How long were you a student at the Lycée?
My parents are American, but they were living in France when I was born and fell in love with French culture. When we moved back to New York, they absolutely wanted me to attend a French school and the Lycée Français de New York was the obvious choice! I was a student here through CM2, when we moved to San Francisco, and I continued my French education at the Lycée Français de San Francisco.
What inspires your work as you join the Lycée?
What an extraordinary time for the Lycée Français de New York. There is an enormous amount of enthusiasm for the school and excitement about the direction we are headed in, with all the new programs and initiatives in the areas of bilingualism, STEAM, project-based learning, etc.
And yet some traditions linger, and there are still familiar faces, including Rolla Boulad and Jean le Bidois, who were both my teachers!
The Lycée is a home away from home for many of our families and faculty and staff, who come from all over the world. The level of passion for the school goes beyond what you might see at similar institutions, and I am excited to build on that legacy.
I am also thrilled to be working with such a wonderful team of terrific professionals. Feel free to contact any of us with questions about our work.
We look forward to seeing everyone around the school, and thank you all deeply for your support of the school!
You’ve worked at several renowned cultural and educational institutions. What’s different about fundraising at the Lycée?
I majored in art history at Stanford University, and as a student, volunteered for the fundraising team. In my career in fundraising, I worked in fundraising for institutions like Carnegie Hall, Columbia Business School, and the new performing arts center at the World Trade Center. Whether as a volunteer, an employee or even a donor, my experience has always been that fundraising helps me feel personally invested in an organization.
I’ve been at the Lycée for just one month, and my experience is the same. Fundraising is a wonderful thing to be engaged in because, at the core, we are building relationships with people who are passionate about a cause. It gives us an opportunity to make a real contribution to the school, no matter how large or small, and we certainly hope it makes us feel part of something bigger than themselves.
We’re celebrating the power of participation in the school’s fundraising activities this month. Why is participation so important?
Participation is a demonstration of the strength of a community and its support of a common goal–in our case, providing the best educational experience possible for students. Participation means that all contributions, great and small, are equally valued.
What is the role of the school’s grade ambassadors?
I have only been here for a month, and I am so amazed by the enthusiasm and leadership of our volunteer grade ambassadors, who are a direct link between our development activities and our families. Along with our parent association, they do a wonderful job of explaining the mission and vision of the school to our parent community. I marvel at the time they devote and the considerable personal effort they put into reaching out to families in their grade. They bring a deep understanding of the value of the annual fund, and the value of philanthropy in general.
People often ask, “Why do we need an annual fund?”
Every single child at the school benefits from a gift to the Annual Fund, which supports initiatives in every aspect of school life. If your child participates in team sports, the activities of the Cultural Center–like the extraordinary week our fifth grades have just spent with the Philharmonie de Paris, our After-School Program, our science partnerships with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia or the Cold Spring Harbor DNA Laboratory, she or he directly benefits from the Annual Fund.
As the school continues to enhance its core programs, the Annual Fund supports additional professional development opportunities for teachers to help support innovation and new approaches to teaching and learning. Such initiatives as the the biliteracy workshops for parents in the Primary School are made possible by research grants funded in part by the Annual Fund.
Every gift, large and small, to the Annual Fund is greatly appreciated! Thank you to everyone for their contributions!
About the Author :
Marc Rognon joined the Lycée in October 2016 as Digital Communications Manager. He brings to the Lycée his experience as a TV journalist, media consultant and project manager. After almost 10 years as a producer and senior editor at France24, the international news channel, he spent one year in Iraq to create the country’s first news channel and worked extensively in North and West Africa to train journalists on reporting and news gathering. He is passionate about travelling, discovering and understanding new cultures and languages.