotels. Reuillon did also plan two fundraisers for students to help with the cost. They sold tea and coffee products for the first one and laundry detergent for the second.
