NEW ORLEANS — The number of French speakers in Louisiana has fallen over the decades.
Between 1921 to 1974, the Louisiana Constitution banned French as the primary language taught in public schools, according to Nous Foundation.
Nous Foundation is a cultural institute that promotes French and Creole across Louisiana and the U.S.
Less than five percent of Louisiana's population speaks French despite our rich Francophone ties, according to Nous Foundation.
It’s difficult to gauge how many French speakers are in the state accurately, but estimates are in the 200,000 range," Nous Co-Founder Scott Tilton said.
One school is working to change that. For 22 years, the International School of Louisiana has immersed students in French.
Most students begin in kindergarten without any French experience.
By 8th grade, they're often fluent, and some kids are even trilingual.
At the Uptown campus on Friday, teachers from France were celebrating President Emanuel Macron's arrival.
"We love being here. We even bought a house here. Because it’s a really rich environment," Teacher Jevanie Marie said.
There are 1,100 students at ISL, and the staff comes from 33 countries, speaking 26 different languages.
“It’s a challenge every day. It’s not natural at all to learn a new language, but some of them, because they are studying French for eight years, they are good. I consider very good, very fluent in French," Teacher Francois Germain said.
Many are able to teach at ISL thanks to the Council for Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL).
The teachers thanked Macron for his support of the program.
"I mean the students, it would’ve been a great opportunity for them to speak with the President," Germain said, "But next time, I hope so."
Until the next French President visit, students at ISL will continue to learn the history, language, and culture we share.
“It’s good for French people too. To remember, we still have strong links with Louisiana," Francois said.
The CEO/Head of School of ISL, Melanie Tennyson, said:
“President Macron’s visit reinforces the longstanding linguistic and cultural connection between France and Louisiana. It’s an exciting opportunity for our ISL community to make real-life connections, and as an open enrollment public immersion school- we cannot ensure all of our students travel around the world; President Macron's visit brings the world (one they are very closely connected to) right to their backyard.”