In 2017, the Appomattox Regional Governor's School Petersburg, Va and Lycee Margueritte High School Verdun, France established a sister school relationship and a partnership with Petersburg National Battlefield and the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Verdun, France. The goal of the collaboration was centered around commemorating World War I while deepening students' understanding of the lasting effects of the War to End All Wars.
This website is the culmination of the examination of WWI and the primary source research of the students involved in the 2020 collaboration between Appomattox Regional Governor's School and Lycee Margueritte students. The homepage includes access to primary sources that examine culture, society, daily life, and the war as seen through the lens of Virginia or France.
The lens of Virginia and Verdun were selected due to the historical connection these locations share and the sister school connection established in 2017 between Appomattox Regional Governor's School and Lycee Margueritte.
The historical connection was created due to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which was a part of the final Allied offensive during World War I. The offensive occurred to the northeast of Verdun and was the largest operation of the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI. American Expeditionary Forces fought and died alongside French forces during this nearly two month battle in 1918. In 1937, the United States dedicated the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France which has laid to rest the largest number of American military dead in Europe. Petersburg National BattlefieBattlefield's connection is due to Camp Lee’s (now Fort Lee and land protected by the National Battlefield) role in training over 60,000 doughboys for the Western Front. Many of these doughboys would go to fight as a part of the Eightieth Division in the Muese-Argonne Campaign.