 | La Directrice - Pamela St. Clair Bonjour! It is an honor to introduce myself as the Director of the Académie Française! This summer experience will prove to be a great adventure in fostering your love of the French language and culture. I have a Master’s degree in French from the American University in Washington D.C. and have spent the last 19 years teaching French at the elementary, high school and college level. I am currently the World Language Department Chair at Rockbridge County High School in Lexington, Virginia as well as the Virginia Director of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica. I spent 3 years studying and working in Paris and am excited to work with an excellent team of World Language professionals, teachers and resident assistants who will impart their knowledge of French with you. I am awaiting your virtual arrival with great anticipation as you embark upon an unforgettable journey during this unique digital immersion experience! . |
 | La Professeure Principale - Rhode N'komba Moi c’est Rhode N’komba, and I have been teaching French at Falls Church High School for 6 years. I was born in Douala, Cameroun, educated in the French and American school systems, and attended the Spanish Language Academy in 2007. I graduated from The College of William & Mary in 2012 with a degree in Global Studies, and thanks to my travels and experiences, am fluent in many languages. I have been an RA and teacher at l’Académie for several years and am eager to serve as Lead Teacher this year. I look forward to teaching Portuguese and cannot wait to meet everyone! |
 | La Professeure - Mary "Micky" Lynch Conner Bonjour! Je suis ravie (and honored) d’être parmi vous for my second year as a teacher at the Governor’s French Academy. My name is Micky Lynch Conner and I am presently completing my fourth year as a Spanish teacher at Louisa County High School. Before having returned to the United States, I lived in France for more than half of my life. Over the span of these 29 years, my teaching career in English, Spanish and Art has been rich and diverse with students of all ages and backgrounds. Paralleling this teaching career, my artistic endeavors have always been essential to me. I was fortunate to have been able to show my 3-dimensional painting and silversmith jewelry in shows and galleries in and around Paris. Prior to my time abroad, I spent two years as an exchange student in Colombia from which my passion for this culture, Spanish and the learning of other languages originated. I earned a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from VCU and a MAT from UVA in Spanish and teaching. |
 | La Professeure - Danielle Diab Karaky Bonjour les amis! Je suis tellement heureuse et impatiente de rejoindre votre équipe à l'Académie cette année! I am originally from Lebanon where I grew up learning French and Arabic since I was little. I had the opportunity to travel and study in Montpellier France and later on in Indiana at PURDUE University where I taught French and graduated with a Masters degree in French Literature and Education. I’ve been enjoying teaching for over 21 years. I taught all levels of classes, from elementary and middle to high school and college. Currently I am teaching at Washington-Liberty HS in Arlington and I am the World languages department chair as well. I am a strong advocate that a foreign language is learned through a fully immersed environment. I am passionate about my teaching. I am rewarded when my students decide to continue learning French beyond the classroom environment. I love travelling, cooking, listening to music and walking in nature. My multi-language skills were my passport to travel all around the world, connect with people and learn from other cultures. I am looking forward to meeting and working with you all at the Academy. À bientôt! |
 | La Professeure - Delphine Ngo KATTAL Chaleureux salut à tous ! Excitant voyage qui fait pétiller la sapience ! The name my father gave me is: Delphine Ngo Kattal I am from French-speaking Cameroon with French as my first language, and in my school curriculum I studied languages and philosophy. In turn I studied at the University of Yaoundé, Hagerstown Community college, Mary Washington University, Deusto University in Spain and finally George Mason University. I hold a master's degree in Art with a concentration in French and Spanish. I have taught in Cameroon (French & Spanish), in the USA at Merit School Stafford (Spanish), George Mason University (French 110), Massaponax High School (Spanish) and now I am a Spanish teacher at Skyline High School. I am passionate about reading and traveling. I published my first novel this year “Ces Couleurs qui nous Trompent” (These Colors that deceive us) The countries visited deeply are: France, Spain, Canada, Ecuador obviously Cameroon and the USA. |
