SLS French Program Earns Highest National Recognition—Again!

For the fifth consecutive time, the St. Luke’s French program has earned the highest national distinction from the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), receiving the top rank of Exemplary with Distinction. Very few schools ever achieve this status, so this distinguishes SLS as having one of the absolute best French programs in the United States—and the only school in the country to have received this top rank every cycle since the award’s creation in 2015.

The recognition follows a unanimous vote from the AATF judging panel, with SLS receiving perfect scores in all categories from the judges.

To be considered for this honor, the French teachers submitted a comprehensive dossier representing three years of work. The submission included lesson plans, videos, photos, and letters of support from alumni, parents, colleagues, and administrators—totaling hundreds of pages of documentation, along with custom-made multi-media components.  It also featured the significant volunteer work that most of the French team does outside of SLS to promote French and create programming for other French teachers and students in Connecticut, regionally, and nationally.

“We’re profoundly honored to receive this national distinction once again,” said Upper School World Language Department Chair Jon Shee. “It reflects the creativity, dedication, and care that our French teachers bring to the classroom, as well as the superb talents and enthusiasm of our students. We’re thankful to the alumni and parents who shared appreciation for our program and to our students, who make the work meaningful.”

Félicitations to our SLS French teachers and students!