Foreign Exchange

By Alyssa Tompkins

From February 1st to the 23rd, three foreign exchange students from various regions around the country of France visited Helena, Montana. Maxence Brun, Louis Bouteille and Lila Coussin all lived with Capital High students during the cold days of February. They had the fun opportunities to sit in on CHS classes including Math, English, Science, and Arts classes.

Emma Roher-Fitzhugh, a Capital Sophomore, housed Lila Coussin. Coussin was the only female foreign exchange student of the three who traveled to the United States. When asked about her time in Helena, Coussin said, “It was so new in America, the times to do things were different and what we did was different. I made new friends who helped me to learn the new things.” One thing that Coussin said was new was the scheduling differences of American schools vs the block schedules in France.

Maxence Brun was housed by Zita Gravely, a Capital High Junior. Of the new experiences, Brun said he enjoyed his time in the United States because of the relationships he formed. When asked to elaborate on this said “Zita and her family were fun to be with. They did their best to make me feel at home in a new country. It was nice”.

Ella Rowland, a Capital High Freshman, housed Louis Bouteille. He said that the students of Capital High were his favorite part, “They were all very welcoming here. I was a new boy, but everyone let me feel like they wanted to know me.” Even the teachers made a good effort to make Bouteille feel included in the classes he was not used to. He said that the math classes were a perfect example of things being the same all around the world, but still new.

All of the exchange students agreed that they had a good time in the United States and said that they would gladly return to Montana.