A Year Like No Other - Compass 2021

COMPASS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Director’s Corner A Year Like No Other

The magazine is distributed without charge to current parents, alumni, former faculty and staff, and parents of alumni and other friends of the Section.

4 Lower School Change Your Attitude

Director Adrienne W. Covington (adrienne.covington@americansection.org) Editor Margaret Jenkins (margaret.jenkins@americansection.org) Graphic Design Karen Willcox (hi@karenwillcox.me) Printer Imprimerie Jasson-Taboureau

5 Middle School Reconstruction in 2021 7 New Initiatives 9 Upper School A Pandemic Finish

Contributors Inès Armarnath, Floriane Blanc, Ian Cannon, Marisa Cavin, Tifany Champouillon, Adrienne Covington, Eloise Crist, Claire Dahklia, Mary Diard, Clementine Djomby, Caitlin Echasseriau, Toscane Fischer, Arielle Ganem Rosen, Alix Gerrier, Emma Ghiglione, Josephine Hebert, Patrick Hebert, Margaret Jenkins, Felix Keane, Maya Lang, Jana McGovern, Gus Reed, Paul Rival, Hanna Schenck, Anaïs Simeral, Nick Snel, Sophie Snel, Lisa Stephens, Victoire Tefra, Alice Tirard, Christian Vachon, Anita Youngblood

10 Class of 2020 University Destinations 13 Faculty Voice Look for the helpers 14 Student Voice - A Year of Discovery - The Cheese Touch - Stealing Victory by Laughing at Defeat

Photography Margaret Jenkins

16 A Fresh Take on Admissions 17 Rethinking Community 20 Development Report 24 Alumni Focus - On the Front Lines - Class of 2016

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Vol. 10, Number 1 Maya Lang ’11 in full PPE

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Please address admissions inquiries to Director of Admissions, Lisa Stephens, at admissions@americansection.org

“A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER” The theme for this year’s issue of Compass is “A Year Like No Other”--a phrase which aptly sums up a year of historic challenges, triumphs, and valuable lessons learned.

Director’s Corner

Presented in the following pages, are examples of how the Section--ever resourceful and adaptable (amidst the most trying of scenarios!)--took on the trials and tribulations of 2020. If there is one single lesson to be learned from this past year, it is that humility and resilience are essential tools in the wise governance of an educational institution. Without them, no organization--least of all a school--can hope to confront and overcome unexpected challenges.

In a late December issue of ASALink, I wrote of the importance of looking to the future and how that further shaped our perspective of the past year. To “accept that there will be moments when we are not masters of our destiny--that we will have to accept the situation at hand, whether we like it or not” pretty much summarizes the moment we realized the full scope of the changes in store and their “threat” to normal routine. From Co-Director Mike Whitacre announcing his decision to move back to the US after 17 years in France, to the ongoing pandemic, as well as the global cry for greater inclusion and diversity--these were the forces that came to shape this “year like no other.”

When President Macron announced mid-March the nationwide lockdown of schools across the country, the Section seamlessly switched to online teaching overnight. I suppose it was merely a matter of time before one realization emerged above all others--the importance of in-person teaching. When we were all finally permitted to return to our classrooms, each and every one of us exulted in this discovery, rejoicing in the chance to be back in the classroom with our students.

In reading the pages contained here, I hope you can experience for yourself the amazing work that was carried on during these historic times. Not once did we think about giving up, nor did we ever falter in our mission to educate our students.

With each successive challenge, we all found a way to carry on. We held on to our collective humility, resilience, and perseverance, letting these characteristics guide us through even the toughest of times.

We held on to our collective humility, resilience and perseverance, letting these characteristics guide us through even the toughest of times.

I hope you will be inspired by what you read here, especially as you take in the remarkable stories at the back of this issue from several Section graduates who have recently entered the medical profession. As the pandemic began to take hold last year, these young people suddenly found themselves thrust onto the front lines in the battle against the pandemic. Their fortitude and resilience are an inspiration to us all.

Adrienne W. Covington Director

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Lower School

CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE 1) Online classroom tools are not simply a novelty, but a necessity for a top-notch 21st century classroom.

I had already begun the year incorporating certain parent-teacherstudent communication platforms like Class Dojo. This made for a simple and effective way to get information to families, check attendance, and even provided a way for students to upload assignments into their own personal portfolio. Using Class Dojo made for a seamless and less overwhelming transition into online teaching.

Not only that, prior to the lockdown, my students had spent weeks in the classroom learning how to write, create, and record their own podcasts. They facilitated discussions, recorded summaries, and gave book reviews that were available at the touch of a button. Taking the time to teach my students how to excel in the digital domain while in the classroom, equipped them for what was to come.

2) Keeping students engaged online will require thinking outside of the box.

In 5th grade, we study a unit focusing on Colonial America, so to help the unit come alive, I reached out to Mark Summers, Director of Public and Youth Programs at Historic Jamestown in Virginia. As the pandemic had closed many historic sites, he agreed to lead our students on a virtual field trip

4 C O M PA S S M A G A Z I N E

The coronavirus brought many unexpected changes this year. Mandated “attestations”, exasperated four-yearolds attending virtual classes with working parents doubling as teachers’ assistants, changing rules about masks and social distancing--the list goes on and on-and that’s without beginning to consider the unexpected loss of loved ones and toll of isolation. With each passing month, I am reminded of something Maya Angelou once said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” Here are three things I learned in this year of change.

through Jamestown. Students learned about the history of the colony from multiple viewpoints, the importance of archeology and how artifacts help tell the true story of history.

On the heels of learning about the roots of slavery in America, and following the death of George Floyd, I connected with a Section parent known for his depth of knowledge and great connections. Together, we organized a forum featuring Rick Party, Sasha the Diva, and George Wilborn, current co-hosts of a syndicated national morning radio show, the RIck & Sasha Show. Students had the opportunity to discuss the treatment of African Americans in the United States, both past and present.

With every new unit, I challenged myself to find methods to keep our lessons interesting, but I also used our distance as an opportunity to cultivate fresh and unique online experiences.

3) Don’t let old expectations prevent you from seizing new opportunities.

Not only did our academic

lessons have to change, but the extra curricular ones as well. Our Lower School theater group prepared for months memorizing lines, songs, and finding costumes only to be informed that our planned performance had to be canceled. To help curtail any future disappointments, theater has taken on a new face-focusing on expression, body language, hand gestures, and voice. Theater is normally a chance for students to practice English and develop social skills. Meeting virtually

has provided them with the opportunity to work on key skills to develop themselves as individual actors. This method has resulted in a collection of original and published monologues that showcase their talents.

It is becoming more apparent that life will continue to change, move forward and surprise us. The question is, what will we do with these unknowns? We began the year seeking to “get through it” not realizing that it was an opportunity to dust off old feathers, change our attitudes and find new and exciting ways to do things. And amidst all of the chaos, what we have actually accomplished is better prepare our students for the future.

Tifany Champouillon, Lower School Teacher

Middle School

Reconstruction in 2021 Of all the internet memes that have circulated since the beginning of 2021, one has stood out in particular. It was a cartoon of Doc admonishing Marty McFly in front of the DeLorean to “Never set it to the year 2020.” For those of you who aren’t familiar with the film “Back to the Future,” the DeLorean is a time machine. Though many of us would not feel the burning desire to revisit 2020, it is impossible to ignore the growth that came from such an eventful, yet beneficial year.

The year that was hailed to be the best yet, where we would all have “2020 vision,” turned out to be a year full of loss on many levels. The loss of jobs, loss of businesses, loss of trust, loss of certain freedoms, and above all, the loss of too many lives, are only a few that plagued last year. Time and time again humans were forced to fight fires, and I’m not just referring to the wild ones. However, despite all of the devastation and desperation, it is important to recognize the value in what was gained.

As 2020 marched (or rambled) on, the world saw statues topple, institutions being uprooted and movements, such as Black Lives Matter, gaining more momentum in the fight for “Freedom, Liberation, and Justice” (blacklivesmatter.org).

These events, along with many others, forced many a school administrator and educator to rethink their curriculum and the way certain teachers are teaching. Though the American Section had already made many steps toward improvements in diversity and inclusion, the Middle School History Department needed a clearer course of action.

To ensure that a department and its curriculum are diverse and inclusive is on-going and ever-evolving work.

Especially following the litany of racist, unjust events in the spring of 2020, one of the department’s objectives for the

next school year was to highlight the contributions of Black, indigenous, and people of color through more conscious and purposeful celebrations and lessons throughout the year. This was the beginning of a transformation with the objective of these elements becoming fully integrated at each level of middle school curriculum, all year long. Maya Angelou couldn’t have said it better when addressing the very fact of having such intentional celebrations, “Won’t it be

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Middle School

wonderful when Black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of US history is taught from one book. Just US history.”

Unbeknownst to many, November is Native American Heritage Month. This is befitting as the celebration of the harvest, and giving thanks to the earth is not a new concept.

The day after Thanksgiving is Native American Heritage Day and was celebrated in ENL and ENH classes through geography, the exploration of Wampanoag folk tales, the analysis of speeches, and discussion surrounding the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Future Novembers will see the addition of other events and curricular supplements in hopes, again, of incorporating these all throughout the year.

In January, the Middle School ENH department, in collaboration with Student Council, HRT, Charlotte Jarquin, and Amy Crist, prepared numerous displays and events to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., what he represented, and Black History Month. Profiles and quotes of influential POC were posted, speeches were watched, research was done, poems were recited, class discussions were held around themes of tolerance, non-violence, and art, and students were prompted to sit with someone new in the cafeteria and classroom. Though these are baby steps, we hope they take us all, no matter the color of our skin, on a bigger journey.

The biggest weapon against racism and discrimination lies in the education of our current and future generations. It has become more important than ever to support the empowerment of people of color, raise awareness of issues right under our very noses, and nurture tolerance through the encouragement of getting to know our fellow man and imagining what it would be like to walk a mile in their shoes.

The biggest weapon against racism and discrimination lies in the education of our current and future generations.

There is still a lot of work to be done, and one specific word comes to mind.

Reconstruction. This term is often associated with the post-Civil War period in US history, during which, attempts were made to redress the inequities of slavery and its political, social, and economic repercussions. Although history books have given an end date to this period, it has never really ended and neither should our endeavors within the American Section. As we actively seek to build a better Middle School history curriculum which that embraces and seamlessly integrates the very diversity that built America, we are reviewing, redefining, and reconstructing.

Mary Diard, Middle School Teacher

6 C O M PA S S M A G A Z I N E

New Initiatives

Despite the pandemic and the subsequent restrictions placed on gatherings, Section activities have continued, albeit in a modified form.

Our goal has been to give our students as “normal” an experience as possible, even though most meetings have been forced to move online and outings and trips have been canceled. Believe it or not, two very popular new clubs were created this year!

ECONOMICS TAKES FLIGHT Sometimes it takes a pandemic for an idea to take flight. In September and October of 2018, “break period” conversations with my Seconde ENL class would often take the form of informal chats on economics and the markets.

I think that there was a core group of kids in the room for whom the subject offered a new world to unlock with their mathematical/scientific minds like a campfire waiting for a match. Outside of these talks, I would later learn, these Secondes (current Terminales), had built up a trading community amongst their friends on Discord groups. On their own, they set up personal “paper trading,” (virtual-pretend

money) accounts; each began with $10,000 that could be “invested” and move in real time with the markets. This was just before the November market correction that ran through January 2019. By mid-January, the most successful investor of the group was a student who had lost his login information, and therefore still had his original $10,000 in cash. The rest of them had been cleaned out in the sell-off.

They were hooked.

Last February, those same students approached me with the idea of beginning an Economics Club at the Section.

The kids made successful pitches to Mike and Adrienne, the green light was given, and the American Section Economics Club became a real thing. Our first meetings were during the lockdown, and it was ideal. In those weeks, we studied economics by following and discussing the dramatic market response to the Covid-19 crisis. A highlight of that period was when we were visited by Section parents on two occasions, both of whom delivered wonderful talks on their work in sustainable development across Africa.

The Economics Club meets virtually every other week and has 15 participants from Seconde – Terminale.

Christian Vachon, Economics Club Advisor

A NEW CLUB FOR MANGA AND ANIME AFICIONADOS “The world isn’t perfect. But it’s there for us, doing the best it can.... that’s what makes it so damn beautiful.” ~ Roy Mustang in FullMetal Alchemist At the beginning of the school year a group of Middle School students created the Manga Club. At first, the idea was to better understand manga and anime, as well as appreciate

Japanese culture. Soon enough, club members came up with the goal of creating their very own manga. Some students are in charge of art, while others work on character designs, plot, general design, storyline, and much more. The goal behind the project is to learn more about this unique art form, while having fun creating our own world and turning some of the students’ dreams into reality. Club members have regular meetings both in and out of school to make sure that the manga is advancing at a good pace.

Meetings are also the time to study memorable quotes from favorite mangas. Club member Ambre Elhaoussine says “We have had some deep conversations based on these profound thoughts. They mess up our minds, and destabilize our current notion of reality. They also make

us ponder on how believing in your dreams and never giving up is an essential part that you need to include in your life, your ethic.”

Alix Gerrier, Quatrième

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BUILDING CHALLENGES FOR LEGO ROBOTICS In all areas of life throughout the past year, we’ve been challenged to rethink how we do things. One of the biggest challenges has been moving a handson, collaborative activity online. The heart of our Lego Robotics Club consists of our three WeDo kits that let students work together to build and program small robots to do tasks from simulating earthquakes, to pulling other objects, to cooling us by moving a fan. But, with students Zooming in from their homes and no WeDo kits in sight, we have to get creative--and we sure have, this school year! Each Lego Robotics semimonthly meeting, students are presented with two or three building challenges.

Some favorite challenges have been speed building a tower in one minute, a Lego zipline for a minifig, a Lego catapult, and a balance using a hanger and some string to see how many Legos an object, such as a shoe, weighs. We haven’t completely forgotten our coding--we are practicing with the binary alphabet using Lego pieces.

While we miss meeting in person and using our WeDo kits, it’s great seeing the students’ smiling faces, seeing their happiness when they accomplish each challenge, and seeing them help each other problem solve. We are making the most of our time together and building some pretty amazing creations!

Caitlin Echasseriau, Lego Robotics Advisor

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION For the first time since 2006, we were unable to welcome students from the Mahatma Gandhi International school to St. Germain. Covid-19 also prevented American Section students from traveling to Ahmedabad for the twoweek cultural and community service exchange. We were loathe, however, to put the program aside for an entire year, as many of our Upper School students have looked forward to participating in the exchange since their Lower School days. So we adapted. Faculty advisors put together presentations to teach the team’s fourteen participants about India, including a general presentation about the city of Ahmedabad, one about Hinduism and Indian culture, and one about Indian society. We also got in touch with Manav Sadhna, an NGO with which we have worked for a decade, to develop a mutually beneficial project. The members of the India team are now creating education videos to teach English to underprivileged children. Not only are they learning how to teach rudimentary English, they are developing their video making and editing skills as well. The resulting videos will have a lasting impact, as they will be used by the NGO in their classrooms all year long.

Victoire Genevois, Seconde, explains “Even though the most exciting part of the exchange has been canceled, I am still very grateful to be on the India Team and think these small meetings are a great opportunity to prepare for an eventual trip and to bond with peers. I have already learned a lot about Indian culture and feel more prepared to teach children in the future. It has been a great way to practice my teaching skills but also to share fun and convivial moments with other students and teachers.”

Margaret Jenkins, India Exchanger Advisor

8 C O M PA S S M A G A Z I N E

Upper School

A PANDEMIC FINISH Our last “normal” school day was on March 13, 2020. “Bon confinement Monsieur!” I jokingly said as I exited my Latin class, in the same manner some would say “see you next year” to teachers before Christmas break.

This marked the beginning of what was announced to be a two week confinement that rapidly overturned any and all expectations we seniors had for the end of our year.

Caps and gowns, prom, color fights, and dancing in the cafeteria during the Fête de Terminales, and the infamous graduation picture with all the sections: these were a few of the moments that were most eagerly anticipated. At the time, the news of each event being canceled felt like yet another disappointment. In retrospect, if it weren’t for the pandemic, Mr.

McGovern would have kept his nacho recipe a secret and none of us would know how to unclog the sinks in our student appartments (thank you, Mr. Colonna)*. On a more serious note, I think I can easily speak on behalf of the class of 2020 when I write that we were extremely fortunate the American Section teachers, staff, and parents tried their hardest to make up for all of the lost moments.

Apart from these symbolic events being canceled, what was most exceptional during the early weeks of the lockdown was the increasing

number of questions, which no one seemed to know how to answer. This was an unprecedented period for us students who had always been able to turn to our teachers, administration, and even leaders of the Education Nationale, for guidance. Similarly, for years, we had known exactly where our academic path was leading us: the formidable baccalaureat.

All of a sudden, with no one to turn to, we were overwhelmed by the announcement of a canceled bac, the confusion regarding how our final grades would be calculated, all the while navigating platforms such as Parcoursup and UCAS hoping that our final average would be sufficient to land us into our dream schools.

No matter how positive or negative the admissions were for some of us, I think it is safe to say that this was perhaps the most difficult aspect of the pandemic: the constant uncertainty at an already hectic and “up in the air” time for seniors in general.

So, where are we all now? From what I’ve gathered, I think we can define three scenarios.

Some of us were fortunate enough to reach our respective campuses. This was my case as I officially began studying in Reims in early September. Although a week after opening SciencesPo made headlines for being one of the first clusters in France, university life remained relatively normal, whatever normal means today. Our first semester was almost entirely virtual, but extra-curricular activities were maintained until we entered lockdown in November. The second category is made up of those who were unable to obtain visas and began classes at home. Perhaps these are the students for whom the start of university has been most disappointing: for some, adapting to a different time zone has been the only option in order to attend live classes, forcing them to sleep all

day and study all night. In that respect, Mr. Whitacre was right, Covid-19 has most definitely taught us resilience.

Then there are the students who vacillate between home and university

depending on the latest restrictions/ lockdowns. As I am writing this short piece, many UK students are debating whether returning to their 10m2 dorms amidst the national lockdown is worth the stress of being unable to return to France and the solitude of online classes, coupled with yet another confinement.

For those who knew me in high school, they are well aware that my only criterion for university was “anywhere but France.” Taking all of these scenarios into account, however, I am extremely grateful for the simplicity that studying in France has offered me; no visa hassles or closing frontiers.

Lastly, I would like to thank Ms. Jenkins and the parents (Ms. Merer, Ms. Souchet, Ms. Tremblot de la Croix, and Ms. Baudrier) for organizing non-traditional but highly memorable graduation events, and the American Section in general for always keeping the doors open for us alumni for spontaneous visits. However unconventionally high school ended, I will keep only great memories of my American Section years.

Inès Armarnath ‘20 * Editor’s note: as a parting gift to the Terminales, Section faculty and staff put together a series of “how-to” videos to help students navigate living on their own. Life lessons included tying a tie, writing a check, sewing a button, and doing laundry.

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Class of of of 2020 2020 2020 2020 As confinement dragged on last spring, it became increasingly obvious that the many signature events designed to celebrate our graduating Terminales would be impossible to pull off. Even ancillary things, like trying on graduation gowns to choose the perfect size, were off the table due to extreme social distancing measures. So we wracked our brains to come up with events that reconciled celebration and hygiene. Our first idea was to print yard signs (like the ones Americans post to support presidential candidates) and deliver them in the middle of the night, along with yearbooks, caps, and gowns, to our Terminale’s homes. But we quickly realized many students live in apartments and most houses are gated, so that idea was rapidly abandoned.

Co-Director Mike Whitacre even considered driving to each student’s home to personally deliver well-earned diplomas!

We finally settled on Terminale Tribute month, which took place in June 2020. Each week featured a special event honoring our Seniors. Faculty and staff made “Life Lessons” videos, a collection of 31 videos designed to help our graduates cope on their own in the big, wide world.

Videos ranged from recipes, to writing a check, dealing with a roommate, popping popcorn, and unclogging a drain!

As there was no Senior Prom, students were encouraged to get dressed up in their finery and add a photo to the “virtual prom” photo album. Faculty and staff added their own prom pictures to the album, proving that while prom

University Destinations Class of 2020 USA: 9 *California Institute of Technology *University of Chicago (gap year) *Sciences Po-Columbia University *Colby College *Middlebury College *University of Notre Dame (gap year) *Penn State University *University of Richmond *Wake Forest University

10 C O M P A S S M A G A Z I N E

CANADA: 7 *Concordia University (2) *McGill University (3) *University of Montreal *University of Toronto UK: 14 *University of Bath *Imperial College London (3) *London School of Economics *University of Newcastle *Queens University Belfast *Royal Veterinary College *University of Saint Andrews *University College London (5)

CONTINENTAL EUROPE: 7 *Erasmus University Rotterdam School of Management, Netherlands *ESADE Business School, Spain (2) *Leiden University, Netherlands *Queen Mary School of Medicine, Malta *University College Utrecht, Netherlands *Technical University of Denmark France : 17 *ESCP *EFREI

*IESEG La Défense *INSA Rouen *Institut Catholique de Lille (2) *Les Chartreux (prépas) *Lycée Henri IV (prépas) *Lycée Hoche (prépas) *Sciences Po Menton Columbia University *Sciences Po Reims (2) *St. Louis de Gonzague (prépas) *Université de Paris *Université de Paris Dauphine *Université de Paris Panthéon-Assas (3) *Université La Sorbonne

n o i t a u d a Gr 2020

Mention Rates, Class of 2020 S

ES

L

Total

%

Très bien

28

8

1

37

67%

Bien

8

5

0

13

24%

Assez bien

3

2

0

5

9%

No mention

0

0

0

0

0%

39

15

1

55

Evolution of mention rates in the American Section 2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Très bien

67%

56%

59%

40%

41%

40%

Bien

24%

29%

20%

40%

41%

47%

Assez bien

9%

14%

15%

20%

15%

11%

No Mention

0%

2%

6%

0%

3%

2%

fashion from the 70’s and 90’s holds up today; 80’s prom fashion is simply catastrophic.

We also created “Terminale Tribute cards” for each graduate, featuring a cap and gown photo, bac séries, anticipated university destination, and best memory of their time in Section. The 60 cards were posted on Facebook and Instagram and received thousands of hits, our most popular post by far.

The month’s most memorable component combined a meaningful send-off for departing Co-Director Mike Whitacre along with a celebration of our graduates. Terminales, their families, faculty, staff, 2014 2013 2012 2011 and neighborhood residents participated in a surprise 49% 44% 31% 25% drive-by parade from the St. 39% 37% 56% 36% Germain pool to the end of rue d’Alsace, to bid farewell to 10% 19% 9% 24% Mike and his wife Janice. The 2% 0% 4% 15% parade was also the perfect

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Class of of of 2020 2020 2020 2020 occasion to distribute a special box to each student, filled with cap, gown, yearbook, souvenir photo, and American candy, and handed to students by the Terminale teachers in front of a nearby home. It was a short, but extremely intense, ‘feel-good’ moment which left participants elated for the rest of the weekend.

The virtual graduation ceremony was held on Zoom at the end of June. It featured the traditional awards and student and faculty addresses, as well as musical and photographic “entertainment” segments prepared by the graduates. While not as satisfying as the traditional in-person graduation,

the online variety did allow far-flung family and friends the opportunity to tune in and participate.

Although the pandemic gave us lemons, in our signature “can-do” style, we made absolutely delicious lemonade!

Margaret Jenkins, Assistant Director for Development, Communications and External Relations University Destinations of American Section Graduates: 10 Year Total

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

England

168

12

27

14

19

19

25

17

9

4

22

France

135

17

8

15

16

11

11

8

16

23

10

USA

110

7

5

6

7

15

15

10

14

14

17

Canada

58

7

9

4

9

6

3

2

8

5

5

Netherlands

29

3

1

8

1

4

4

4

3

1

Gap Year

14

2

1

3

2

2

2

2

Ireland

10

1

1

2

1

1

2

1

3

1

1

1

1

1

Switzerland

9

Scotland

6

1

Spain

3

2

Singapore

2

Denmark

1

1

Malta

1

1

Australia

1

12 C O M P A S S M A G A Z I N E

1

1

2 1

1

1

1 2

1

Faculty Voice

Look for the Helpers If you had told me six months earlier I’d be given one day’s notice to fly to Madrid to hole up in an AirBnB for 11 days of July 2020—paying to stay indoors alone during a long heatwave and pandemic days—I’d have asked, “Did I do something wrong?” But it happened, and I’m grateful. Why? My story illustrates a paradoxical year filled with obstacles, adjustments, and gratitude.

Coming to France was my third international move as a teacher, so this wasn’t my first rodeo. Affection for Lisbon made it hard to leave, but France appealed: I was born and spent parts of my childhood here as the daughter of two American diplomats. The idea of moving took hold after I visited the Lycée and met two classes of students, plus several prospective colleagues. (My super low-key reactions: Wow! Yes!) In February of 2020, I happily accepted an offer to join the Lycée faculty in August.

Planning began smoothly. A friend in Paris offered a room for a spring break apartment-hunting trip. By early March, it seemed I could get a French work visa at the Houston consulate during my summer visit to my family in Austin. I knew Houston, having spent my rookie year as a teacher there before moving on to four years in Bangkok. So, I booked my end-of-school flights: Lisbon-Austin-Paris, and called the moving company.

Then, all those plans collapsed… because of ... Covid.

Dutch popular historian Rutger Bregman wrote this past year that “the coronavirus isn’t the only contagion—kindness, hope, and charity are spreading, too.” As my initial arrangements fell like dominoes, Bregman’s comment was borne out. Kind people, many within the school community, came to my aid.

Given travel restrictions, I couldn’t get to France to find a place to live. But a Lycée-parent realtor arranged virtual tours. The apartment I chose is owned by another Lycée parent who trusted that, although I didn’t yet have a French bank account, we could work out finances. I shipped my furniture and then found I couldn’t be in France to receive it, due to consulate closures—but a recent Lycée graduate took delivery for me.

Moving was a Rubik’s Cube, and the part that wouldn’t match up was the visa. I could fly home to get it, but with EU travel restrictions, would I be allowed back into Europe?

Students enrolled in EU schools or universities would be waived in, but what about teachers? Were we essential workers? I hoped so, but I couldn’t risk being turned away at the border!

Twice, I rebooked flights to America, with ever more complicated itineraries after airlines canceled routes.

Meanwhile, the French Consulate in Houston closed as Covid-19 cases there climbed. Maybe I could fly via Washington, DC? I brainstormed with the Lycée’s go-to visa expert. But

then, Houston reopened, and I snagged an appointment— hurrah! And then it closed again. Maybe my application could be transferred to Lisbon? My apartment there was less than 100 yards from the French Embassy. “Sorry; no visas here; the Embassy in Madrid handles them.”

The earliest available appointment in Spain was after school began—but only if the French Foreign Ministry agreed to transfer my application.

Our visa expert urgently tried to get permission from a Ministry official for a Madrid interview and an earlier date. But it was already summer, during a pandemic. Worried, I told Adrienne that it didn’t seem possible that I’d arrive before late September.

She was kind—heroic, I felt—saying she’d talk to colleagues and find a way to cover my classes till I arrived. Meanwhile, having already given notice to my landlord, I wondered how comfortable friends’ sofas might be for several months?

And then—unexpectedly—word came that the official had helped. If I could get to Madrid the next day for an interview, then 10 days later I could pick up my passport and visa. And so it was. Now, since mid-August, me voilà.

Meeting students and colleagues while seeing only half their faces has been strange for everyone. But even through masks, and with distancing measures in place, the friendly

welcome and assistance they offered me was unmistakable.

So, throughout this weird year, I’ve continued to have the advice from TV’s Mr. Rogers running through my head. No matter how difficult the situation, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Marisa Cavin, Middle School Teacher

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“Not a Normal Year The year-long pandemic, with its endless and ever-changing restrictions has taken its toll on children as well as adults. We asked three of our students, one from each of the ‘end of division years’ to reflect on their own Covid-19 experience.

A YEAR OF DISCOVERY

To be honest, the way things took a drastic turn in the course of last year didn’t affect me as badly as it did others. I don’t precisely know how I perceived it at the moment but, from where I am now, I reckon it was neither good nor bad, neither traumatic nor idle. Having that said, I do not wish to have to go through it again. Watching motivation videos didn’t help towards the end, as the sun and nice weather were

too tempting not to leave school aside and go outside, even if it was just to stay in your backyard. This was, of course, not my experience in a nutshell: it was also a good time to reflect on myself. The “whole thing,” as I am incapable of naming whatever last year was, helped me discover how I function and my limits.

School almost seemed like trying to run on a string during lockdown – I was scared of falling and not being able to climb back up.

Anxiety. I hadn’t experienced it yet until that day. I don’t

THE CHEESE TOUCH What do the ‘cheese touch’, an Egyptian mummy, and dirty laundry have in common? Covid-19!

The ‘cheese touch’ is from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, where a student accidentally touches a piece of moldy cheese. Now everyone that touches him or her is contaminated and catches the ‘cheese touch.’ Except that’s just a story, but with Covid-19, it’s for real. Just the idea that a microscopic thing like a virus can kill hundreds of thousands of people is depressing. And even if I don’t get sick from the coronavirus, I can still contaminate others. Since the beginning of the epidemic, I’ve barely been able to hug my sweet, gentle and lonely great-grandmother. Mémé is 88 years old, she

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necessarily know what I was worried or nervous about. I just think the whole situation was stirring up feelings and ideas I had unconsciously made abstraction of to concentrate on my rather busy life and stay on track. I’d like to think of myself as a pretty balanced person, but this anxiety attack enabled me to discover my limits, which I gladly welcome, because I believe that to be the better version of yourself you need to accept what you are and who you are. You need to accept the irrational thoughts that float in your mind and acknowledge your insecurities to make them your strengths. In terms of milestones or events I am missing, I don’t necessarily give a great importance to that, as I genuinely don’t know what I am missing

this year in comparison to the Amsterdam trip in Cinquième, which honestly, is legendary. For example, we are currently in January and towards this time there used to be the Snow Ball Dance for the Troisièmes, which seems like a fun event, but not knowing too much about it I do not think I am affected as much as I could have been.

I don’t make a list of all the things I am missing, but try to see what life has to offer. I wake up everyday not hoping for a better day but wishing for a good day. I sometimes think of how life would be if everything was back to normal again but what is “normal” anymore?

Clementine Djomby, Troisième

lives by herself in the countryside, and never goes out of her house. I hate thinking of her being alone, and I miss playing board games with her. But I couldn’t possibly give her the cheese touch!

A good way to protect your family is to take a Covid-19 test. Before flying to the US for the holidays, I resented the nurse sticking a

Student Voice

STEALING VICTORY

BY LAUGHING AT DEFEAT What’s it like being a Terminale in a global pandemic? A friend of mine described it as being locked in an “unfaltering rhythm of exhaustion,” and I think that that would be the general consensus of almost anyone you’d ask at this time. In the past, we’ve been able to counterbalance the intensity of academic pressure with moments of release -- breaks from cycles of fatigue and mundane routine, whether that’s hanging out with friends, playing sports, partying, or just getting out to do things you enjoy.

But there’s no release valve; it feels like we’re expected to constantly function at maximum capacity without any time to recover, like running a marathon at a sprinting pace.

Missing out on some milestones, spending our last year of high school either at the Lycée or in our rooms seems incredibly anticlimactic and has caused a common feeling of something missing; there’s an emptiness about this year.

And yet I’ve found that there is actually a lot of good to be gleaned from

this experience. What I’ve found refuge in the most, though, is redirecting some of my frustration and unspent energy into positive outlets such as attacking an ambitious reading list.

At the Lycée in general and especially in Terminale, there is always a better, more productive way to spend one’s time than reading for fun. I should be making fiches de revision! Or getting ahead on my work. What about that exam that’s coming up? Maybe I’d be better off annotating books that I actually have to study...but to be honest I could care less.

If this year has been an example of anything, it’s the crazed, hyper-anxious, competitive nature of most students here, and how this system tends to bring out the worst of panic and insecurity in us during times of stress. It’s like watching little gerbils frantically roll around inside their exercise balls, working themselves up almost to the point of getting a heart attack if you look at them wrong. I mean, all people talk about is how much work they have, how they have to study for whatever presentation they have that day, how stressed out they are, how they cry when they get home. There’s more to life than this, isn’t there? The

strange plastic swab up my nose. It made me feel like an Egyptian mummy having its brain picked! The worst part is I had to do the test twice, but that’s a story for another time.

Even if it was unpleasant, it was worth it, because it allowed me to visit my family for the holidays and spend Christmas with our American grandparents for the first time ever (we usually go for summer vacation). Even though we confined ourselves the whole time to be safe, it felt great to be with family and experience a real American Christmas with snow.

Now I’ve explained the ‘cheese touch’ and the Egyptian mummy. But what about the dirty laundry? Well, despite all the negative aspects of the pandemic, this year has taught me a few lessons too: autonomy, resilience, and

last time I cried I was listening to music, not getting a test back. Being in a highpressure environment is no excuse, in my opinion, to drive yourself to the brink of insanity.

A quote from John Steinbeck’s East of Eden that I find pretty striking seems fitting now more than ever. It’s about the proud, driven father of the family, Samuel Hamilton, succumbing to illness: Samuel looked up at Tom with clear eyes and said, ‘I’ll have to get up,’ tried it and sat weakly back, chuckling - the sound he made when any force in the world defeated him. He had an idea that even when beaten he could steal a little victory by laughing at defeat.

Even if the world around us is crumbling--which it is, somewhat-I think there’s an active choice to be made between allowing defeat to take hold of you and doing something about it, whether it’s something tangible or even just a shift in attitude. So I’ve been trying to let the sane part of me take the reins for a while; reading, working out, listening to and making music, focusing on the things that I’m passionate about, and it makes the interminable string of days more bearable.

Jana McGovern, Terminale

even learning the word resilience! I became rather resilient because I had to deal with fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. And I gained independence because with my parents working from home, it would seem like I would get more help. But in fact, they are busier than ever, so I learned to do a lot by myself, like organizing my work or doing my own laundry!

All in all, my 5th grade year was not that bad, because now, I feel prepared for the future. Hard situations like quarantine, canceled plans, or massive changes will be easier to handle. So, moving up to Sixième should be a piece of cheese… I mean cake!

Ian Cannon, Grade 5 (pictured with twin sister, Eléonore)

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A Fresh Take on Admissions Often, when I’m speaking with prospective families, I find myself intrigued by the link that exists between the world headlines and our small office here in St. Germain: Fukushima, Brexit, Cap-21, a new President (either side of the pond!) have all had a ripple effects on our applications over the years. Last winter, the news coming from China about a new, deadly virus seemed very isolated and far away.

Yet, it did impact our testing as early as January, when we had to cancel on-site testing for several prospective families flying in from China. Naively, we presumed that these would be isolated incidents!

By early March, the events in Asia were suddenly on our doorstep and we hurriedly began to make contingency plans for testing. To be clear, we did not have a single online test available from Pre-K to Sixième so the task before us was monumental. The biggest hurdle was for maternelle. How in the world do you adapt a 45-minute in-person test for three and four year-olds to a virtual medium? How can they truly interact on a small screen? Beccy Haugen, our Lower School Principal, singlehandedly took on the task of converting our assessments, often creating support materials from scratch because of copyright concerns in an online setting. Training was done rapidly and as soon as one assessment was validated, the teachers seemed to already be waiting for the next one to be uploaded.

I’m still not sure when Beccy slept! Overall, seven online tests were created and 134 individual tests were administered online across 15 different time zones in less than four weeks. All of this was done while our Lower School teachers were still covering their regular classes via Zoom.

For Middle School and Upper School, we were fortunate to have completed written exams for all of our local candidates and many of our overseas applicants before the lockdown. In almost all cases, final decisions were made based upon a candidate’s file. Some interviews were conducted online for a shortlist of Français Spéciale (FS) candidates at these levels. Speaking

The other thing that stands out in my mind from an admissions perspective is the sheer volume of families who have been uprooted by the pandemic.

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of Français Spéciale, another seismic shift occurred in this area during the confinement as our FS colleagues accepted, most of them for the first time ever, to interview candidates online. As our former FS families can attest, acceptance to the FS program has always been contingent upon an on-site assessment, regardless of how far away a family lives, so this was a welcome change that we expect should carry over into the future.

Beyond the frenetic pace and the uncertain news that has affected all of us this past year, what also stands out in my mind from an admissions perspective is the sheer volume of families who have been uprooted by the pandemic.

We received requests for immediate entry straight through October and the number of inquiries has never been so high.

There has even been an uptick in inquiries and applications from families within the Ile de France region, as many are moving out of Paris to the suburbs, presumably to find more living space. These trends all appear to be continuing in the 2021-2022 admissions season.

Lisa Stephens, Director of Admissions

Rethinking Community BUILDING COMMUNITY IN COVID-19 TIMES

Our typical school year is rhythmed with social and cultural events. There are parties and holiday activities in Lower School, dances and proms for our secondary students, and graduations to mark a students’ passage from one level to another. Parents enjoy cocktail parties and a potluck dinner, as well as a fundraising Gala. The Section’s annual picnic reunites families, faculty and staff, while the Holiday Sale and Lycée-en-Fête bring together the entire Lycée community. Not only are these deeply embedded traditions essential to our transmission of American culture, they build community. What to do, then, when event after event is cancelled due to a worldwide pandemic?

We simply put on our thinking caps, and come up with some creative, new, Covid-19-friendly ideas.

SECTION-WIDE SPIRIT WEEK As we are spread across three separate campuses with hundreds of externé students, a Section-wide traditional American Spirit Week has never been possible. But with everyone stuck at home during the first rigid lockdown, transitioning to online classes and virtual communication, a virtual Spirit Week seemed the very thing to bring our entire community together. The Student Council chose the daily themes and coordinated in-class communication, and the entire student body, from Pre-K through Terminale, as well as parents, faculty, and staff joined in the fun. We celebrated Crazy Hair Day, Sports Day, Mismatched Clothes Day, Color by Grade Day, and finally Tropical Vacation Day (appropriately, on May 1). Members of our community uploaded hundreds of photos to the official Sprit Week album, creating a lasting memory of the occasion.

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HELPING OTHERS Last year’s Gala, due to be held in late March 2020 was canceled, but we were able to hold the online auction when things reopened in June.

Given the difficult economic climate, we decided to donate a portion of those proceeds to a local charity that was helping people affected by the pandemic. When the Student Council developed a project to give holiday cheer to the mothers who benefit from Saint-Germain-en-Laye’s Arbre à Pain food bank, we funded their initiative.

Over 200 mothers received special beauty packs of skin creams and lotions, carefully packaged by Section students.

COMMEMORATING TRANSITIONS With in-person gatherings off the table, our three graduation ceremonies (for Fifth Graders, Troisièmes and Terminales) also took place online. The administrative team and faculty worked hard to make each one memorable and unique. Students participated as well, recording musical performances, producing slideshows, and making individual slides featuring their special memories and photos.

One of the upsides of these online ceremonies was that far-flung family and friends were able to “participate and attend.”

FESTIVE FALL CELEBRATIONS While were all in school come fall, our traditional Halloween and Thanksgiving events were not allowed under the sanitary restrictions in place.

Instead of the traditional school-wide Halloween festivities, costumed Lower School students enjoyed in-class

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parties, while Middle School children chose special holiday activities to do in class. The highlight of the day was the Halloween candy bags, brimming with such American delicacies as Tootsie Rolls and Nerds, distributed to American Section students of all ages by costumed witches.

Home-made Thanksgiving pies, traditionally baked by Section parents and offered to French and section colleagues on the three campuses was also off the table this year. Instead we made a “MERCI” card. Lower School students signed individual versions of the card and gave them to their French teachers, creating what will most likely become a new Thanksgiving tradition.

Rethinking Community

SANITARY SOCIAL EVENTS Thanks to our parent volunteers, we have also held Covid-19-tailored social events. An online Pictionary Night reunited Section families of all ages, and many adults attended an online workshop about Digital Parenting, appreciating the fact that they didn’t have to go out on a cold and rainy

Faculty and Staff 2020-2021

winter night! Weekly Coffee Klatches were held online, as was the classic Holiday Sale, with Club International creating an online store featuring food delicacies and craft items. The Homeroom Parent network organized the Section’s first ever Teacher Appreciation Day, complete with cards and messages, delicious goodies and

handmade masks and pouches for Faculty and Staff. Lower School Bingo Night also moved online; students and teachers from Kindergarten through Grade 5 spent a memorable Friday evening playing Bingo for books, with many students wishing it could be a weekly occurrence!

The pandemic is not over, and we are still thinking creatively. A team of parent volunteers is now hard at work organizing the 2021 fundraising Gala, which will include gourmet meal baskets for dinners at home, virtual entertainment, and an online auction.

Nothing can replace being together in person, and we are all looking forward to transitioning back to live events as soon as possible. But you have to admit, the pandemic has forced us off well-trodden paths, and forced us to rethink the way we do things, which is always a useful exercise. It has also allowed us all to grow closer in the face of adversity, and made us all the more aware of how precious our community is.

Margaret Jenkins

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Development Report 20 C O M P A S S M A G A Z I N E

ANNUAL FUND 2019-2020 KEY STATISTICS 2019-2020 Total Fundraising Income: 96,426€ Total Annual Fund Income: 62,871€ (includes Annual Fund & Raise the Paddle)

Average Annual Fund Donation: 435€ The American Section raised close to 100,000€ through fundraising this year, with hundreds of community members participating in the effort. We would like to personally thank the parents, grandparents, members of faculty and staff, and alumni listed on these pages, as their gifts allow us to give American Section students a competitive 21st century learning experience that will provide them with life-long benefits.

Nonetheless, our fundraising efforts were impacted by the “year like no other.” Not unsurprisingly, there were fewer donors than in years past, and we experienced a significant dip in the family participation rate. As our Terminales did not physically return to the Lycée after the initial lockdown in March, we did not run the Senior Class Gift campaign. Our fundraising Gala, which traditionally accounts for half of our fundraising income, was canceled due to Covid-19, as was the Lycée en Fête.

American Section fundraising provides the resources for program enhancements such as cutting-edge pedagogical practices, co-curriculars, library and technological resources, guest speakers and visiting authors, as well as health and wellness courses that help us educate the whole child. Our annual development report recognizes those members of our community who have contributed to the fundraising drive that breathes life into our many initiatives. While donations range from ten to several thousand euros, all contributions directly or indirectly touch each American Section student and strengthen their overall educational experience.

Margaret Jenkins

Assistant Director for Development, Communications and External Relations

Fabienne Aschenbroich

Board Development Committee Chair

5 YEAR CONSECUTIVE DONORS Marilyn GELLNER and Thorkild AARUP Fabienne and Jacques ASCHENBROICH Yasmin and Francesco BALLARIN Carol and Pierre CAMBEFORT Aude NOBECOURT and Alexandre COSQUER Adrienne and Richard COVINGTON Karl COX Tara PATEL and Eric DESBLANCS Nicky and Eric DOLADILLE Kathleen and Gaël DOMINIQUE Mireille FRANCO and

Jose ESTEVE OTEGUI Catherine and Bill FAHBER Laurence and Laurent FISCHER Sharon and Marc FISCHLI Michelle BROWN and Thomas FISCHER Muriel ESCOLA-FLOCH and Ronan FLOCH Elizabeth and Arnaud GUERIN Kim MURPHY and Brahim HALMAOUI Beccy and Stuart HAUGEN Helen and Tom HICKEY Nora and Stephane HUSSON Margaret JENKINS Emmanuel and Ashlie KASPEREIT Cécile and Arnaud LE TIRAN

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE (OVER 2500€) Pascal DURAND and Louis-François GOMBERT Katie and Jean-Christophe MIESZALA Jennifer DALRYMPLE and Luis ROTH* Yuko and Robert SPRUNG Anne and Philippe VIENNOT* *Alumni or Alumni Parent Donors

ASALI BENEFACTORS (1000€ TO 2499€) Carol and Pierre CAMBEFORT Camille and Baudouin CORMAN Aude NOBECOURT and Alexandre COSQUER Sandrine JALLON-COURDUROUX and Pierre COURDUROUX Mireille FRANCO and Jose ESTEVE OTEGUI Isabelle and Thierry HERNU-SFEIR Helen and Tom HICKEY Camille TOURLIDES and Pierre HUON Beth PAUL SAUNIER and Maël SAUNIER Martine and Christophe VOLARD

COMMUNITY BUILDERS (500€ TO 999€) Stamatia NIKOLAKIS-AZAR and Joseph AZAR Yasmin and Francesco BALLARIN* Marie Adeline NEVES and Bruno COUTINHO Laure DEMEESTER Tara PATEL and Eric DESBLANCS Nicky and Eric DOLADILLE Kathleen and Gaël DOMINIQUE Marisa and Cédric FONTENIT

Andrew MCGOVERN Katie and Jean-Christophe MIESZALA Laure and Jacques MULBERT Véronique and John O’BRIEN Isabelle and Douglas PENNERLACOMPTE Carolyn and Eric PENOT Annelise and Jean-Paul RIVAL Jennifer DALRYMPLE and Luis ROTH Beth PAUL-SAUNIER and Maël SAUNIER Laura MONROE SINGER and Jean-Marie SINGER Nathalie and Stéphane SOUCHET Lisa STEPHENS

Sabrina LOI and Marc FOURNIER* Elizabeth and Arnaud GUERIN Marie and Thierry LETRILLIART Karine DOUPLITZKY and Thierry LUNATI Lennys and Giorgio MILANO Stéphanie ANDRIEUX and Keith NEY Catherine and Jean-Christophe PANDOLFI Anne-Marie and Thomas PELLERIN Annelise and Jean-Paul RIVAL Nathalie and Stéphane SOUCHET Frédérique and Olivier TIREAU Marlène PANES VIVEROS and Philippe TORDOIR Emmanuelle RICARD and Tom VAN DEN BUSSCHE Iliana RODRIGUEZ and Santiago VIZCAINO

Fabienne and Alexandre-Pierre MERY Véronique and John O’BRIEN Carolyn and Eric PENOT Véronique and Stéphane PUBLIE Laura MONROE SINGER and Jean-Marie SINGER Olivia and Pierre VANHOUTTE Christine and Richard WASHINGTON Lorraine and Paul WHITFIELD

Friends of ASALI Board 2019-2020 OFFICERS

SECTION PARTNERS (250€ TO 499€) Marie-Josephe and John ANDERSON* Nicolas VARLOT and Guillaume AUBIN Femina AFFANDI-BAUDOT and Gautier BAUDOT Lindsey and Roch BLEYNIE Mandana ZAVOSH and Rodolphe BRUMM Elena BARBULESCU and Jean François CHATAIN Julie LOGMBANG and Pier CORTIAL Dorothee JEANJEAN CORVEZ and Dominique CORVEZ Karl COX* Christophe and Nadège DELENTA Catherine and Bill FAHBER Sharon and Marc FISCHLI Antoine and Gale GERRIER Anne-Laure and Toni GIUSTINI* Kim MURPHY and Brahim HALMAOUI Imprimeries Jacques Taboureau Laure-Elise and Fabrice LEBEAU Nelly and Benoit LOMBARDET Jérome and Sandrine LOUVEL Sophie and Renaud MAGNAVAL

Thirawan STYLEMANS Frédérique and Olivier TIREAU Marlène PANES VIVEROS and Philippe TORDOIR Emmanuelle RICARD and Tom VAN DEN BUSSCHE Martine and Christophe VOLARD Anne-Claire PAILLE and Guillaume VUILLARDOT Christine and Richard WASHINGTON Lorraine and Paul WHITFIELD Janice and Mike WHITACRE Chrystele and Mark WINDRIDGE

President: Lorna Neligan Colarusso Vice President: Alexi Remnek ‘87 Treasurer: Felix Tabary ‘10 Secretary: Leigh Schlegel

MEMBERS AT LARGE Matthew Milgrom ‘95 Evelyne Pinard David Renard ‘91 Elizabeth Sheehan

We thank Friends of ASALI for their generous support of our Summer Awards program.

The Friends of the Association de la Section Américaine du Lycée International (FoASALI) is a non-profit organization composed of former American Section students and parents.

FoASALI’s purpose is twofold.

The first is to act as the American Section’s philanthropic arm in the United States, participating in the Section’s development by funding specific projects, namely program enhancements that advance the mission statement. FoASALI’s second objective is to provide networking-related activities for the American Section’s alumni community. Anyone wishing to get involved or build his or her American Section network, please let us know at foasali1@gmail.com.

Lorna Colarusso President

BOLD - 10-Year Consecutive Donors

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DEVELOPMENT REPORT

WHERE DONATIONS ARE BEING SPENT 2020-21 Fundraising Administrative Costs – 15,000€

PROGRAM SUPPORTERS (UP TO 249€) Jacques and Fabienne ASCHENBROICH* Philippe and Marie-Anne AYMERICH* Olivier and Muigeh BARON Catherine and Philip BOALCH Agathe and Pascal BONEU Delphine LALIZOUT and Benoît CHAMPION Tifany and Nathan CHAMPOUILLON Ann and Christophe CHAUVEL-GOBIN Tonio COLONNA* Richard and Adrienne COVINGTON* Amy and Philippe CRIST* Nathalie SAREL and Remy CROISILLE Anja and Christian DELANNES* Lisa DEMANGEAT Judith ROSARIO and Marc DENISSEL Sophie DEUTSCH and Alain ROLLAND Mary and Emmanuel DIARD Caitlin ECHASSERIAU Samira and Frank FEMIA Laurence and Laurent FISCHER Michelle BROWN and Thomas FISCHER Muriel ESCOLA-FLOCH and Ronan FLOCH Mary FRIEL* Ben GACHES* Kathy MALADIRA and Mariano GENE Hugues and Caroline GERARD Sophie and Laurent GILHODES Carla DAVIDOVICH and Douglas GRIFFIN Stuart and Beccy HAUGEN* Christina HAUSER Nathalie and Serge HEIDRICH Carole MINVIELLE-HOULIER and Bertrand HOULIER Nora and Stephane HUSSON Matthew JACKSON Maxime JARQUIN* Margaret JENKINS* Perrine and Sébastien JOUVIN Emmanuel and Ashlie KASPEREIT Alice LAMY* Hélène LE SAOUT-CAO and Ronan LE SAOUT Cécile and Arnaud LE TIRAN Jacinthe BRILLET and Antoine LIMAGNE Christelle and Raphael LLOBREGAT Ilona and Brian LOCKHART Skye MAC KENZIE and Yang ZHOU Alice and Vincent MAFAITY Maryline and Franck MARILLY Caroline and Richard MARSHALL Andrew MC GOVERN Martina and Paul NAVRATIL

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Financial Aid – 40,000€

Library – 15,372€

Strategic Plan Initiatives: Pastoral Care – 10,000€ SAT Classes – 600€

Scholarships 11,000€

Curriculum Mapping – 3,700€

Student Awards – 6,500€ Donation of Gala Auction Proceeds – 2,000€

Technology: Classroom Technology Upgrade - 40,852€

Marcel Roby Classroom Renovations – 4,177€

Zoom – 2,700€ Turnitin – 3,400€

Lower School Classroom Renovations – 12,000€

Roblox – 4,000€

DONATION INCOME 2019 - 2020

Misc - 1,656€

Gala Corporate Sponsoring - 7,017€

Fundraising Gala 21,166€

Annual Fund 56,612€

Club International Events - 3,716€ FoASALI Donations - 6,259€

Dess MARISHKOVA and Gerald N’GUYEN TIET Delphine LARGETEAU and Jean-Luc NOCCA Jackie and Patrick NOONAN Annie and Morten PEDERSEN Kimberly CONNIFF-TABER and David PENA ALVAREZ Isabelle and Douglas PENNERLACOMPTE* Leila and Pierre-Yves PLATZ Nathalie and Patrick POUPON Julie and Thomas PROUST Emmanuelle REIDEL DROUIN and Gabriel RIEDEL Denis ROYER Karina and Ziri SANAA Tracy SEEBERG Rachel LUPIANI and Xavier SIMLER Alexandra JABBOUR and Jeff SMITH Graham SPEIER Lisa STEPHENS* Wendy STOKLE

ANNUAL FUND PARTICIPATIONS RATES 82%

90%

35%

Board

Faculty & Staff

Family

Thirawan STYLEMANS Ramona TORZSA Kumi and Fabio VANCINI Anne-Claire PAILLE and Guillaume VUILLARDOT Pauline and Olivier WARNECK Janice and Mike WHITACRE* Chrystele and Mark WINDRIDGE 4 Anonymous Donors

Annual Fundraising Gala Platinum Sponsors (5,000€+)

Gold Sponsors (2,500€+) Camp Cody Chestnut Lakes Camp Poconos Springs Camp Silver Sponsors (1,000€+) Alpine French Schol International Language Camp Katie & JC Mieszala Shiseido Emea Benefactor (700€+) American Library of Paris Fanxi Delarue Juggle English Robert & Yuko Sprung

2020

Total Gala Proceeds: 28,183€ Online Auction: 13,586€ Corporate Sponsoring: 7,017€ Raise the Paddle Donations: 7,580€

Partner (300€+) Ballet Artemis ASF Pilates Raynald Baïa Isabelle Bardoux Big Apple Yoga Antoine & Johanne Brocas Le Bristol Cazaudhore Jérémie Castin Coldwell Banker Dharma Yoga Eclat de Verre Sharon & Marc Fischli FrankRJ Photography Golf de Fourqueux Véronique Pion Mark Walker Christine Washington

American Section students participated in the Lycée-wide Read-a-thon this year, raising money to rebuild a school in which was recently damaged by a cyclone Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India. The underprivileged students who attend this school will soon have beautiful new classrooms thanks to the hundreds of American Section students who participated in fourth edition of the Read-a-thon. American Section students raised 11,660€! The impact we have when we work together is truly remarkable.

Mr. Penner-Lacompte’s Fifth Graders, pictured above, had the highest class participation rate, an impressive 86%.

As the Gala committee shifted into high gear, finalizing preparations for the American In Paris Gala, the coronavirus tightened its grip on the world. The country was finally locked down on March 12 and the 2020 fundraiser, due to take place at the end of the month, was put on hold.

We eventually ran the online auction in May, at the end of confinement, and raised over 13,500€. Given the economic difficulties faced by many in our community, it was decided that 10% of the auction proceeds would be donated to a local charity. (See related article on page 18.)

We would like to thank the many members of our community who made monetary contributions to the event, as well as those who made or facilitated auction donations. Thank you as well to our many sponsors.

Finally, kudos to the members of An American In Paris Gala Committee: Alina Almiri, Fabienne Aschenbroich, Agnès Catton, Elizabeth Guérin, Sandrine Jallon-Courduroux, Sabine Kennedy, Kimberly Mock, Kim Murphy, Annie Pedersen, Annelise Rival, Robert Sprung, Frederique Tireau, Pauline Warneck, Karen Willcox, and Mandana Zavosh.

The funds raised via the Gala and our Annual Fund enable us to invest in programs and projects not covered by tuition, including classroom technology, financial aid, global citizenship endeavors, and the classroom renovation project. Every euro raised benefits our students directly.

On their behalf, we thank everyone who took part in this unusual fundraising event!

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A L U M N I F O C U S

s e n i L t n o r On the F

Part of the Mission Statement of the American Section promises to “actively prepare students to play dynamic roles in the world by developing their leadership abilities and nurturing a sense of responsibility towards others.” Never could we have imagined the importance such preparation would assume in the lives of the remarkable young medical professionals featured here, all of them Section graduates from the Classes of 2009 - 2017.

COVID-19: A DOCTOR’S EXPERIENCE My name is Paul Rival and I graduated from the American Section in 2013. I’m a Doctor in my second year of my foundation program after attending the University of Bristol Medical School. I work at Southend University Hospital in the United Kingdom (UK), where I’ve been since graduation. Southend-On-Sea, a city east of London, is the 13th most affected city in the UK, in terms of number of active Covid-19 cases.

Between the 2020 lockdowns, new waves of cases and virus variants, I’ve lived the pandemic from the inside, working many hours on call and on medical wards.

If you were to ask any healthcare professional what it’s like to work in a hospital during this time, they would most probably tell you it’s like being a soldier on a battlefield. Researchers and pharmaceutical companies are developing new technologies to fight the virus, politicians try and put measures in place to prevent the spread, and doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and other hospital and prehospital staff are on the frontline.

To avoid dramatizing the situation, one can look simply at the numbers.

At our hospital, there hasn’t been a single shift in the last year where we have been adequately and fully staffed.

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There hasn’t been a single day where the ER was not overwhelmed with patients. In the last year, the stress that the NHS has been under is simply unprecedented. I heard on the news a few days ago that there were 1,638 deaths due to Covid-19 in a 24-hour period and a total of about 100,000 deaths in the United Kingdom since the

beginning of the pandemic. It’s easy to look at those as just numbers or aggregates, but behind every death is a team who tried in vain to prevent it.

As a doctor, I focus on my patients.

I aim to deliver the best care I can give.

I work very hard and do my best to get to know them, listen to them, treat them, and support them. For many patients, I have had the reassuring pleasure of sending them home in good health, however, within the last year I have also gained a significant

amount of experience in supporting my patients in their death. Most of our dying patients are elderly, however increasingly more are far too young. I have had patients hold my hand and say, “It’s OK, let me go;” others say: “Please doc, get me home.” I’ve had to be strong in the face of death and be honest to the many families that are unable to see their loved ones in the hospital at their most vulnerable time.

Calling a next of kin to tell them their family member has died is never an easy exercise. There is no way to make it a good conversation; at the very best it can be an honest and supportive one.

This virus remains highly unpredictable. Like any virus, it has the ability to mutate and adapt itself, and is dependent on each person’s immune response to it. In some, it will lead to a mild or completely asymptomatic condition, while in others, it will trigger an overwhelming inflammatory response capable of resisting even the strongest anti-inflammatory medications and lead to multi-organ failure. This makes it difficult for us doctors to standardize our practice, and we are constantly having to change and adapt how we respond to a particular patient. I will take this opportunity to tell all the skeptics out there who believe this virus is not real because some of the infected show very little to no symptoms: Please! It’s not that simple. It’s not because some recover easily from the virus that others don’t succumb to it, to say nothing of the immense pressure it exercises on the public health systems of all nations

around the world.

All in all, the solution is most likely to lie in the vaccines. These will enable every vaccinated person to develop a damped down and safe immune response by safely producing antibodies against this deadly virus.

They can not come too soon, and will hopefully create herd immunity, needed to put an end to the pandemic.

As a young doctor at the beginning of my career, I salute my colleagues and all those who are working extremely hard to fight the virus. All of us have a part to play in what is happening at the moment. Even simple things like wearing a mask and social distancing can help us cope in the hospitals, reduce the number of admissions and, subsequently, the number of deaths.

If you are thinking of a future in the medical field, whether in medicine, public health, or pharmaceuticals, this is an opportunity to learn and help your future colleagues who are currently on the front lines, by spreading the message of respect, responsible action, and vaccinations. And if you are just hoping for a swift return to normal, do the same, and thank a doctor, nurse, or practitioner along the way for helping us get there despite all the hardship.

We need you all to have our back, now more than ever.

Stay safe, and remember, we’ll get through this!

Paul Rival ‘13

OBSERVATIONS OF A YOUNG DOCTOR DURING THE COVID-19CRISIS I graduated in 2013 and chose to pursue medical studies in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Eager to learn more about health on a global level, I completed a Masters in Global Health in 2016, and graduated as a medical doctor in December 2020, in the midst of a pandemic: the Corona crisis.

Ever since I started studying medicine, I have been most interested in the workings of the brain and chose to pursue a career in neurosurgery.

January 2021 was going to be the start of a new life: I was going to work at a neurosurgery department at the Maastricht Academic Hospital and was finally going to focus on what I love the most. On December 26, I received a call from the hospital.

They needed help on the Covid-19-wards and asked whether I was willing to help out. Sure I thought, it is a health crisis after all. On December 31 I received my schedule and started working in the intensive care unit.

On my first day, the ICU doctor was not expecting me and simply told me to observe how everything goes by shadowing my colleagues.

No introduction, no intensive care trainings, nothing really. As the week went on, I tried to absorb as much information as I could and asked my

supervisor to show me how ventilators work. By week two, I was already in charge of showing a gynecologist around and telling her what to do: “see one, do one, teach one” as they say in medicine. Yes you read that correctly, a gynecologist assigned to the I.C.U. The perk of this crisis is that everyone ends up in the same boat and is taken out of her/his comfort zone. Everyone has to start from zero and has to take on new responsibilities. Hierarchy disappears, your specialization does not matter anymore and you end up working towards a same goal: treating the very sick Covid-19 patients.

If it’s been four weeks now since I have been working in intensive care, and I have survived my first few night shifts. I have been struck by the tragedies and pain inflicted by Covid-19. Entire families disappearing, the young and the old. Recently, we detubated a patient and had to tell him after waking up from a long coma that both his parents had passed away due to Covid-19. What hurts the most is the lack of physical contact between patients and their relatives.

Nurses spend their evenings Facetiming with relatives to show patients’ faces on an iPad. All of it seems unreal.

Some patients are transported to other hospitals and are hundreds of kilometers away from their relatives.

While I am spending my days at the intensive care in a war against Covid-19, another war broke out in the Netherlands: riots against the curfew and Covid-19-measures to prevent the British variant from breaking out.

A few months ago, healthcare workers were receiving standing ovations and

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gifts of food. One year later, at a point in time when healthcare workers need support the most as exhaustion sets in, groups of angry young men and women create havoc throughout the Netherlands, protesting against yet another measure infringing upon their freedom. I am young too, and understand these times are hard. Like them, I miss having a drink, dancing until sunrise, and seeing my friends and family. However, I also see how this virus spreads throughout the human body, causing your lungs to become fibrotic and your blood to clot. Not only that, I also see how sick leave among hospital professionals has reached skyhigh numbers, how demoralizing it has been for nurses to take care of patients who have low chances of surviving, and how healthcare systems are slowly crumbling. To all those rebelling I want to say. “We have come this far; let’s try to hold on just a bit longer.”

The funny things is, having studied Global Health, I learned that a pandemic of this extent was written in our stars.

I hope this crisis will force us to rethink our footprint and our relationship with our environment. It’ll be a relief when this crisis will be over, but it won’t last long before another virus or parasite spreads as our planet warms up and becomes more densely populated.

Hanna Schenck ‘13

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COVID-19 AND HUMAN CONNECTION Victoire Tefra graduated from the Lycée International in 2017 after attending the American Section for five years, from 2012 to 2017. She is currently studying medicine at Descartes University in Paris.

I remember last year’s hustle as the Covid-19 pandemic hit France. I was a week away from my nephrology and gastroenterology final exams, and couldn’t wait to go on break. But in less than a day my plans changed, as the government announced what seemed, at that time, extraordinary: full lockdown, exams canceled, and of course, a hazy and bleak future.

I was not at the hospital during that period and sincerely didn’t really know if this was good or bad news. I admired the effort put in place by the medical community and would have enjoyed helping out in any way. Soon my university was sending emails telling students how overwhelmed their hospital wards were. Every day we received requests from various hospitals across Paris, helpless in front of the growing number of Covid-19 patients. The proposals were numerous, ranging from giving a hand as a stretcher-bearer to working 12hour shifts in geriatrics as a substitute

for the medical professionals who had contracted the coronavirus. What really impressed me was the incredible momentum that swept through the medical community: everyone contributed as much as they could.

Throughout discussions with other medical school friends we noticed the growing cohesion among medical teams, regardless of the hierarchical structure deeply rooted within the medical organization.

I offered my help to several labs

around my confinement home after I realized labs were overwhelmed by an ever-increasing number of patients wanting to be tested. How lovely to spend your days inserting swabs into patients’ nostrils! I am not writing this ironically; I was absolutely thrilled to leave my home and see new faces.

Even though I was not on the front line in an intensive care unit, I was testing patients every morning, getting used to wearing three layers of protective gowns over my white coat, and hoping my modest efforts could reduce the surrounding Covid-19 clusters.

