Celebrating 20 Years with Chicago Public Schools

Last week, almost 50 students from Chicago Public Schools visited the Alliance for one of their last times this school year and exchanged laughs, memories, and even some bittersweet tears at the 2018 Awards for Excellence Program. It was an evening for students who successfully completed their program to reflect on their time with teachers and friends. The ceremony was also a celebration of 20 years of bringing CPS students into the Alliance to study French.

Since 1998, the Alliance Française Educational Outreach Program has offered motivated students weekly after school language programs, broadening their educational endeavors and open-minded outlooks. Some students are selected for language immersion scholarships to France and Concordia College Language Villages in Minnesota for their hard work during the program.

The guest of honor, Dr. Ernesto Matias, Chief of Language and Cultural Education for CPS, spoke on community and the importance of learning new languages. Consul Général de France Guillaume Lacroix gave remarks and President of the Alliance Française de Chicago Hervé de la Vauvre read an original poem.

Special thanks to the School of Culinary Arts of Kendall College and their chefs extraordinaires for making the ceremony sweet and savory and to Les Vins Gerard Bertrand for generously contributing the evening’s wine service. Merci !