Due to popular demand which lasted throughout the 2023-2024 school year, the eager French 4, 5, and 6 classes and Madame Frese, the French teacher at Shawnee Mission West, took a field trip to the Kansas City Zoo on Wednesday, April 24, departing just after first block. 

The Shawnee Mission West French classes were accompanied by French students from Shawnee Mission East and they all rode in one bus towards Kansas City. 

Madame Frese issued an assignment for the students to work on in groups. For the assignment, she chose five required animals to view and photograph with students being able to additionally choose three of their own. 

Junior Savannah Everman, a student currently taking AP French language, went to the zoo along with her classmates. 

During her trip, Savannah and her group were able to visit almost every animal exhibit the zoo has to offer. 

“There were a few [animals] that were eating or just unavailable, but besides that, it was incredible!” Everman said. 

Additionally, Everman met a French-speaking family while with her group at one of the exhibits and was able to converse with them. 

Junior Haylee Eisentrager also went to the zoo as a French 4 student. 

“We took a field trip because we thought it would be fun and interesting! Specifically, one of the seniors in my French class, Lily, had been asking Mrs. Frese to take us to the zoo for about a year. Since Lily is about to graduate this year, Mrs. Frese finally decided to try to have us go to the zoo,” Eisentrager said. 

During her time at the zoo, Haylee was able to walk throught the Asia exhibit, half of the Africa exhibit, the newly finished aquarium, and all of the exhibits surrounding the entrance. She was able to observe the polar bear, red pandas, the rhino, the crocodiles, parrots, among other animals. 

“The trip was really fun! I hope our class does more trips like this in the future,” Eisentrager said.