France – Don Bosco school network will open a French international high school in Canada

15 March 2023

(ANS - Paris) - The French International High School of the Atlantic Provinces (LIFPA) "Don Bosco" will open at the beginning of the 2024 school year in the city of Saint-John, Province of New Brunswick, Canada. The institute's website has been operational for a few days. And recruitment of teachers and potential students has already begun.

The Province of New Brunswick is an officially bilingual (French and English) Canadian province. Located along the Atlantic Ocean, it is known for its natural beauty, the hottest saltwater beaches in the country, the magnificent Saint John River, often called "the Rhine of North America," or the Bay of Fundy tides, the strongest in the world. And among the province's major cities is Saint John, where one-third of the inhabitants speak French. It is there that, in September 2024, a new school of the "Don Bosco" school network of the Salesians of… France and Southern Belgium (FRB) shall open.

The French state, through the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), wants to open a French international high school there. Local authorities and the business community are especially supportive. The topic was therefore discussed with all the directors of the Salesian school network during a seminar held last fall. The project matured and eventually the decision was made: the French International High School of the Atlantic Provinces "Don Bosco" in Saint-John will be created.

The Premier of the Province of New Brunswick and the Consul General of France made the announcement in the presence of Sylvain Olivier, Director of the "Don Bosco" institution in Nice, who is responsible for the project on this side of the Atlantic.

Since LIFPA is a French baccalaureate preparatory institution, students will take the same courses as they would in France, but with a greater proportion of English, since they will be in a bilingual (French and English) environment. In other words, a student who chooses to stay at LIFPA will not lose any of his or her French education - if anything, he or she will gain. An English-speaking family will host students coming from France, and stays can last 3, 6 or 11 months, with courses taught 70% in French and 30% in English.

To help young people and their parents organize their stay, an association, "Don Bosco Mobilités Internationales" (DBMI), chaired by the Salesian Provincial of France and Southern Belgium (FRB), Fr. Daniel Federspiel, was created at the beginning of the year to encourage, support and organize the mobility of students, staff and volunteers from French schools, especially to LIFPA.

In the coming months, information sessions will be held in the schools of the Salesian network. The recruitment of teachers has already begun.

For more information, please visit the DBMI website and the LIFPA website.

InfoANS

ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes. By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements, you consent to the use of cookies. To learn more or to opt out, click "Further Information".