Bonjour à LaSalle! We had yet another exciting day here in
France, but of course. It all got
started first thing in the morning with choir practice.
Ms. Knox led the students through the couple numbers that we’ll be
sharing with the Collège St. Michele.
After everybody felt comfortable hitting the high note, a full class of
French students joined us to share what they’ve been working on as well. What ensued was quite possibly the most
authentic and feel good jam session I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part
of. We were up first with How I Got Over. Kaline wowed the crowd with her solo. Then we
did it again, this time with the French students joining in. The French students were up next with what
they had been working on; Cotton Needs a Picking, after which we accompanied
them. From there the energy was way too
high and the atmosphere too perfect to stop.
That’s when everybody let it all hang out. How bout a classic? New Orleans would’ve been proud as we
effortlessly transitioned into When the Saints Go Marching In. Ms. Knox was magical on the keys, so much so
that one of the French students felt compelled to get on the microphone and literally Louis Armstrong scat his way through it for a second time.
We were all quite impressed. No
need to stop there though. It was Laura, with Hannah harmonizing, up next. They hit every note perfectly as Laura
simultaneously laid down percussion using nothing more than a cup! For the grand finale we offered up a
quick rendition of Sweet Home Chicago. I
hit a couple licks on the guitar while Ms. Knox and Madame Deschateaux (music teacher) helped me out on
the drums and keys. And that, as they say, was a wrap.
After that, with David exciting the crowd of student onlookers with his moves, the boys and I briefly showed off our basketball skills. Before long, we
were all off to Rennes to take to the trees for the surprise activity of the day: Karaez
Adrenaline, or the equivalent of what we
would call a high ropes course. It’s a
tree-top adventure park where people can move around independently along
permanently installed structures, as opposed to an accrobranche trail where
structures are temporary. Six different level trails
are offered. A color code going
from yellow to black is used to indicate the level of difficulty. The boldest of the bunch (Max, Jackson, Matthew, David, Kaline and Chloe) eventually made their way for the Hyèr'O'Gliss
trail with the longest zip-line in Brittany, which runs through the magnificent
Hyères river valley. But as much fun as
the students had navigating the different obstacles, what made the teachers the
happiest was watching them assist each other as they challenged themselves
individually to step outside their comfort zones. It was truly amazing. Well that’s all for now. Time to rest up. They’ve prepared a party for
us tomorrow night at the school which the students are all looking forward
to. Don't forget your dancing shoes. Bonne nuit.
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