Provided photo Hancock High School students, parents and alumni pause for a photo at the Opera Garnier in Paris on a trip to France last month. 

HANCOCK – Earlier this summer, for the second time in four years, a group of Hancock High School students, parents and alumni got a chance to visit Paris France. Organized by Hancock French and English teacher Jenn Smith, the trip took place late last month.

While Smith has been to France numerous times she never tires of sharing her love of the culture with those who are experiencing it for the first time. Her first trip leading a Hancock group was in 2023.

“We had a great group,” noted Smith who is also a cross country and track coach at Hancock. “I love to see the excitement of the kids. They see things that I don’t see. The shared experience is why I do this.”

The trip had been in the making for more than a year. The stuents and their parents scrimped and saved to cover the trip, and with a $5,000 donation from the Hancock Foundation, and a $6,000 donation from alumna Barb Kauppi, the cost was manageable.

“The kids went up the Eiffel Tower, took a Seine River cruise, went into the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral, visited the catacombs, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, Pere LaChaise cemetery, La Défense, Sacré Coeur, the Latin Quarter and the Opera Garnier and much more,” noted Smith.

She added that the group tried several French dishes, including duck confit, foie gras, steak tartare, escargot and yummy French sodas like Schweppes Agrumes and Orangina. She added that “McDo” (what the French call McDonald’s) was also very popular with the kids.

Incoming Hancock senior Louis Carlson summed up the week the best. “My favorite parts were when we were around big structures like L’Arc de Triomphe, La Défense and of course la Tour Eiffel. My favorite museum was definitely Musée d’Orsay The art there was so unique and different from any other paintings I’ve seen,” he said. “As for the food, I enjoyed everything I ate in Paris.”

Benji Martin, a 2024 Hancock graduate, echoed the sentiment. “Going to Paris was fun. I enjoyed the weird foods that were there. My favorite was steak tartare,” he shared.

Smith added that a mix-up in the return-ticket date extended the trip for another two days, however, the group pivoted well even as they scrounged for clean clothes.

“It was an unexpected and unwelcome surprise,” Smith related, “but one that the students took in stride and with a great deal of Bulldog toughness.”