By Borislava Panayotova

   The pandemic shut down many exciting TPA events that students were looking forward to in 2020. Now, four years later, many have come back. 

   One such event is the Paris and France trip planned by Madame Doran, our resident French teacher, that was unable to take off in 2020.

   The returning trip will be held in the first week of June, 2025. The cost for participating will be $4,300.

   Madame explains that for now the one-week trip will be focused on exploring only Paris. The reason is mainly that more destinations would mean more transportation, leading to a more expensive trip.

   She also adds, however, that there is plenty to see in Paris for the week. Some of the activities planned are visiting museums, such as the Louvre and more, as well as monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. There will also be visits to numerous historic churches and a visit to Claude Monet’s home, where many of his paintings were created. 

   The farthest the trip will venture is Versailles, the royal palace, a couple of miles away from Paris. 

   While at planned activities, students will also have a modicum of freedom. They will be able to explore museums and other landmarks individually, but won’t have afternoons of freedom to roam as they wish, since this could pose a safety issue.

   Madame is not planning this trip all by herself. She is using a company called Grand Classroom. “What I love about the company we are using, Grand Classroom, everything, everything, everything is included so you don’t have to worry about any extra pocket money, except if you want to buy souvenirs,” she says. She also appreciates that Grand Classroom plans the meals and asks for any dietary restrictions and allergies.

   The trip is open to any TPA student, even those not in French language classes. Madame invites everyone, even friends and family or alumni, since she is trying to get around 20 people to go. Middle schoolers are also welcome, as long as they have an older sibling or parent available to accompany them. The only students likely not attending are the Classical students, as they have their own trip to Greece and Italy to look forward to.

   Finally, Madame sees this trip as a possibility in the future as well. She does not plan to host it every year, but her current goal is every four years so most high schoolers have a chance to go at least once. For now, she says, “We’ll see how this one goes.”