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Montpelier, Vt.-- March 24, 2005 -- Governor Jim Douglas announced a summer meeting with Quebec Premier Jean Charest and proclaimed this week Francophone Week in Vermont to bolster the state's increasingly favorable relationship with its largest trading partner.
The Governor also announced the recipient of a French teaching scholarship created by a joint agreement between Vermont and Quebec signed by Douglas and Charest in December 2003.
"As one symbol of the progress we've made in this area, and others, I'm pleased to announce that our friends from Quebec are here to award one of these scholarships to Rhonda Paquet," the Governor said. The scholarship covers tuition and housing on campus as well as some incidental expenses. The Vermont Foreign Language Association manages the selection process.
Paquet (on right) has been a teacher of French at Colchester High School since 1975. She earned her Master's of Education at University of Vermont, is a former Director of the Vermont Foreign Language Association, and she coordinates school trips to la Martinique, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa.
"As I've noted many times before, Vermont's relationship with Quebec is very important from a variety of perspectives, and I want to thank the people of Quebec and Premier Charest for their continued commitment to this important friendship".
