Chancellor Klein and the newest additions of the
Ordre des Palmes Académiques.
They may not wear shining armor, but four New York City principals are officially knights.
The principals were named this week to a French order of knights founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in a ceremony at Tweed courthouse. French Ambassador to the U.S. Pierre Vimont pinned the principals with a purple and gold lapel medal to recognize their work developing French-English dual language programs.
Principals Giselle Gault McGee of P.S. 58 in Brooklyn, Jean-Victor Mirvil of P.S. 73 in the Bronx, and Robin Sundick of P.S. 84 in Manhattan, and Shimon Waronker, former principal of C.I.S. 22 in the Bronx, joined the Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of Academic Palms), which recognizes accomplishments in academia.
"This is a great honor and I am thankful to the French government for recognizing the work of our schools," Waronker said.
Students in the dual language programs spend half the school day studying French and half the day studying English.
Principal McGee said she started her dual language program, which now has 150 students, to help students become bicultural and bilingual from a young age.
“With the way our world is now, it’s so valuable to show all of the commonalities—as opposed to the differences—between our cultures,” she said.“
I feel so privileged,” she added. “To think that I was honored by the French government—this has really had an impact on me.”