Twenty-five students from France visited Bexley and stayed with high school students for 10 days in October to connect with students and practice speaking English.
The visiting students are from Bernay, a town in Normandy. They arrived in Bexley Friday, Oct. 3 and left Monday, Oct. 13, French teacher David Kozy explained.
Kozy said the Ohio Department of Education has a partnership with the students’ school district in France, and students from Bernay have visited Bexley and other high schools in Columbus before.
Bexley students taking French visited the school in Bernay in 2024 during a France trip over spring break, Kozy said. The visiting students shadowed their hosts at the high school Monday, Oct. 6. The next day, Kozy said, they visited Montrose Elementary School and toured Capital University.
Kozy explained all Bexley students enrolled in a French class had the opportunity to host a student, and those interested were given an application form to match them with a visiting student based on common interests.
The main goal of the program is to introduce visitors and host families to new cultures and encourage lasting relationships, Kozy said. He added it is a great way for both groups to improve their fluency.
“I love hearing my students practice their French,” Kozy said. “It’s so cool to see them practice their skills.”
Visiting students also had chances to see attractions around Columbus with their host
families.
Sophomore Amelia Lynch said she and her French student watched a hockey game, went to a pumpkin patch, visited the Columbus Zoo and went shopping at Easton.
“I want to be an exchange student,” Lynch said. “I was really excited to do the same thing I want for someone else.”
Junior Chiara Wood said she tried to plan activities that are not common in France to
do with her visiting student, such as watching a football game.
French student Ylanna Masson, who stayed with Lynch, said she noticed differences between her school and Bexley.
“I like that you can practice sports and practice music,” Masson said. “I wish music was offered in France like it is here.”
Masson said Bexley is much bigger than her school in France, and the schedule is different. At her school in France, each day has different classes and a different number of periods, compared to Bexley’s consistent eight-period days, she added.
“It’s just a little boring to do the same thing every day,” she said.
Masson said she was able to follow along in classes while shadowing Lynch, especially math.
“I like math because it’s the same in every language,” she said. “There’s no language barrier.”
Lynch explained the biggest challenge in hosting was the language barrier during the
first few days.
“There was a learning curve,” she said. “It was difficult at first to find out which words we both knew.”
Despite initial confusion, Lynch explained their communication got much easier as the week progressed.
Wood said the language barrier was difficult, but she used it as a learning experience.
“They got to practice their English and I got to practice some French,” she said.
Masson said she is grateful for the program and glad she got to visit the U.S.
“Not all people have this opportunity,” Masson said. “I had a great experience making new friends and learning about a different culture.”
Kozy said the program was valuable for both visiting students and host families.
“A program like this is a tremendous amount of work,” he said. “But it’s really
worth it.”
Published and digitized November 2025.
