French Ambassador to visit Mercer Island

The French Ambassador to the United States will be visiting the French American School of Puget Sound, tomorrow at 1 p.m. Ambassador Pierre Vimont will appear at the private school as part of his two-day visit to Seattle.

City Mayor Jim Pearman will welcome Vimont to Mercer Island, and will present him with a small plaque from the school. The ambassador will speak briefly and then tour the campus, which was newly remodeled last year.

School headmaster Andrée McGiffin said that Ambassador’s Vimont’s visit was a great honor.

“In addition to his meetings with leaders of industry, the French Ambassador will include the French American School among his visits. This truly demonstrates the French priority on education,” she said.

Vimont was appointed Ambassador of France to the United States by President Nicolas Sarkozy on Aug. 1, 2007. Prior to his present appointment, Vimont was chief of staff to the minister of foreign affairs, a position he had held since 2002.

Located on Mercer Island, the French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS) offers a strong program in French and English for 300 students from preschool to middle school. In 2010, the school will opens a new International Middle School Program offering the highly respected IB Middle Years Program. This bilingual section is open to students from French Schools in France, North America, and worldwide.