Students from John Paul II Collegiate are shown taking part in Carnival, while kids from EMBM enjoy a career day as part of the activities. (Submitted photos/Tracie Harty and Theo Masich)

By Angela Brown

Focus on youth

French Education Week wraps up a success

Feb 14, 2022 | 2:31 PM

A number of Battlefords schools took the opportunity to celebrate French-Second-Language Education Week in the province that just wrapped up recently.

Tracie Harty, a vice-principal with John Paul II Collegiate, said the school’s French immersion students had a day of fun activities, taking part in Carnaval at the school on Wednesday.

“The students had a blast,” she said. “It was a great way to enjoy the nice weather and celebrate something that is very important to John Paul II, having French immersion as one of our programs that we offer our students.”

Harty said during the celebration students participated in sled races, a relay race and made snow sculptures.

Youth at École Père Mercure also took part in a variety of events to put a spotlight on French education during the week.

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École Monseigneur Blaise Morand (EMBM) elementary school held a host of events to recognize the week also, including a mini winter carnaval, a career day, and an online session with former astronaut Chris Hadfield in French, among the highlights.

Principal Theo Masich said there are many benefits for students who learn French.

“There are all kinds of opportunities that open, having an additional language,” he said. “Those opportunities are cognitive, but they are also practical.”

Masich said youth can go on to pursue a wider range of career options as well as have access to further post-secondary programs when they are well versed in the French language.

“After you’ve learned a second language, learning another one is even easier,” he said. “And, there is a whole range of cultural sensitivity that comes too, because of course language happens within the context of a culture. Kids who do French immersion or any other language broaden their horizons culturally.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow