QUEBEC CITY, Quebec — The Quebec trip is something that French students and members of French Club look forward to every year. However, the trip is not always possible every year.

Luckily, this year’s French Club was able to travel all the way to Quebec City, Canada, to experience the beautiful French Canadian culture. 

The trip is filled with activities and authentic French Canadian cuisine. To start, the group stopped at Walmart in Magog, Quebec, where they were only allowed to speak to the staff in French. Since many students in French Club have not actually taken French language classes, it is a fun and challenging experience for all. 

Kate Peterson, Nonnewaug’s French instructor and leader of French Club, said this was her favorite part of the trip, stating, “It really was an eye-opener having to use our French.” 

Other activities included a tour of the Basilica of Saint Anne de Beaupré, a walk across Montmorency Falls, a historic reenactment in the Martello Towers, a breakfast at Le Chateau Frontenac, and an authentic mall outside of Quebec.

Though these activities were designed to immerse students in French Canadian culture and language, were they actually successful? Bella Starr, a Nonnewaug senior and member of French Club, argues that the trip was successful in that sense. 

“I got to really experience life like a real French Canadian,” Starr reflected. “I got to learn a lot of the rich history Canada has to offer.” 

Peterson couldn’t agree more. 

“[This trip] shows the importance of learning the French language to be able to connect with the over 300 million French-speaking people on planet Earth,” Peterson said. 

The May trip left students and chaperones memories they will keep for a lifetime, but what went into the planning of this trip? 

“There is so much involved in planning a field trip, especially a three-day trip to another country,” Peterson added.  

Planning includes finding an educational company to help with making the trip a reality, receiving approval from the Board of Education, creating an itinerary, and collaborating with the travel specialist from the travel company, and finally recruiting students to go on the trip. 

Though this is a demanding task, Peterson said, “it really helps that I have been on this tour many times.” 

Though this year’s Quebec trip has passed, Nonnewaug students should be on the lookout for the potential of another trip next year, and in the meantime, look into joining French Club. 

“I’ve run this field trip for our students in Region 14 for the past 16 years,” Peterson said. “I hope to continue this tradition for years to come. Vive Québec!”