BETHESDA, Md. — In response to the terrorist attacks in Paris, French International School Lycee Rochambeau has heightened security at its Bethesda campus.
Lycee Rochambeau is a private school that serves pre-kindergarten to high school and has 1,030 students. Seventy-one nationalities are represented across the school’s three campuses.
Police will be there all week and counselors will be on hand for students.
The school held a moment of silence Monday as a tribute to those who were killed.
Catherine Levy, head of the school, is from Toulouse in the southwestern part of France. Her two daughters live in Paris.
“You can imagine how I felt,” she says.
On a personal level, she says she’s been very touched by the response since the attacks.
“I was really impressed by the messages I got over the weekend from families, people I don’t even know — my neighbors, my landlady,” she says. “I think this is what is so great about the American people is the way you show empathy. That is heartwarming.”
Levy says school administrators have asked teachers to welcome any questions from the students. One of the school’s greatest assets is that it’s international and teaches students how to learn and live together, side-by-side.
It’s a valuable lesson especially in light of the attacks.
“That’s what we call ‘Le Vivre Ensemble’ in French, and that’s one our most important value,” Levy says. It was also the message she sent out to parents and staff over the weekend.
Correction Nov. 18, 2015: Due to incorrect information provided to WTOP, this story has been updated to correct the number of students who attend the school.