I was particularly touched by the numerous healthcare workers who came in to get tested after contracting the virus during their shifts. I asked them about their experience on the front line and they admitted with despair that it surpassed what they had ever imagined. These patients have left a permanent mark on me; I have become aware of the harsh reality that awaits me at the hospital in the near future. When my conversations with these patients came to an end, I was often rewarded as they found their way out with a “Thank you for your time, it was nice talking with you.” This simple sentence filled me with immense happiness and satisfaction. Finally, after spending nearly four years in medical school, I discovered the exhilarating sensation of human connection, which is at the heart of my future profession. This simple experience has certainly strengthened my motivation to become a doctor and see each of my patients leave with a smile on their face! This sounds visionary but we’ve been taught to be optimistic in medical school amidst the hardships.

Victoire Tefra ‘17

A SMALL BUT ESSENTIAL ROLE IN SAVING LIVES When I started medical school in 2014 I could never have imagined that in my first year as a junior doctor the whole world would be in the grip of a pandemic, and I’d start working in extraordinary circumstances. I’d been looking forward to my final year of medicine: there’d be enormous amounts of hard work and stress, but I’d also have a month’s elective working in the Philippines and a month travelling in Sri Lanka, followed by Grad Ball and graduation, and a few weeks off before starting work.

In the end, almost none of that came to pass. After five long years of study at Brighton & Sussex Medical School plus a year doing a Master’s degree at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, I was preparing for my final medical school exams when the pandemic hit: first my written exams were brought forward, then moved online, then our electives were canceled, followed by the cancellation of Grad Ball and our graduation ceremony. Recently graduated medical students across the UK were asked to start work early to help and many of my friends did, in hospitals across the south east of England. Unfortunately I could not, as I caught Covid-19 in April and was very unwell for a few months. I started as a doctor at St Mary’s Hospital in London at the end of July; my first rotation was in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery.

At that time, while things had certainly changed in the hospital due to Covid-19 (such as wearing surgical masks at all times), I started work when there was a lull in the number of coronavirus cases. But the inevitable second pandemic wave was hanging over us and we all knew cases would increase again as the weather got colder. At the beginning of December

I changed over to Respiratory Medicine just as the cases started increasing. Our hospital nearly became overwhelmed around Christmas while I was working nights: there was a continual queue of patients needing to go to the Intensive Care Unit which was reaching capacity.

Over the next few days, we opened more high dependency beds in theatres usually used for surgery and managed to give patients the care they needed.

But what was shocking was that most of these patients were previously fit working people in their 50s/60s. There was much less hope for older and sicker patients who were not fit for Intensive Care; sometimes the only thing I could do was hold the hand of a patient who, despite being on the highest oxygen available on the ward, still had very low oxygen levels in their blood and were

dying. It has been tough mentally and certainly not what I was expecting of my first year working as a doctor, but I have learned an incredible amount. It has also been more difficult because I have not been able to see family and friends whom I usually rely on for support through challenging times.

Thankfully technology means I can still speak to them virtually. I am also really lucky for the support of my team in the hospital, and to have learned skills in medical school that have allowed me to play a small role in saving lives in this pandemic.

Sophie Snel ‘14

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A STEEP LEARNING CURVE After my baccalauréat in 2013, I went to Trinity College Dublin, to study medicine. I graduated in 2018 and started working as a doctor in various Dublin hospitals on a hospital medicine training scheme. I am currently in the middle of a parttime Masters in Infectious Diseases, which I started in 2019.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, I have rotated through several hospitals around Dublin. Currently, I am working on a “Covid-19 ward” at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, an hour outside of Dublin. I look after patients who have contracted Covid-19 in the preceding 21 days and who have been hospitalized with related symptoms. I am also on call in the Emergency room a few times a week, admitting both Covid-19 positive and negative patients with various medical conditions.

Working during the Covid-19 pandemic has been a steep learning curve on many fronts. Without a doubt, treating patients with a disease where so little information was available, as was the case at the start of the pandemic, and staying up -to-date with all the new information being published has been challenging.

On top of that, we have had to adapt to new ways of communication with patients and their family members.

Whereas previously we held meetings at patients’ bedsides, relying a lot on body language, communication now

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goes through face masks with patients and over the phone with their relatives, at a time which is particularly worrying for them.

Despite busy schedules under these often suboptimal conditions, doctors and nurses never buckle under the pressure or feel self-pitying. This is another part of the learning curve, something I’m learning to do. I never regret the profession I’ve chosen. My entry into this career started off with a bang and unexpected challenges.

But my Lycée International experience helped prepare me to meet challenges like these. Today I’m grateful for the discipline, work ethic, sense of order, control under stress, and the humanist view of the world that was part of my education. Now, I better understand what that was all about.

My fiancé Tom is also a doctor.

He was in my graduating class at Trinity. This is also a blessing because we each understand what this profession means, and we do our best to make it easier for each other. We sometimes don’t see each other for days, and we spend a lot of time in scrubs – not a terrific fashion statement – but at least apologies are never needed.

With the vaccine now being administered, and the prospect of the whole population gaining immunity from Covid-19, I am looking forward to returning to a more “normal” way of practicing medicine while keeping in mind the lessons we have learned during this pandemic.

Josephine Hebert ‘13

COMMUNITY HEALTH IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 The pandemic has hit all of us hard and as a Family Nurse Practitioner in a community healthcare setting, providing quality medical care has been, and continues to be, challenging.

After graduating from the American Section in 2009, I received my B.A. in Political Science from Clark University in Worcester, MA. I thrived in the Liberal Arts curriculum with classes ranging from theater to anatomy to statistics.

While completing my Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus in Healthcare Management, I was fortunate to intern at the Family Health Center of Worcester working alongside public health advocates and local practitioners. Here I discovered the realities, struggles, and rewards of community healthcare. A second opportunity in Washington, D.C. confirmed my commitment to a profession in healthcare in general, and community healthcare in particular.

Fast forward a few years, and I found myself in 2019 with an R.N. degree, a M.S. in Nursing from Yale University, and a Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).

s e n i L t n o r On the F I began working as a FNP at the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center (Kennedy Community Health) in Worcester in December 2019. The majority of my patients are low-income and beset with healthcare worries that are compounded by their economic and social conditions. Providing them with one-on-one quality healthcare is both a responsibility and a privilege. Eight weeks after launching my career at Kennedy Community Health, however, the way I delivered this care changed dramatically. After learning how to make a face mask out of a pair of socks on YouTube, I joined my colleagues as we all became passengers on the Covid-19 disaster train. Soon, our staff was notified that for safety reasons only patients with urgent medical issues would be granted in-person appointments; all other visits would either be postponed or handled over the phone. That day, I juggled seeing patients in person, while triaging the rest of my scheduled patients into inperson or telehealth appointments.

Adaptation to Covid-19 healthcare delivery services required rewiring my brain. How do I best conduct an effective and patient-centered medical visit over the phone? How could I verify a patient’s control of their diabetes, or blood pressure if I couldn’t see them?

Somehow I learned. Somehow, we all learned. Working with my team and supported by the experience of

my peers, our entire health center transitioned to a hybrid healthcare model in just a few days. At Kennedy Community Health, we have never had to close, as we successfully adapted to the new reality of healthcare in the time of Covid-19.

Examining patients while wearing two masks is hard. Trying to project your facial expressions through a mask to an infant sounds like a bad comedy sketch. Squinting through an otoscope (a tool used to examine the inner ear) while wearing a face shield is nearly

impossible. I worry daily that I am not doing enough, that my patients are missing out. I worry about the patients I speak with over the phone, and those who do not answer my call.

The personal toll has been significant as well. I worry that I will bring this virus home to my fiancé.

For the first time, I understood the

expression “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” By the time summer 2020 rolled around, my cup was empty. As Covid-19 cases and deaths in my community continued to climb and I was talking to patients sick with Covid-19 almost daily, my own health took a toll. Therapy helped me cope with the anxiety and stress brought on by dealing with the impact of Covid-19 on my role as a provider. It also helped me restore my equilibrium.

It has been a full year since this ordeal began. Despite all the difficulties, I remember and rejoice in the positives. This includes my formerly pregnant patients who now bring me their healthy infants for their regular check-ups, as well as moments of true conviviality with my team during our lunch breaks despite our masks and face shields. The end of this ordeal is still a ways down the road, but the arrival of vaccines gives us hope. As I write this, I am looking forward to soon receiving my second vaccine injection.

To say that I am looking forward to becoming fully vaccinated is an understatement; however, I am most excited for the day when I will be able to conduct a routine medical exam and say, “Hey, it’s time for your Covid-19 vaccine, so let’s make sure we get that done today.”

Arielle S. Ganem Rosen ‘09

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WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER After graduating from the Lycée in July 2011, I decided to pursue medical studies. I am currently in my sixth and last year of medical school at the University of Paris. During my studies, I was given the opportunity to work abroad many times. In the United States, I interned at Rockefeller University Hospital, at Massachusetts General Hospital, and at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. I took part in Harvard Medical School’s annual mission trip to Cartagena, Colombia, which performs cleft-lip and palate surgeries to children in need. In Israel, I received my first aid certificate and volunteered on ambulances with Magen David Adom, the country’s emergency medical services system.

Starting November 2021, I will be starting my residency training here in France and plan to continue gaining medical experience abroad.

Since the first lockdown, I had the opportunity to assist with Covid-19 patients in several Parisian and suburban hospitals. Over the past few months, I worked in psychiatry at the Beaujon Hospital, in rheumatology and internal medicine at the Bichat Hospital, and in cardiology at the Pontoise Hospital. I am currently working in the infectious diseases department of the

Nanterre Hospital. In rheumatology, where many patients were taking immune-suppressive drugs, there were no patients with Covid-19, so no significant change in healthcare was observed. In the infectious diseases department where I work now, most of the patients are hospitalized with Covid-19, so much of the organization revolves around the management of Covid-19 complications.

This unprecedented sanitary pandemic has shown how complicated it can be to deal with a health crisis. At several instances during the past months, contradictory recommendations were made in order to control the pandemic. For example, wearing a facemask or

having a Covid-19 test done was considered unnecessary unless one had symptoms. It was clear afterwards these recommendations were due to a lack of facemasks and testing supplies.

In spite of this, France has proven to be very adaptable. Various medical departments which did not normally treat patients with pulmonary infections started receiving Covid-19 patients. The protocols are now very clear regarding treatments and oxygen support, as there have been many clinical studies across the world.

Although widespread information about the pandemic created a scary atmosphere, it facilitated the reorganization of hospitals in regards to the sanitary crisis.

In retrospect, starting my medical career in these conditions is exciting, as I sense the central role played by health professionals in this crisis.

Ultimately, everyone contributes to reducing the spread of the infections and improving the well-being of society: researchers create vaccines; engineers deliver 3D-printed face shields and respirators; restaurant owners expand their delivery services; stores provide hand sanitizer for customers; teachers and students cope with social distancing. Without a doubt, the heartwarming solidarity outside the hospital is an approach that we should pursue in the future.

