The group of students from John Abbott Middle School, the only establishment in North America to participate in the Goncourt for high school students this year, completed their mission in style after a week of travel in France.
In September, I told you about these ten brave readers – in fact, they are mostly female readers, because only one guy is part of the group – who accepted the impressive task of reading in two months the 16 novels selected by the Goncourt of high school students (and in parallel with their lessons), before going to defend their favorite titles in France1.
The first good news is that no one gave up along the way. “It was our fear, but it did not materialize,” Daniel Rondeau, a French teacher at John Abbott who accompanied the group with his colleague Ariane Bessette, told me. “Everyone has read all the books. The trip is going great, even if we were a little rushed in the last days with the national deliberations which took place in Rennes, with the presence of our student Kamila. »
This is the other good news, totally unexpected: Kamila Michelle Contreras Zarate was chosen to represent the foreign students and found herself in the select group of the last readers who had to choose the winner during a closed-door meeting at Rennes. Remember that nearly 2000 high school students are participating in this event and that French is not Kamila’s mother tongue!
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Kamila Michelle Contreras Zarate, student at John Abbott Middle School
“It was a great pride to see Kamila exchange, blossom, develop her arguments and her confidence,” confides Ariane Bessette. “Kamila prepared like a pro, she took it really seriously. Up until an hour before participating, a few of us were in a café and we continued to refine his argument. Because it is very formal, the deliberations here, there is a number of minutes for each book so that it is equal. She was very determined. »
And that’s good, because Kamila’s favorite novel, sad tiger de Neige Sinno, is the one who was crowned by the Goncourt of high school students.
The writer, visiting the Montreal Book Fair, thanked the CEGEP students by video. Returning from Rennes, the group celebrated Kamila by giving her flowers and chocolate. “It touched me to see that, because she had a little pang in her heart to be separated from the group to go to Rennes, but it was an experience that was very rewarding for her,” emphasizes Ariane. In addition, the CEGEP students arrived in Paris with lots of little pins of the Quebec flag which they happily distributed to the high school students. “They have become ambassadors, and even ambassadors of the Quebec accent! », says Daniel Rondeau, laughing.
In parallel with their mission, the members of the group took advantage of Paris by visiting the Victor-Hugo house, seeing a show at the Invalides and even progressing in their work at the National Library – we are after all at the end of the session.
The gang will be back in Montreal this Saturday, after a busy week. What assessment do their teachers make of this experience?
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Daniel Rondeau and Ariane Bessette
“It’s a perfect course, we couldn’t have dreamed of better,” replies Daniel. Everyone took a lot of pride from it, that’s what stands out the most. »
As a teacher, all of this went a bit against my thoughts, when we wonder if we’re giving them too much, because we don’t want to overload them. But they have read the 16 novels and they want to continue reading literature in French more often.
Daniel Rondeau, French teacher at John Abbott
” I loved ! », continues Ariane. “The idea of being in a book club as a teacher, when our task was to guide them without having to give them notes, was like going back to the basics of the profession, which is talking about literature together . They didn’t need their hands held too much. It gave me an energy that I will miss. »
An establishment cannot participate two years in a row in the Goncourt des lycéens and must wait three years before submitting a new application. But Daniel Rondeau and Ariane Bessette, who participate each year in the Literary Prize for middle school students in Quebec, were so enchanted by their French adventure that they want to try to apply next year for the Renaudot or Femina prizes for high school students.