“Wow!” “When can we start?” “That slanted part looks neat.” The wall has only been in place for a few days, since the end of break, but I myself have already been to see it several times, twice to marvel on my own and thrice to show others how just impressive it is. I am referring to our new climbing wall, which spans 44 feet along the west side of our large gymnasium and extends 22 feet from floor to ceiling!
And just about every time I have been there so far, I have heard students expressing their excitement about this inspiring addition to our program. The climbing wall is one of the numerous sports-related initiatives we have launched this year as part of our focus on student well-being. It was made possible by the Lycée Français Annual Fund. Please allow me to thank everyone once again who contributes to this fund: your much appreciated support makes a real difference, taking us, dare I say, to new heights!
Whenever I have had a chance to ask students about the wall, I have been especially keen to get impressions from those who have never done rock-climbing before, which has been almost everyone with whom I have talked. As we have stood side by side, looking up at the wall towering above us (okay, I may be exaggerating a little…), three comments have struck me, which taken together seem to spell out a kind of narrative about the joys of learning at the Lycée Français de New York.
One of our students said something along the lines of, “I’ll try because the school thinks it’ll be good for me”. And I thought to myself: there is such a sense of purpose behind what we do at the Lycée Français, a sense of purpose which our students feel and understand too. Another added: “Our teachers will teach us how”, a comment which to my mind captures the trust our students place in our dedicated faculty. Yet the remark I remember most clearly, perhaps because it resonates with my own sentiment about rock-climbing, as much as I adore the sport, went something like: “I’m worried about going up so high, but I’ll do my best.”
For me, this last student was conveying what the British climber George Mallory may have meant in 1924 when he famously explained that he wished to climb Mount Everest, well, “because it’s there”? Our students, like Mallory, love challenges, for the intrinsic value each has. Our climbing wall is not just a construction made of steel and wood. It symbolizes much, much more.
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.