Maya Lang ‘11

My Lycée International experience helped prepare me to meet challenges like these.

Today I’m grateful for the discipline, work ethic, sense of order, control under stress, and the humanist view of the world that was part of my education. Now, I better understand what that was all about.

- Josephine Hebert ‘13

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Many members of the Class of 2016 were nearing the end of their undergraduate studies when the worldwide pandemic hit last spring. We checked in with several of our former students to see what they are up to now, and find out how COVID-19 impacted their decision-making.

class of 2016

Claire Dahklia ‘16

Felix Keane ‘16 I graduated from the Section in 2016 and am currently doing a master’s degree in management and sustainability at the University of Bath; I also work remotely providing communications support to an international development fund. All my studies have been online since March 2020, which was a real challenge for me at the beginning, and I have not seen a teacher in the flesh since then!

However, I have adapted and learned to make the most of new learning formats; I am particularly happy to have all my lectures recorded so that I can go over them anytime, and our school always organizes online consultancy opportunities where we get to work with companies. More than anything, I am grateful to be busy and working! Out of all things, my choice to study sustainability was confirmed by how vulnerable our economies turned out to be in Covid-19 times.

I graduated in May of 2020 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Chemistry and Sustainability from Emory University in Atlanta. After working briefly in green building, I am now a project manager for the Biodegradable Products Institute, a non-profit that specializes in certifications of compostable products and education and advocacy around compost. I’m currently in Atlanta, but plan to travel (first to Austin, TX) as my work is fully remote. Covid-19 definitely changed my plans (a rescinded job offer) but this gave me time to find a field that brings me even more joy.

Emma Ghiglione ‘16 After graduating from Trinity College with a BS in Economics in May 2020, I found myself searching for my first post-grad job in a hostile and discouraging job market. Not only did I feel like the pandemic completely ruined my senior year, I was demoralized day after day with the many job applications and rejections. My job search lasted for what felt like years. I was lucky enough that my supervisor from my internship in the summer of 2019 reached out to me offering me a position at her company, In August. I am now working in Boston as the Marketing Associate for The MBA Tour, a company that hosts events worldwide to connect prospective MBA students with top business schools. The pandemic has forced us to transform all our events into a virtual format, which has been an extremely valuable learning experience. I am looking forward to the day where travel is permitted again so I can travel worldwide and host these events in person!

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Anita Youngblood ‘16

I am currently in my fifth year of an Integrated Masters in Mathematics at the University of St. Andrews, writing a dissertation on mathematical models of pattern formation in biological tissues. After a very busy fourth year acting as the president and volunteer coach of my university’s fencing club on top of full-time studying, I was looking forward to a more relaxed and social final year at university; I was not expecting coronavirus to lock down almost all student life! The pandemic has definitely made maintaining the motivation, energy, and focus to study much more difficult, but I am very fortunate that few of my future plans beyond traveling to see family and meeting new friends were disrupted: I was lucky enough to receive a summer internship offer before the pandemic began, and after a five-week remote internship, I received a follow-up job offer. I am looking forward to starting a position in investment banking in London after graduation.

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After four and a half years at Northeastern University in Boston, where I majored in Anthropology and International Affairs with a minor in Business Administration, I graduated by closing my laptop computer in my room after my final Zoom class and ordered take-out for myself, as I was in the middle of a mandatory quarantine.

I had to accept the idea that I was not going to have a normal graduation celebration such as receiving my diploma or celebrating with friends. I also had to cancel my post-grad travel plans: six months in South America.

I am now back in France, living with my parents and looking for a job and applying to Master programs for the upcoming fall. To say Covid-19 changed my plans is an understatement, however, together with the support of my family and friends, I am able to slowly piece a new plan.

Gus Reed ‘16 I was planning on going straight to graduate school after graduating from Brown University this spring. Because of the pandemic, however, I decided to delay grad school for a year and work in the meantime. Right now, I’m working at a French-American school and an art gallery. I’m really enjoying both. Sometimes the school reminds me of the Lycée, which is strange (hearing super-fluent French in the US always feels weird). We’ll see about grad school next year!

Alice Tirard ‘16 When the first lockdown was announced, I was in New York city for March break. Covid-19 had been a mild, if worrisome, topic of conversation just a few weeks prior and now I was realizing I wouldn’t see any of my friends for the foreseeable future. I don’t remember when we started wearing masks. Instead, I remember coming back to my half-basement apartment with the realization that this was where I would have to finish my last semester at Yale University, complete two theses

after all the relevant facilities had closed down, and most daunting of all, find a job during the pandemic. Now ten months later, I have a degree, one thesis I’m proud of, one which got an automatic A for completion, as well as a position as a lab technician in Boston working, incidentally, on describing the human immune response to Covid-19.

I started a very long captain’s-log-style to-do list, which might have helped with all of this. I graduated next to three other international students on the campus lawn with a bottle of champagne and a stock Zoom-speech from the university president about the importance of helping others.

Ultimately, this seemed like a decent way to graduate and didn’t involve hours of sweating in a synthetic gown.

In many ways I feel that underclassmen have suffered much more, unable to escape the interminable online classes and academic isolation. Too many of my peers have lost safety, opportunity, and support. For students, like for everyone else, the pandemic has made things worse, but it was those whose lives have the least margins of error (those navigating financial insecurity, those caring for their families, those with mental illness) who are feeling its effects most deeply. The mere fact that I’m able to go in to work is a blessing, and I want to make sure that I use my own health, luck, and privilege to help those for whom the pandemic has been less forgiving.

Eloise Crist ‘16 At the start of the pandemic, I had just begun writing my History of Art Masters dissertation. I didn’t have the usual library resources available so I had to think of ways to research ‘outside of the books.’ I was able to speak to curators and forge a relationship with the artist, Linder Sterling, who was the main subject of my dissertation. I’ve now completed my UCL Master’s degree and will be getting it published in Cambridge University’s art gallery archive! That accomplishment has been the main silver lining of the pandemic. I’ve also rediscovered the virtues of gardening at my parents’ house. Now, I am in the process of submitting other essays that I have written for publication and volunteering with a London based arts charity called the Creative Land Trust.

The organization’s main purpose is to buy as many affordable studios as possible in London so that artists will not have to move outside of the city to practice their craft. The development world of the arts is definitely new to

me, but it is an important cause to be supporting, especially during a global pandemic, with support for the arts often being the last thing on the U.K. government’s mind.

Nick Snel ‘16

My name is Nick Snel, I am South African, Dutch, and British. After finishing at the Lycée International, I went on to do a gap year during which I participated in a course called Quest Africa, which sent me off to Zimbabwe for the better part of a year and taught

me a number of useful everyday skills, survival skills, and got me in great shape physically and mentally.

I travelled to a number of other African countries, had some amazing experiences such as going cage diving with crocodiles, doing a pendulum swing over the Victoria Falls, climbing the Chimanimani mountains, and took part in a four-day endurance charity eco-challenge called Ironwill. Since coming back from Africa, I have been based in Southampton, England, at first to study Zoology at the University of Southampton, but after two years I left my studies making the decision to join the British army. This year and all it has entailed has thrown a wrench in the works, making the army application process longer, harder, and more impersonal due to numerous phone calls instead of in-person interviews.

I also normally do boxing, for training has been scarce, and was supposed to participate in a charity boxing match which as of now is in danger of being set back or canceled altogether. My perspective this year has changed, it led to spending the most time with my family in France since I left over four years ago, and to being more willing to rely on friends and family due to living alone once I returned to the UK. I am currently set to join the British army in the coming months, and aiming to join the Rifles but due to the setbacks I will be in Southampton for six months longer than intended until mid-June 2021.

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Toscane Fischer ‘16 Before Covid-19 hit, I had just begun performances as a dancer with the international tour of Saturday Night Fever, out of London. We opened on a Wednesday and on Saturday found out the rest of the tour was canceled. The first few months of the pandemic were particularly rough. It’s hard to put into words how the disease affected artists, so instead I’ll jump ahead to these last few months. In November I met a group of dancers (most of whom also studied in New York, so we immediately clicked) and we spent a week filming a short dance movie in Lille together. Since then, we’ve barely spent a day apart.

We’re constantly together creating new dances, training, sharing ideas, arguing, rethinking, learning from each other... It’s like we stepped together into a bubble of creativity and haven’t broken out of it. We’re shooting two new projects this month and working on building our theater dance company, so I’m finding out how time-consuming

administrative and logistical work is! I started digital marketing online studies a couple months ago, so the company has been a good way to put into practice what I’m learning in my online courses. At the end of the day, these past weeks have shown me that when things aren’t going your way, you can create opportunities for yourself. This pandemic has taken a toll on artists for sure, but unexpected, inspiring encounters like these, remind me I have a lot to be grateful for and that this year brought a lot of meaningful ups along with its downs.

34 C O M P A S S M A G A Z I N E

Patrick Hebert ’16

Floriane Blanc ‘16 After the Lycée International, I studied Management at the University of Bath in the UK. My final year was fully disrupted by the pandemic, as I spent my second semester at home in France, without having the chance to graduate on campus with my friends. I was applying for Master’s degrees, and had decided to study in Pennsylvania.

However, due to Covid-19, I finally decided to do my Master’s degree in Spain at ESCP Business School where I would have on-campus classes and greater chances to grow my network and make lifelong friends. If I had chosen to study in Pennsylvania, I would have had to follow my classes online and I was also unsure whether I could even travel to the US or not.

Today, I definitely do not regret studying in Madrid, as I am having an incredible student experience and I can interact in person with my classmates and professors! In July, I will return to Paris to work as a Product Marketing Intern at Unilever.

The pandemic also impacted my decision to go back to France, as I have realized the importance of being close to my family and friends !

When imagining what the fiveyear anniversary of graduating from the Lycée might look like, I can’t say I expected all the craziness of 2020. I left the LI at the end of 2016 to attend university in Quebec, all set to study Neuropsychology, and got about three weeks in before realizing I needed to get back to acting on stage as well.

In early 2020, I was conducting my own research study as part of my Neuroscience Honors curriculum, and was excited to graduate in June before going on a road trip with some fellow grads. Needless to say, there were some… unforeseen complications.

I thankfully managed to complete my study, not in a research lab with equipment and privacy; but instead using the living room of my student apartment and my laptop. Instead of a road trip, we had a socially-distant gathering in a McDonald’s drive-thru.

Any semblance of a post-university plan definitely went out the window, but that also gave me the opportunity to seize opportunities I wouldn’t have dared otherwise. I spent four months in Dallas, Texas, working as a contact tracer for the Dallas County Department of Health to limit the spread of Covid-19 in the county. That contract now ended, I’ve come back to France to continue my journey, whether that be a Master’s degree, work in research, theater, or dabbling in voice-over. It’s not the five-year anniversary I expected, but I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.