Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais
Encyclopedia
The Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais (GLFL), is a French lycée in the Achrafieh district of Beirut, Lebanon founded in 1909 by the Mission laïque française
, an organization which also helped found other lycées worldwide.
It is also an active member of the AEFE. It was initially situated in the Sodeco neighborhood near the Central Beirut District and later moved to Rue Beni Assaf near the French Embassy in the Mathaf neighborhood.
The institution has ten buildings (five were conceived by the famous French planner Ecochard) and a new athletic stadium on Damascus Road: Le Stade du Chayla.
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.
Mission laïque française
The Mission laïque française , or "French lay mission", is a non-profit organization that works to spread the French language and culture by creating and running schools outside of France.-School network:...
, an organization which also helped found other lycées worldwide.
It is also an active member of the AEFE. It was initially situated in the Sodeco neighborhood near the Central Beirut District and later moved to Rue Beni Assaf near the French Embassy in the Mathaf neighborhood.
The institution has ten buildings (five were conceived by the famous French planner Ecochard) and a new athletic stadium on Damascus Road: Le Stade du 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 3200 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 KassirSamir KassirSamir Kassir was a Lebanese professor of history at Saint-Joseph University and journalist. Born to a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother, Kassir received his degree in philosophy and political philosophy in 1984, in 1990, Kassir earned his PhD in Modern History also from the University of...
, Journalist who was assassinated in Beirut in June 2005, member of the March 14 AllianceMarch 14 AllianceThe March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as... - Gebran TueniGebran TueniGebran Ghassan Tueni was a Lebanese politician and the former editor and publisher of the mass circulation An-Nahar daily newspaper in Beirut, Lebanon....
, 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