DENVER — One of the primary goals at the French American School of Denver (FASD) is supporting their students to become global citizens.
The K-5 French immersion public charter school is part of the Denver Public Schools system that offers a bilingual curriculum in French and English. With French being the primary language in 29 countries, FASD provides a well-rounded global education to all students, tuition free.
“Previous to this, in Denver, there only existed very expensive private schools that provided that immersion experience similar to ours,” said Suzanne Acheson, FASD executive director. “Our founding families came together and said, ‘We’ve got to be able to offer this to folks who are not able to have a private education,’ so the charter was accepted by Denver and here we are.”
The school of 189 students uses the French Ministry of National Education’s curriculum, along with curriculum that meets U.S and Colorado standards.
To help students understand more about the world around them, world history and geography are a big part of the school’s curriculum, and the school has a unique approach to lessons.
For example, a native English-speaking teacher may teach students about the American Revolution, while a native French-speaking teacher may teach about the French Revolution.
“For you to truly understand the world, you need to understand where you are in relation to where all the other places in the world are,” Acheson said. “It helps students not only understand their own culture but then also to be very open to experiencing new cultures that maybe they never even thought of before.”
FASD also has teachers who participate in France’s Programme Jules Verne, which provides teachers in France with opportunities to travel to other countries to teach. Acheson said combined, they give students a premier, rich educational experience.
“Our students begin in kindergarten where 90% of their day is in French, only 10% in English … it goes to 80 and then 70, and by the time students are in sixth grade, then its 50/50,” Acheson said. “All of our teachers are native French speakers. Some of them come to us from France or other countries on a J-1 exchange visa, or they may have a green card, or we do have some naturalized U.S. citizens who are also teachers here at our school.”
Manon Zanivan is a third-grade teacher at the school who applied for the program while living in the southeastern part of France. She said she wanted to come teach in the U.S. to change the way she teaches in France.
“All of this is really creating a community around this school, and we don’t really have that in France, and it’s really something that I like here,” Zanivan said. “I think here, the kids, we spend more time with them. There are more days in school, and we even stay with them in lunch/recess, so we have more time to bond with the kids, and so I think that they are more confident.”
Students like fourth-grader Jameson Wodlinger see the school as an opportunity to meet new people and explore the world. He said he thinks it’s fun to speak both English and French.
“I think it will help you if you ever try to travel to France or Paris or something then it would be easier for you to speak that language,” Wodlinger said. “I want to explore the world someday because it would be fun to meet new people, try different foods, and see different animals that live there.”
Acheson said in the 2024-2025 school year, the school will add a second third-grade class and a sixth-grade class. She hopes to expand by adding two classrooms every year and eventually growing to support students through eighth grade.
“I would say the key to our success is the community that we create,” Acheson said. “Everyone is a part, everyone wants the best for their children, everyone wants to create that sense of community because after all, that’s how we are well-rounded citizens.”
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