Ms. Despres has spent her time in retirement by serving her local community in civic, educational and human services capacities.
WILLIAMSBURG, VA, August 22, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Louise Fay Despres, retired secondary school educator of world languages from New Canaan High School in Connecticut, has been selected by Marquis Who's Who for a prominent feature in the Virginia edition of Forbes magazine.
Following her receipt of her bachelor's degree in French, Louise Fay Despres became certified as a French teacher for the secondary level in 1967. From there, she taught at North Haven High School in Connecticut in their foreign language program from 1967 to 1969, whereupon she taught third through sixth grade at High Plains Elementary School in Connecticut for one year. In 1970, she joined the faculty at New Canaan High School in Connecticut, where she served as an instructor of the French language for several decades until her retirement in 2012. During her tenure, she also became certified as a Spanish teacher for the secondary level in 1980.
During her tenure at New Canaan High School, Ms. Despres also taught Advanced Placement French language and literature for approximately 30 years, where she recognized that many students traveled and studied internationally to pursue grand careers. She is especially proud of her work with her AP students. Additionally, she was a supervisor of curriculum and instruction and served as chair of the department of world languages. Although she resigned from full-time work in 2007, she remained with New Canaan High School as a part-time French and Spanish teacher until 2012. She advises that learning about the world and its various cultures is significant for students living in America, as the knowledge of cultures other than one's own may help us understand what we need in our own country.
Ms. Despres has spent her time in retirement by serving her local community in civic, educational and human services capacities. She previously served as a volunteer of projects through the Hyde Park Union Church of Chicago and the University of Chicago Service League. Shortly thereafter, she relocated to Virginia, where she currently participates with the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church Hunger and Homeless Committee. Committed to the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) Sisterhood, she recently stepped down as co-president of the Williamsburg Reciprocity Chapter.
For her success, Ms. Despres earned the 1994 New England College Board Advanced Placement Teacher Recognition Award and the 2001 Pegasus Pride Award from the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers.
Ms. Despres hailed from a family of educators and began learning the French language upon instruction from her mother. She moved to France while coming of age and studied the pipe organ with teacher Nadia Boulanger at the Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts. Upon returning to the United States, Ms. Despres received a BA in French from Connecticut College in 1966. She also earned an MA in teaching French from Brown University in 1968 and an MA in French from Middlebury College in 1973.
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