This week Charlottesville High School celebrated its ongoing formal partnership with a French high school in Besançon, France by welcoming 28 of its students and three chaperones for a day of cultural exchange. 

On Monday the students from Lycée Pasteur each spent the day with a CHS student to get an experience of American high school life, from theater and math class to Sunny D! 

Besançon is an official sister city of Charlottesville, and CHS and Lycée Pasteur have maintained a formal partnership for more than 15 years. Each year either CHS or Lycée Pasteur welcomes students from the other school. In April 2025, CHS teacher David Becker led 24 CHS students on a trip to Besançon.

The French students, who arrived on Saturday night and will depart on Thursday, are also doing home-stays with CHS families and visiting other Charlottesville landmarks including UVA and Monticello. 

The visit to CHS was organized in conjunction with the Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission.

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