A celebration on the George School campus on Saturday, April 14, 2007, will mark the 50th anniversary of the French-American student exchange program between Lycée Alfred Kastler--a school located in Guebwiller, France--and George School. The event will be held at 4:00 p.m. in Walton Center Auditorium.

"Our research has shown that this is the longest-running exchange program between a French high school and an American high school," says George School French teacher Claudie Fischer, who has organized George School's participation in the exchange for the past thirty years. "In March, I traveled to Lycée Alfred Kastler with two of my colleagues and a group of George School students for this year's exchange trip. We were feted with a lovely public ceremony. Our friends in France celebrated the anniversary with delightful enthusiasm."

This year's exchange group from the French school arrived at George School on April 5 with teacher Alain Collange. At the April 14 celebration, Claudie and Alain will speak, and current and past exchange participants will share their memories of the cross-cultural experience. In addition, the celebration will feature a slide show with photos of the exchange from 1958 to the present.

About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from eighteen states, thirty-two foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own.