As a 2006 graduate of Leland & Gray, I feel the proposed cuts in French will threaten the uniqueness of this school.
Faith in this academic department, as well as in the school's enormously talented faculty, is second nature to me, as I have benefitted from them considerably. I was privileged enough to take upper level French (through French IV) at Leland & Gray. Always exciting, comprehensive, and challenging, Annie Suquet's classes made an indelible impression on me as a student - not only of a language, but of another culture entirely.
Downsizing Ms. Suquet's French curriculum poses a real risk for students, especially when considering the possibility of extending the study of French for junior high school students. High school students must have the option to immerse themselves in at least one foreign language for as long as possible. Many colleges require that applicants study a foreign language for three years.
Without a diverse pool of options, future students at Leland & Gray will be hindered in their knowledge and appreciation of a pertinent and beautiful form of communication. With Ms. Suquet's teaching time reduced by nearly a third, students would suffer the loss of an outstanding teacher, someone who truly offers her knowledge to her students.
Leland & Gray has always rightly prided itself on its travel and horizon-broadening curriculum. Language and cultural studies, and, in particular, a full range of French courses, form a significant portion of that academic offering. To cut French now, with the promise of restoring it later, will undermine the education of current Leland & Gray students. It causes me great sorrow that they could graduate with a lesser education than those who preceded them.