Avonbourne School

This year 22 students from years 8-10 recently crossed the channel to visit our partner school in Cholet, France to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of our exchange with Collège St Joseph.

For most participants, it was their first time away from home and certainly the first time that they had been accommodated in a foreign family. Naturally, there were a few nervous faces as we approached our destination. Everyone, however, was made to feel most welcome by their host families and we had more tears at the end of stay from girls who did not want to say “goodbye" to their newly formed friends than we had at the beginning of our week away. Most girls were pleasantly surprised at how nice the food was. Rabbit pâté, one girl admitted, was really delicious, although her French hosts did not tell what it was until she had finished it!

We were invited to a buffet at the community centre where each girl was presented with a badge by the mayor to commemorate our anniversary visit. We were entertained with dances and songs from the French students and also by a solo performance by Harriet Bregoli and a group dance choreographed at Avonbourne before we left for France. Mr Shapcott also had to give a speech in French.

The sun kindly shone on us for the whole week, and red shoulders and suntan lotion were much in evidence. As usual, all the girls that took part were a credit to themselves, their families, the school and to this country. The staff were proud to be with them.