HONORARY RESOLUTION FOR ISABELLE PROIETTT
WHEREAS, Isabelle Proietti, Lead English teacher in the European Section at Lycee Louis Le Grand Paris is retiring after 38 years of teaching and after ten years of coordinating the French Exchange Program between Lycee Louis Le Grand and Lincoln Park High School where students and teachers travelled to each city twice a year; and
WHEREAS, The theme of the exchange program was the cultural interplay between Chicago and Paris as demonstrated through art, literature, architecture, and history; and
WHEREAS, The decade that Isabelle Proietti ran the exchange program was marked by longterm personal and institutional relationships fostered between both students, their families, and teachers as a result of the homestay programs that Isabelle Proietti personally oversaw between 2004 and 2014; and
WHEREAS, Isabelle Proietti's appreciation of Chicago - its art, architecture, parks, music, history, literature, and theater - was contagious and directly contributed to the success of the Exchange Students' experiences. This is no better exemplified than by the 2008 exchange trip that Isabelle Proietti planned around the presidential elections so that the French students would be in Chicago the night of the returns and she could accompany them to Grant Park; and
WHEREAS, Isabelle Proietti's grace, warmth, and generosity enriched the experiences of everybody she interacted with, whether or not they were directly involved in the exchange. Isabelle Proietti took her role as cultural 'translator' and ambassador seriously, was active in the Chicago Paris Sister Cities activities, and was always happy to answer a question; and
WHEREAS, Isabelle Proietti's dedication to the concept of world citizenship and responsibility has enriched the lives of her students in Paris as well as in Chicago through the school trips she organized for younger students to cultural destinations in Europe usually unknown among the French school children such as Dublin, Glasgow, and Bath, as well as exchanges between Prague and Paris; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Michele Smith, the Alderman of the 43rd Ward, home to Lincoln Park High School whose students have been the beneficiaries of Isabelle Proietti's commitment, to expanding intercultural experiences for Chicago Public school students and dedication to the concept of world citizenship and responsibility, wishes to apprise this august body of the Isabelle Proietti's contributions; and
BE IT RESOLVED That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council gathered together this 16th Day of October, 2013 AD, do hereby salute Isabelle Proietti for nearly 40 years of teaching and a decade of promoting intercultural relationships between Chicago and Paris with grace and kindness express our heartfelt best wishes for continued success in all her future endeavors.
MICHELE SMITH
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Isabelle Proietti.