Students take in more than scenes in France

Tour highlights for Miss Fortino included visiting the house and gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet in the town of Giverny, and traveling to the Loire Valley to see the castle of Blois and Chartres Cathedral. Another priceless experience was riding the crowded metro at rush hour, and observing the students figuring out directions for their parents, she said. The highlight for Steel Valley trip coordinator Toni Besh was "watching the students engage in using their French." Mrs. Besh is World Language Department chairwoman and a high school French teacher.