Léman Manhattan Preparatory School, a leading PreK-12 independent school and IB World School, and The École, a leading French-American Pre-Nursery-8 independent school, will launch a new French bilingual high school program at Léman starting September 2022. The program is an extension of The École French-American dual curriculum and transitions to a bilingual IB diploma program. The IB diploma is globally recognized as one of the strongest college preparatory programs and is an impressive qualification for college applicants.
The new program provides a rigorous curriculum for high school students interested in pursuing a dual-language French program. Léman and The École will collaborate to ensure a smooth transition from The École to Léman, creating a continuous educational experience for students and a seamless high school enrollment process for families. All students enrolled at Léman will have the opportunity to participate in the French bilingual program and access the full program and resources at Léman, including a robust literature, mathematics, science, social students, arts, and athletics curriculum, located at Léman’s Upper School Campus in the heart of Manhattan’s most historic area, the Financial District.
“Partnering with Léman is an exciting opportunity for The École. We can now offer a high-quality French-American high school program in line with our current bilingual curriculum. Léman has expert knowledge of the IB curriculum and a wealth of experience in college counseling and placements, which makes them the ideal partner for The École,” – Jean-Yves Vesseau, Head of School at The École.
“The opportunity to collaborate with The École and create a truly French-American program that will transition to a bilingual IB diploma is something unique across the NYC private school landscape. With The École’s expertise in bilingual education and Léman’s long-standing IB experience, we are confident that this new French-language track will differentiate Léman students and equip them for future success,” – Maria Castelluccio, Head of School at Léman.
Léman High School with The École – a French-American, bilingual IB curriculum – is part of a global effort to address the growing demand for language proficiency across university candidates and the labor force: Léman already offers a bilingual IB Diploma in Mandarin and, in addition to this new French track with The École, plans to introduce a similar diploma in Spanish.
To ensure the best transition to IB courses for The École students and other students at Léman, Léman will offer the following two courses in French in 9th and 10th Grade:
- French Literature (9th and 10th Grade) will be a required course, potentially based on French national curriculum requirements and aligned with IB Language A concepts.
- World History will be a required course in 9th Grade and an elective in 10th Grade, potentially focused on French-US relations during the 20th century.
The objective is to have teachers from The École teach those two courses.
There is also a possibility of offering French math workshops in 9th and 10th Grade as an after-school activity, depending on demand. Those workshops would follow the French national curriculum and have a strong focus on geometry.
The specifics of the curriculum will be jointly defined, developed, monitored, and adjusted as required by The École and Léman.
This partnership, which is one of a kind in New York City, is possible thanks to the commitment of the two schools to consistently create and design new, high-quality programs for their students. The two schools share the same values, and every year, a significant number of The École’s Middle School graduates pursue their learning journey at Léman.
Parents interested in learning more about this new program, to be launched for the 2022-2023 academic year, are invited to contact The École (bonjour@theEcole.org) or Léman Manhattan Preparatory School (admissions@lemanmanhattan.org).
About Léman Manhattan Preparatory School: Located in the heart of New York City’s most historic district, Léman Manhattan Preparatory School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school and International Baccalaureate World School that enrolls students ages 12 months to 12th grade. Léman is committed to educating, empowering, and inspiring students from early childhood through high school to be confident, independent critical thinkers.
About The École: The École is an independent, French-American bilingual school serving an international community of Maternelle-to-Middle School students in New York City’s Flatiron District. The École artfully blends the best of the French and American educational systems, equipping students with deep academic bi-literacy, whole-child skills and knowledge, and an optimistic, multi-cultural perspective.
