Chaumont and Paris, France: OHS French students’ eight day adventure

By Reagan Rozzi

Photo of travel group provided by Leslie Wright

March 2025 was no normal spring break for Owasso’s French III and AP French students. 12 students, and their three chaperones, were granted the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to not only Owasso’s sister city, Chaumont, France, but also the famous Paris. Getting lost in the woods, discovering an abandoned dungeon, exploring the Parisian catacombs and touring the architecturally aweing churches were only a few of the highlights from this eight-day adventure. 

The process of getting to Europe began with monthly meetings throughout the school year with students, parents and teachers to lay out the trip’s basics. For the visit to go as smoothly as it has for the past fifteen years, and for the trip to continue in the foreseeable future, the group had to plan accordingly.

AP French and French III teacher Madame Leslie Wright, who served as one of the three chaperones for the trip, spoke about building the relationship with Chaumont, Owasso’s sister city, in order to prepare for the trip.

“We started [the trip] in 2010. … This is my tenth year going with the students,” Wright shared. “We’ve been writing back and forth since 2006, so almost 20 years [since] we started that relationship with [Chaumont].”

Madame Sarah Butterworth, the additional French teacher of OHS, as well as Kelly Lovelace, the mother of two students who went on the trip, also chaperoned the group. 

Housing was divided into one student per host family, with chaperones having their own host families as well. Some were lucky enough to live only two minutes from Chaumont’s inner city, others were close to an hour away. 

“When we were in Chaumont, we were staying with host families,” French III student Cambree Dick shared. “We kind of just got to see the culture, and it’s not like the tourist-y culture, it’s like how they live their everyday lives.”

When signing up for the trip, students were given the option to participate in Chaumont’s Model UN. The calendar was to be split evenly: four days given to Model UN and four days given to explore. 

During the Model UN half of the week, the participating students researched and debated foreign policies, attended a school-sponsored party and made new friends through the international program. 

Switching to the more tourist part of the week, the group stayed in a Parisian Airbnb. Together, the group spent nights in, watching horror films and days out exploring the countless art museums in town—the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, to name a few.

The group also had their “Versailles day,” where they toured the palace and its gardens.

“My favorite part was [visiting] Versailles, because the history is so interesting and it’s so old. It was just so beautiful,” Averie Thomas, another French III student, recalled. 

Last, but not least, the lucky 15 got to visit the famous Eiffel Tower. 

Through their trip, the students and their chaperones got to experience opportunities some may never receive in their lifetime. Learning about the cultural, historical and social differences between our small town Owasso and the large cities of Paris and Chaumont have shown a new perspective into the eye-opening wonders of the world.

Photo of students provided by Leslie Wright

For those interested in joining next year’s group, contact Madame Leslie Wright or Madame Sarah Butterworth.