Concordia Language Villages staff may speak a Village language, creatively teach culture, work and play hard. They also develop skills and qualities that will make them excellent employees in any field.
Lac du Bois
French Language Village
About the Village
Since 1962, villagers at Lac du Bois have experienced the “grand simulation” of living in another language and participating in cultural activities from a variety of French-speaking countries. From le batik (fabric art with wax and dye) to chanson et danse (songs and dance), villagers at Lac du Bois have an abundance of choices for les activités. Whether just learning bonjour or reciting Baudelaire, villagers progress through skills and vocabulary at their level and pace through a blend of listening, speaking, reading, writing and conversational activities. Find chez toi (your place) at Lac du Bois, or check out our French adventure canoeing excursion, Les Voyageurs!
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Life at Lac du Bois
Football in the North Woods
Culturally Appropriate Cuisine
Campfire Songs
Peace and Tranquility of Turtle River Lake
Archery
Music From the French-Speaking World
Paris: Our Dining Hall
Language Learning
Evening Program
Building Community
Friendships for a Lifetime
Dancing with Friends
Woodworking
Experience Lac du Bois
Upcoming French Camps & Programs
Join us for an overnight French immersion program for adults this fall at Lac du Bois! Immerse yourself in French language and culture with engaging activities, small language learning groups and delicious culturally appropriate meals. Standard price $1305 65+ and students $1205 Minimum deposit $125
Registration closes September 20, 2026
Join us for a global learning vacation for the entire family—right here in Minnesota! Overnight family weeks and weekends are a great way to spend time together, discover new international foods, play games, make crafts, enjoy music and take part in some old-fashioned outdoor fun. And while you’re all busy having such a good time, together you’ll experience the wonder of speaking a new language through our fun and natural immersion environment. Invite friends, aunts, uncles and grandparents—or whatever family means to you! For more information on family programming, visit https://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/family-weeks-weekends. All attendees, regardless of age, need to register individually for the Family Programs. Tuition is as follows: Adult participants: $435 each Youth participants: $235 each Participants ages 3 and under: Free All paying participants must pay a $50 registration fee to save a spot.
Registration closes January 15, 2027
Government & Corporate Programs
A global outlook is important for success in the domestic and international arena. Concordia Language Villages offers customized corporate, government and military training programs to meet the specific needs of our clients.
Learn About Scholarship Opportunities
Need-based scholarships are available for Arabic summer youth immersion sessions through the Passport Fund. Scholarships are based on a family’s adjusted gross income, number of dependents and the length of the session.
Additionally, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education offers a $1,000 stipend for Minnesota students who qualify for free or reduced lunch at school.
Our Location: Lac du Bois
Turtle River Lake
The Lac du Bois site on Turtle River Lake was built to make you feel as though you’ve magically happened upon a French village. Every detail of this Village—from the mailboxes to the street signs to the menus—are authentic to francophone countries. This comfortable, modernized site was built in 1993. The cabins and central buildings are inspired by the architecture of the francophone world.
We have three distinct groups of cabins at Lac du Bois: Le Centre Ville (downtown), La Campagne (the countryside) and Les Montagnes (the mountains). Each cabin sleeps 16, including at least two counselors, and all cabins have electricity, bunk beds and a small amount of space to store personal belongings. The centrally located bathroom and shower facilities are shared among cabins.
Our central building, Paris, serves as our dining hall and gathering place, particularly if it’s chilly or rainy. In nice weather, we’d rather sing songs in our amphitheater in the woods or at our fire ring at la plage, our beach on Turtle River Lake.
The site includes other features inspired by France and the francophone world — we have a gravel court to play the traditional sport of pétanque (lawn bowling), a boukarou (traditional round hut from Cameroon), fountain, giant chess set and even our very own Eiffel Tower!
Meet Our Team
Read more about our professional staff at Lac du Bois, our French Language Village.
Cliff Benoît Schwartz
Dean
Cliff Benoît Schwartz is the Dean of Lac du Bois (summer first half). He has worked in the summer program at Lac du Bois in multiple roles since 2003, serving as dean since 2015. Benoît earned his bachelor's degree in French education and theatre education from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. He has studied at Université Rennes 2 in Rennes, Brittany, France and has studied abroad with the Indiana University Honor’s Program in Foreign Languages for High School Students in Brest, France. Benoît is a French teacher at Edina High School in Edina, Minn., teaching French courses in both the traditional and immersion programs and has traveled with students to Quebec several times.
Marie Thérèse Penner-Hahn
Dean
Marie Thérèse Penner-Hahn is Dean of Lac du Bois (summer - second half). Thérèse currently serves as the Director of World Languages, Grades 6-12, for the Belmont Public Schools. Their career with the Villages began in 2004, working at both Lac du Bois Hackensack and Bemidji. Thérèse has been a counselor, two-week curriculum facilitator, credit facilitator, credit abroad facilitator and assistant dean in their time with Concordia Language Villages. They hold a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of Chicago, a master’s degree in education from Boston College and a graduate certificate in educational leadership from Boston University.