L'école French School of Raleigh -The Staff

I was born in France and am an American naturalized citizen. I have a background in education and hold a CAPES and AGREGATION in Foreign Language teaching from the university Paul Valéry in Montpellier France. I founded l’Ecole in my home in 2009. I was the school director until 2012 when L’école became a non-profit, in order to be the recipient of the FLAM (Français Langue Maternelle). This allowed a grant from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dedicated to French schools teaching French to French children around the world. I was the president of the board of l’école from 2012 to 2019. I have been the honorary Consul of France in North Carolina since March 2010. As such, I am dedicated to the promotion of France, friendship and trade between France and North Carolina as well as supporting the French population in the area. I worked for ten years as a teacher in France and England, then as a history teacher at the French School of Raleigh, a French sub at Exploris Middle School. I have then been a tutor in French and history for French students in Raleigh, followed by a position at SKEMA Business School. I was an English and French teacher first, then the North America Development and External Relations Officer. I have re-assumed the directorship of L’école in  I have two sons: Guilhem, who works in Boston, and Axel, who works in Durham, NC.

As a trilingual professional, I am prepared to learn and comply with the policies of French and US entities. My language skills further equip me to collaborate with a multitude of professionals and evaluate the curriculum framework.

For the last 5 years, I have had the pleasure of serving as Board President of l’École French School of Raleigh and working alongside Marie Claire Ribeill. Marie Claire has done exceptional work to consistently meet objectives, including getting l’École licensed and open full time this school year. I am committed to the success of the school and will continue to build upon its current foundation. I am further reassured that I can accomplish such achievements knowing that I would be fortunate to work with such a great team of professionals and parents that have made the growth of l’École possible.

Prior to and while holding executive positions, I helped organize several fundraising events and networked and called on the donors of l’École. These experiences have led me to understand the financial constraints of l’École and the need to break even financially this year. As l’École grows, there will be a need to create new classes, expand the reach to older children, and likely find a new location.

My experiences working with and leading multicultural teams as International Export Manager at Flavor & Fragrance Specialties have shown me the value of soft power diplomacy all the while maintaining a strong management lead. I expect to work with many different parties with competing demands. Establishing clear expectations, enforcing responsibilities, and having a strong focus on objectives will allow me to quickly problem solve and make the best decisions in the interest of the teachers and students. Furthermore, I believe it imperative to bring positive energy to the teachers and encourage a collaborative and supportive working environment.

Having grown up in various countries throughout Europe and Latin America, I believe the French education system is well structured for learning and compares to the curriculum and values of l’École. It is an exciting time as more and more families recognize the value of the bilingual French-American education l‘École provides to their children. I look forward to sharing my experience in this educational system with the next generation of multicultural children. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Christian Foubert