This school on West 120th Street, I was told, is the first pub­lic French-American char­ter school in New York City.

Its larger mis­sion, according to its website, “is to develop global cit­i­zens who are well-prepared to assume lead­er­ship in a mul­ti­cul­tural society.” They will be prepared for the International Baccalaureate as well as the Regents diploma.

I visited the school back in 2011 and was impressed by the French-based classes. I can’t rate the school only because my time there was too limited to do so responsibly, but I think its mission is very cool.

The day I was there, a goldfish named Bubbly died, so a significant portion of my visit consisted of a discussion, largely in French and involving a substantial number of small children, of why Bubbly might have passed away at such a tender age.

It was one of the more hilarious and moving experiences I have had around children, and is recorded here for posterity.

The school opened in 2010 with kindergarten through second grade, and the plan, last I checked, was to add a new grade each year until they go through twelfth grade.