Some students said au revoir to their chances of going to France for Spring Break this year. To manage the overwhelming interest from students in the French language program at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, the language department employed a lottery system.

“Juniors, seniors, and students in French IV and V qualified automatically,” Upper School French teacher Aimeric Lajuzan said about this year’s exchange trip to France. “We had 4 spots left for sophomores in French III and below, so [US French Teacher Sophie Kerman] and I used a random number generator to pick participants,” he added.

In prior years, students went to Pau France, but this year the exchange will be a little more personal. For 2015, the students will fly into Paris for 4 days, but for the rest of the trip the group will go to Toulouse France, Lajuzan’s home town. “I am really excited to show my students around!” Lajuzan said.

This southwestern city is the capital of the department of Haute-Garonne. The students will attend classes at SPA’s exchange school, Lycee Antione de St Exupery in Blagnac, take a trip to the Atlantic Coast, and visit Garcassonne.

“Because of the large number of people interested, we decided to have another trip to France next year, but it will not be an exchange.  It will be 10 days long instead of 15,” Lajuzan said. “Many students who were picked [from the lottery system] decided to wait until their senior year so they could go with their friends anyway,” he added.