 | Le Professeur - Philippe Pansiot Bonjour les Académiciens! I am very impatient to meet you! Some info about me, in the meantime: I am French. I was born in Paris. I have lived 28 years in Paris before moving to the US (North Carolina, Florida and then Virginia). I have a master's in French and Francophone Languages and Literatures from The Sorbonne. I have taught French in various universities: at FAU in Florida, at Vtech, VMI and EMU in Virginia. Currently, I teach French in middle and high school in the Roanoke County Public Schools system. I am a specialist of Marguerite Duras, a French writer and director (she is, of course, my favorite writer!!). I do write a lot of fiction but I have only published research articles on literature so far (yes, on Marguerite Duras, you got it right! and actually a big – 700 pages - dictionary about her has just been published, in which I wrote several articles!). I draw, paint, and make digital creation using Photoshop CC. I am very interested in Ontology, Metaphysics, and Quantum Physics in the way it can inform Philosophy and Literature. My favorite videogame is… Zelda Ocarina of Time, that I played on Nintendo 64! |
 | Moi c’est Edding (Rhode) N’komba, and I have been teaching French at Falls Church High School for 9 years. I was born in Douala, Cameroun, educated in the French and American school systems, and attended the Spanish Language Academy in 2007. I graduated from The College of William & Mary in 2012 with a degree in Global Studies, and thanks to my travels and experiences, I am fluent in many languages. I have been an RA and teacher at l’Académie for several years and am eager to serve as Director this year. I cannot wait to meet everyone! |
 | I have attended the Academy as a student, counselor, and lead teacher, and I am thrilled to return to the Academy as Lead Teacher after a 10 year hiatus. I had no idea when I took my first French class in middle school in Virginia Beach that my life would be defined by language teaching and learning. I studied French all the way through university and spent a semester in Angers, France and later taught for a year in Chartres, France. After my MA in Linguistics from Old Dominion University, I spent 5 years teaching English in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I am currently back in Virginia Beach, my hometown, teaching high school French. |
 | Je m’appelle Melissa Petroski. I have been teaching Frenchand Spanish for 20 years. I moved from my childhood home on Long Island, New York to Virginia last August (2021), the day before I started my new position at Walton Middle School in Charlotesville. I studied at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and received my Master’s degree from California State University at Dominguez Hills. I love to travel, create, cook, eat and play. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to participate in the Language Academy and I cannot wait to speak French with you all for three weeks! |
 | Bienvenue à l’Académie!I am originally from Lebanon where I grew up learning French and Arabic. I had the opportunity to travel and study in Montpellier France and later on in Indiana at PURDUE University where I graduated with a Masters degree in French Literature and Education. I’ve been enjoying teaching for over 22 years. Currently I am teaching at Washington-Liberty HS in Arlington and I am the World Languages department chair as well. I am a strong advocate that a foreign language is learned through a fully immersed environment. I am rewarded when my students decide to continue learning French beyond the classroom environment. I love traveling, cooking, listening to music and walking in nature. My multi-language skills were my passport to travel all around the world, connectwith people and learn from other cultures. I am looking forward to working with you all at the Academy. À bientôt! |
 | Chaleureux salut à tous ! Excitant voyage qui fait pétiller la sapience !The name my father gave me is: Delphine Ngo KattalI am from French-speaking Cameroon with French as my first language, and in my school curriculum I studied languages and philosophy. In turn I studied at the University of Yaoundé, Hagerstown Community college, Mary Washington University, Deusto University in Spain and finally George Mason University. I hold a master’s degree in Art with a concentration in French and Spanish. I have taught in Cameroon (French & Spanish), in the USA at Merit School Stafford (Spanish), George Mason University (French 110), Massaponax High School (Spanish) and now I am a Spanish teacher at Skyline High School. I am passionate about reading and traveling. I published my first novel this year “Ces Couleurs qui nous Trompent” (These Colors that deceive us) last year, and this year I published poetry “Cuando las ondas se hielan”. I have a deep knowledge of France, Spain, Canada, Ecuador obviously Cameroon and the USA. |