Published in the Fall 2024 AATF National Bulletin
The French language and culture have a long historical connection to the state of Minnesota. According to the French American Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, French has been present in the area for almost two hundred years before Minnesota became a state and was the primary European language spoken here. In the late 19th century, many French Canadians migrated to the area leaving a long-lasting cultural and linguistic footprint. Today, we still see the reminders of this French influence through the names of towns, communities, streets and lakes, French themed festivals and celebrations, and French dual language immersion programs in our schools.
French Immersion and Dual Language Education in Minnesota
In keeping with our French heritage and the global status of the French language, Minnesota has seen the growth of French immersion programs over the past thirty years. One of the first programs is in Edina. Normandale French Immersion, with an enrollment of over 600 students (K-5), opened its doors in 1991 and has been a leader in French education in the Midwest. Later, Valley View Middle School (Edina) became the first step in their continuation program and finally, Edina High School. Other programs followed Normandale notably the Saint Paul Schools K-12 program at L’Étoile du Nord which opened in 1996, Hidden River Middle School (formally known as Ramsey Junior High) in 2012, and Saint Paul Central in 2007. Notre École, a charter school in Golden Valley, began in 2020 and has a dual emphasis of French and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics). Currently, they are a K-4 school and will be expanding next year to include a fifth-grade classroom, their final grade level. Several more programs have developed in Minnesota over the years and continue to expand.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognizes Minnesota schools
The above-mentioned schools all have something in common that goes beyond their French language and cultural curriculum. All have been recognized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as meeting the criteria of “extremely high quality” and have been awarded the Label France Education Seal of Excellence. This seal provides a dual guarantee for families: first, the assurance of high quality French bilingual teaching, and second, that of belonging to a national and global network. The three most recent recipients, L’Étoile du Nord, Central High School, and Notre École, were recognized in March at events at their schools.
Saint Paul School District: L'Étoile du Nord and Central High School
On March 14, 2024, L’Étoile du Nord and Central High School were joined by honored dignitaries, Yannick Tagand, the French Consul General of Chicago and Nicolas Douay, the Attaché of Education and University Partnerships as well as Christina Selander Bouzouina, Honorary Consul of France in Minnesota & Executive Director, Alliance Française Minneapolis/Saint Paul, as they celebrate the successes of not only these programs but also the Saint Paul Public School District, which has supported the programs for over 25 years.
The joint program included musical performances by students from both schools, comments and recognition from the French Consul General Yannick Tagand, an acknowledgment of Liam Carlson, a junior in Central High School's French Dual Language Immersion Program and one of two students in the United States selected by the Label France Education Organization to receive a scholarship to visit France this summer, and the presentation of plaques commemorating the Label France Education designation.
Laura Handley, a first-grade teacher at L’Étoile du Nord and AATF Minnesota’s French Teacher of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year, has been with the school from its inception. She views this award as a “statement of the hard-work and dedication to making an outstanding French immersion program for the students of Saint Paul”.
Kevin Amdahl, who has been with the Central High School French department since the 2012-2013 school year, understands the hard work and creativity needed to develop a program of this caliber. “I have enjoyed working as a team to develop Central’s French program. Teaching at such a high level and engaging students through the language have challenged me to continue my professional journey in a way that has brought me a high level of professional growth and satisfaction”.
Notre École
On March 15th, Notre École was recognized on site. With the students and parents present, Monsieur Douay presented the award to Michelle Chalmeau and Vanessa Hendrickson, the co-coordinators of the program. After the formal celebrations, students participated in fun activities and parents, teachers and staff, and honored guests mingled.
Congratulations to the many dedicated administrators, faculty and staff and parents and friends of the schools who worked so hard over the years to make French Dual Language Immersion Programs an important part of the educational landscape of Minnesota.
For more information about the Label France Education program, please go to
Pictures by Maureen Elwell Peltier and Thomas Lacoste
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