Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais
| Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais | |
|---|---|
| Mission Laïque Française | |
| Established | 1909 |
| Type | Private school |
| Affiliations | Mission laïque française |
| Principal | Fabienne Decaestecker |
| Founder | Mission laïque française |
| Faculty | 180 |
| Grades | 1 - 15 |
| Location |
Rue Beni Assaf, Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon |
| Athletics | Swimming, ultimate, football, basketball, tennis, handball, ping-pong, gymnastics, acrogym, squash, volleyball, athletics |
| Newspaper | 'Al Wassel' |
| Languages | French, Latin, Arabic, English, Spanish, German, Italian |
| Website | http://www.glfl.edu.lb |
The Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais (GLFL), is a prestigious French lycée in the Achrafieh district of Beirut founded in 1909 by the Mission laïque française.[1] The institution is the flagship of all the other French lycees in Lebanon.[2] Initially located in the Sodeco neighborhood, near the central Beirut district, it later moved to Beni Assaf St near the French embassy -in the Mathaf neighborhood. GLFL has ten buildings (five of which were conceived by the French planner Michel Ecochard) and also added a new athletic stadium on Damascus rd: "Le stade de Chayla" .
Background
Just over a century old, the Grand Lycée has made its way through the French mandate, independence and war. The conflict which began in 1975 marks the most serious crisis the Grand Lycée had ever faced. The buildings were badly damaged and due to their proximity to the Green Line, access was never easy. From 1996 to 2003, the Lycée undertook comprehensive renovations where all the "Ecochard" buildings were rehabilitated and new structures were constructed. The new Stade du Chayla was inaugurated on 25 March 2005.
Today
The school is fully operational and offers classes to more than 5,000 students. It remains the flagship institution of the Mission Laïque Française organization and leads the organization's eight established schools in Lebanon.
School departments include a 350 square meter library in which students can find a network of PCs intended for educational resources, as well as 27,000 books and literary archives including newspapers, novels, and magazines. A secondary library known as the BCD is also available to younger students. Six computer labs are available for students.
There are two basketball courts, a soccer field, and a gymnasium. Across the street, the brand new Stade du Chayla comprises a track-and-field playground, along with tennis, badminton, basketball and mini-soccer courts. The building includes table tennis and squash halls as well as an indoor swimming pool.
Notable alumni
- Samir Kassir, Journalist who was assassinated in Beirut in June 2005, member of the March 14 Alliance
- Gebran Tueni, MP and editor in chief of An-Nahar, assassinated in Beirut in December 2005. He spent his early years at the Grand Lycée, member of the March 14 Alliance.
- Fares Soueid, general secretary of the March 14 Coalition, ex-MP.
- Marwan Hamadeh, MP and Minister of Telecommunications, Economy, Trade and Health in successive governments. Survived an assassination attempt in Beirut October 2004. Member of the March 14 Coalition
- Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Author of The Black Swan
External links
- Grand Lycée Website in French
- Official alumni community
- The school's 1956 newsletter
References
- ↑ "Le site de la Mission laique francaise et de l'OSUI - les etablissements - ecoles et lycees". Mission Laique Française. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ↑ "Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger". Mission Laique Française. Retrieved 2008-06-13.