The French Department led the way of course with festivities marking la journée internationale de la Francophonie! Students helped by making delicious crêpes and ensuring that their friends did not leave without taking with them une madeleine and une tasse de limonade! Bon appétit!
Left to Right: M. Di Paola (Prof), Jacob Swist (OECTA Provincial Winner) & Dave Szollosy (TSU President)
The French Department at B.A. is very pleased to have one of its own chosen as OECTA’s Prix Jeunes Écrivains Provincial Winner this year. Grade 10 Immersion student Jacob Swist won 1st place in the Grades 9-10 Play Category for his work entitled: Le Vrai Gagnant. Tout à fait! Félicitations!
B.A.’s Luka Subotincic, Concours d’Art Oratoire Provincial Winner
Once again, Bishop Allen shined at Canada’s prestigious French Public Speaking Contest with our 1st place Provincial Winner, Luka Subotincic. Held ever year at the bilingual campus of Glendon College of York University, Luka competed alongside other noteworthy and competitive participants and won for his exceptional and intriguing speech entitled: “La liberté d’expression en France” – Freedom of Speech in France. Bravo! Félicitations!
Students of the French Department as well as the school community at large participated in our March Break trip to Spain, France & Italy. All enjoyed the sights and sounds of our sunny destinations while basking in the culturally and historically rich cultures.
Students from all three programs of French, Immersion-Extended-Core partook in this year’s French exchange program. It was positively another memorable learning experience for all! Super!
B.A. students on exchange in Paris, France
testing 1
In March of this year, a number of student works of writing were submitted to the OECTA Prix jeunes écrivains / Concours d’art oratoire. Congratulations to the following students whose exceptional works of writing were awarded first place at the Toronto Secondary Unit (TSU) level of competition:
Prix jeunes écrivains / Young Authors Awards
Magdalena Kajo
Magdalena Kajo – 1st place winner
Concours d’art oratoire / Public Speaking Contest
Vincent Girard
Vincent Girard – 1st place winner
On March 25th, 2015, students at Bishop Allen Academy celebrated la Journée internationale de la Francophonie. As students arrived in the morning, they were greeted with the sounds of la musique francophone as well as a selection of foods from various Francophone countries throughout the world.
The French Club / Organizers
Making crèpes
Making crèpes
In February a group of 30 enthusiastic students from Bishop Allen took part in a physically and culturally active trip to St-Donat, Québec to enhance their French language skills and experience the wonders of winter through a variety of engaging outdoor activities.
These activities included snowboarding, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and even skating on a 7km ice path at night through the woods.
In addition to perfecting their skiing and snowboarding skills, students had the opportunity to be immersed in la langue française and experience all that la culture québécoise has to offer. Hands-on workshops included learning about the wildlife of the region and its importance to early French settlers, a music session where students recorded their own song in French about a Quebecois legend and a scavenger hunt in the village where students mailed their own postcard home to their families – written in French of course!
Mr. McIntyre, Ms. Polowick and Ms. Ross would like to thank all of the students for representing their school with so much pride and for throwing themselves (sometimes literally) into all of the activities with so much enthusiasm and esprit d’école!
From March 11th to 23rd, a group of 20 students participated in the B.A. French Exchange under the supervision of Jane Ann and Martin Clough. The exchange provided students with an opportunity to develop their French language skills in an authentic setting, experience a week in the life of their French exchange partners and develop lasting friendships with young Francophones.
Canadian and French Students in Lyon, France
During the first part of the exchange, students travelled to Paris for four days and experienced all the cultural highlights that this quintessentially French city has to offer. From viewing impressionist works of art at le Musée d’Orsay to experiencing the panoramic views from atop la Tour Eiffel at night, students took in all the sights and sounds for which Paris is renowned.
During the second week of the exchange, students travelled to Vienne, where they were hosted by their French exchange partners and host families. While students had communicated with their exchange partners for months leading up to the exchange, nothing would prepare them for their first actual meeting with their exchange partners and immediate immersion into their host families. The energy on that final bus ride to the meeting point in downtown Vienne was truly electric! Although many of the students were a bit nervous about having to communicate in French with their host partners and exchange families, they rose to the occasion, representing B.A. with grace and making their French teachers extremely proud!
B.A. Students Visiting les Jardins de Luxembourg in Paris
While in France, students from B.A. attended classes at our partner school, Institution Robin – Saint Vincent de Paul. Throughout this period, our B.A. students had the opportunity to learn about the French school system while comparing their experiences to those of the students with whom they interacted in France. In addition to attending classes, students partook in numerous day trips to Vienne, Lyon, and l’Abbaye de Hautecombe. While students were impressed with all of these experiences, many of them reported that their favorite memories involved dinner with their host families and casual get-togethers with their French exchange partners. Time and time again, these simple experiences have become the vehicle through which students develop a deep appreciation for their own ability to communicate in French as well as a profound understanding of the values and practices of another culture.
B.A. Students Visiting la Tour Eiffel at Night
As this is a reciprocal exchange, students from France will be travelling to Canada from April 26th to May 4th. This time around, the students from France will be shadowing their Canadian exchange partners and living with their Canadian host families. The entire Bishop Allen community is looking forward to welcoming the students and teachers from France and continuing on this path of intercultural enrichment.
Students from B.A. and Institution Robin at the School’s Open House
Students from B.A. and Robin playing la Pétanque
French Department – Département de français 