Notre-Dame International High School

Notre-Dame International High School
Location
106, Grand Rue 78480 Verneuil-sur-Seine France
Information
Type	Bilingual
Motto	"Growing together"
Established	2010
Dean	Yves Le Saout, Principal
Headmaster	Gina Robertson
Grades	9 - 12
Affiliation	Nacel International School System
Website	http://www.ndihs.com

Notre-Dame International High School (NDIHS), the international program of the French school Notre-Dame Les Oiseaux, is a private international boarding and day school located in Verneuil-sur-Seine, a residential area of the West of Paris, France.

This bilingual High School in Paris is the latest branch school of the Nacel International School System (NISS), which is an international network of American styled High Schools all around the world, such as Saint Paul Preparatory School in Minnesota, US, and Saint Paul American School in Beijing, China. Students come from all over the world, since more than 40 nationalities are represented in these schools.

Notre-Dame International High School is a bilingual school aimed at students from grades 9 to 12 (15 to 18 years old)^[1] coming from the expatriate community living in Paris, from other French schools as well as exchange students coming from various countries of the world, who receive an American and French based curriculum leading to the US High School Diploma. Students are day schooled, or live in the boarding quarters or in French host families.

Location

Notre-Dame International High School is a private bilingual school located in the residential town of Verneuil-sur-Seine, in the West of Paris, 30 minutes away from Paris by train.

History

Notre-Dame International High School

Notre-Dame International High School is established at Notre-Dame Les Oiseaux, a French school created 80 years ago. Notre-Dame Les Oiseaux was created at the site of the Château de Verneuil in 1929 and boasts today a community of about 3000 pupils, most of them being French nationals.

The site of the Château de Verneuil where the school is located has a long history, going back to the 16th century when it was occupied by French families of nobility up until the French Revolution.

The Château was abandoned in the years following the Revolution but was reclaimed by one of its legitimate heirs, Hervé de Tocqueville in 1802. As the son of Hervé de Tocqueville, the famous political thinker and historian, Alexis de Tocqueville spent his adolescence at the Château.

The Château also welcomed the great French writer, François-René de Chateaubriand, while under ownership by the Tocqueville family.

In 1817 the property was sold and had various owners until 1929, when the Château was purchased by the Congregation of Notre-Dame. The Church of the Château is recognized as an historical monument.

Campus

Notre-Dame International High School campus

The Château de Verneuil is located in the heart of an historical park covering an area of 13 hectares with centuries’ old trees and gardens.^[2]

Verneuil-sur-Seine is located on the River Seine and offers a rich natural environment, with parks, gardens, forest, rivers and lakes.

Mission statement

“Our primary educational goal is to challenge students to become effective thinkers and communicators while cultivating the cross-cultural, leadership skills necessary for success in the global community.” Frank Tarsitano, Principal of the St Paul Preparatory School^[3]

Education

Notre-Dame International High School corridor

The primary educational goal of this French-American school in Paris is to prepare students for careers in the global community. A specific attention is paid to:^[4]

• Development of critical thinking skills and intercultural learning
• Individualized learning through small classes
• Development of intercultural communication skills
• Emphasis on personal and social responsibility
• Intensive language training through “English as a second language” (ESL) courses as well as French language courses (FLE)

The French-American school teaches an American secondary school curriculum developed at Saint Paul Preparatory School and leading to the US High School Diploma in the French-speaking environment of Notre-Dame Les Oiseaux. In addition to the American curriculum taught by American teachers (ESL, Math, English, Social Studies, Science), the school offers French language and culture programs as well as enrichment courses taught by French teachers (Music, Art and Physical Education). The goal is to have students become proficient in both English and French.

Accreditation

Nacel International School System’s graduation policy is internationally recognized, since it does correspond with ^[5] the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation guidelines for college preparatory schools.

References

1. ^ Notre-Dame International High School website (http://www.ndihs.com)
2. ^ Location of Notre-Dame International High School (http://www.ndihs.com/ndihs-notre-dame-les-oiseaux)
3. ^ Missions of St.Paul Preparatory School (http://www.stpaulprep.org/about_mission.html)
4. ^ History of the school (http://www.stpaulprep.org/about_history.html)
5. ^ the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation website (http://www.ncacasi.org/)

External links

• Notre-Dame International High School