Over Columbus Day weekend, the French program at PMHS took a trip to Montreal. The trip involved of 22 students enrolled in varying levels of French, along with Mrs. Ariadne Livaditis, French teacher, Mrs. Angela Calvelli, head of the language department, and Mrs. Jeannine Clark, principal of PMHS. The trip provided an opportunity for the excited French students to get a taste of French Canadian culture.

The group arrived at the High School main entrance promptly at 6:45 on October 5. With some delays, the full bus departed for Montreal. After a long six and a half hour drive, the group arrived in Montreal. Before dinner, the group was given a walking tour of part of the city by their guide, Catherine. After dinner in the old city, the group walked over to an indoor ice rink. Some were very experienced, while others took more than a few slips.

The next morning, everyone woke up at 7:00 a.m. and began breakfast at 8:00 a.m. After a change of currency, the group saw the Basilique Notre Dame, the most famous church in Montreal. Shortly after, the group participated in a scavenger hunt involving sites all around the old city. Following some lunch and souvenir shopping, the group took a long bus ride to a cabane à sucre, or sugar shack, outside the city. At the sugar shack, the group was given a tour and an explanation of how maple syrup is made. Afterwards, the students participated in traditional dancing and music, all between courses of a hardy meal. Before the drive home, the group had a chance to try some maple taffy candies.

“It was really cool to be completely immersed in French Canadian culture,” said junior Leana Rutt. “The people wanted to include us in their celebrations and we were more than happy to participate.”……..

On Saturday morning, the group visited a museum about the history of Montreal and the Biodome. The Biodome contains four distinct areas with different animals from different types of ecosystems. The students started first with the tropical rainforest section, surrounded by monkeys and tropical birds. After that, the group moved through a Canadian forest, the St. Lawrence River, and the arctic environment, which featured a plethora of different penguins.

Finally, the group loaded the bus one last time for the long drive back to New York.