I had every intention of writing about technology this week, dear members of the Lycée Français de New York community, but the point of this blog is to remain open to the wonders which we who have the privilege of working at our school are fortunate to witness each and every day we are here. And because yesterday I happened to overhear a couple of students mentioning Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s famous declaration about March 17, 2012, for the second time this past month, I had an inkling you too might be interested to know what they were saying.
The snippet I gleaned went something like the following. “Did you know that the Mayor made March 17th ‘Lycée Français de New York Day’”, had asked one? To which her friend had replied, “But isn’t that St. Patrick’s Day? “Well, he said it was our day” had affirmed the first, continuing: “You should go look at what’s on the wall on the second floor.” [Nb. I wish they had identified the space as being outside my office, which it is, but it appears I need to redouble my efforts to get on the map…]. “Really” had asked the second? And I could not help but interject, “It’s true. We’ve been in New York for 77 years and Mayor Bloomberg wanted to thank us for everything we’ve given to this great city since 1935. Please go and see for yourself…and while you’re there please stop by my office to say hello.” [Nb. They haven’t done so yet, but I don’t despair!].
I love it.
Before going further, however, kindly allow me to explain. Last year, as many will know, our annual gala was held on March 17 and in honor of that important occasion Mayor Bloomberg issued a remarkably elegant and witty “proclamation” making that day “Lycée Français de New York Day.” Here is some of what the Mayor so delightfully wrote: “New York City and France have long enjoyed a special relationship…And for more than 75 years, the outstanding Lycée Français de New York has been instrumental in sustaining the French language here in the five boroughs and providing its students with a world-class education…Students benefit from the famously rigorous curriculum of the French educational system, while at the same time learning the value of lending their talents to activities outside the classroom…The Lycée is a wonderful place for young people to pursue their interests and engage with the cultures that make New York a symbol of promise and possibility for families from across the globe.”
I love it. And so quite clearly did one of our students. What struck me most in the thirty seconds of passing conversation in which I had the pleasure of engaging was the way in which she had underlined the “our” in what she was saying. In the above, I deliberately left out the italics which would indicate how much she had emphasized that pronoun. “Well, he said it was our day”, she had excitedly declared. She was proud of the fact that her school had earned this special recognition and not just because of the fact we had been mentioned by someone as important as the Mayor of New York City.
When I asked her if she had had a chance to read the full proclamation, she had said yes. What she had really liked was the way in which Mayor Bloomberg had described our school. That pride, her pride, our pride in the Lycée Français de New York: long may we deserve it and long may it last!
About the Author :
Sean Lynch was Head of School at the Lycée Français de New York from 2011 to 2018, after having spent 15 years at another French bilingual school outside of Paris: the Lycée International de St. Germain-en-Laye. Holding both French and American nationalities, educated in France (Sciences Po Paris) and the United States (Yale), and as the proud husband of a French-American spouse and father of two French-American daughters, Sean Lynch has spent his entire professional and personal life at the junction between the languages, cultures and educational systems of France and the United States. In addition to being passionate about education, he loves everything related to the mountains, particularly the Parc National du Mercantour.