Blog

   Avril 3

"Hello from Plymouth and 4th International. Everything is going well in the sun today, even if temperatures remain frigid. After morning classes, we visited the city yesterday and today a beautiful aquarium. OF more news to follow ... "

Heather Chicaud and Anne Morin.

Avril 4

Mediterranean ambience with bubbles yesterday
  and polar climate in the ice today. Stay profitable and enjoyable, with very wise students. It is difficult to photograph
the whole group, but we have many other shots that we will on CD. Tomorrow night, the ferry departures to 23 hours. Barring unforeseen circumstances, return to school between 12:30 and 13 pm Saturday.

 
Heather and Anne

  

Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2 , the theatre group from the British Section gave two performances of the play Top Girls , by Caryl Churchill at the MJC La

 Baule.

With their talent, the energy of their age, all their pleasure also to act, they gave their best during the performance. And it was beautiful !

Above all , we must praise the work of these young actresses and their teacher, Ms. Blasco whose dedication and attention have been matched by the fatigue that prevented her from attending the last repetitions. We must praise the talent of William Blasco which then came to the rescue at short notice to carry out the project and has remarkably accom

plished this task .

For me, who attended, on the Friday morning , the final preparations , I can say that I experienced a moment of emotion at 14h, when the curtain rose : there was no time for a rehearsal , not even for an Italian , and actresses had not acted with their costumes.

   They only had time for a quick warm-up on stage, final recommendations from William and ... lights !

 However, Top Girls is not an easy play. The cause of women is presented, with subtelties through very different characters. The action takes place in the 1980s . In the first act, Marlene (Louise Parsons, outstanding actress) ambitious young woman who has just received a promotion invites around her women of past centuries, with incredible, disrupted or even tragic destiny : Isabella (Constance Armengaud remarkable presence on stage), Lady Nijo , a concubine of the Japanese Emperor (Constance Benmessaoud -Levy , very graceful), Dull Gret, the Scandinavian warrior (Nicole Green, funny and fierce), Pope Joan who was eventually stoned (Caroline Le Queau, calm and radiant, who even learnt a whole speech in Latin !), Patient Griselda (to whom Pauline The Gal lends her delicate features). While the waitress (Marie Scotto , quiet and efficient) deals with them, each of them will tell the story of her life, as she lived it in her own time in their different patriarchal societies.

 

Then begins a typical day in the recruitment agency and placement work where Marlene, Win (Marie Breton, very comfortable in her role), and Nell (Agathe Pervier, who managed to compose a sharper character than Marlene) . During the interviews, they meet women seeking employment, which will help show other situations of women facing difficult choices in the late twentieth century. So comes Jeanine who would like to preserve her family life (Delphine Dubert , who can play the pathos of his character), Louise too old to have ambitions (Coline Bedel, perfect in her seriousness and shy disappointment), Mrs. Kidd, a housewife Marlene does not even listen to (Emilie Tremoureux, amazing), and young Shona (Lefa Mondon , who managed to play a role in her role and goes from anguished dejection to the most daring fantasy). 

But during the day, arrived Angie (Robyn Roper -Campbell, who plays with natural authenticity), Marlene 's niece, who fled the family home and the narrow life of deep England. She passionately admires her aunt. She also left behind her the young Kit (Sarah Martinache, touching in this child role).

The last act is actually a flashback, a year earlier, when Marlene visited her family. The structure of the play is very clever. The remaining action is not centered around the Marlene's success, but her confrontation with her sister, Joyce, who is bringing up Angie alone. Joyce is played by Charlotte Slater who can give life to this courageous woman who stayed behind, stuck between housework and domestic responsablities thanks to her remarkable voice. Marlene shows a hidden fragile part of her personality and the conflicts that her success implies;  " not clever , just pushy ," she says herself. The last word is Angie's, representing the next generation, who admits she's scared.

What an intricate and beautiful play !

The set was simple, minimized to allow to locate the action to take place without degrading it. The costumes were well chosen. The assistance of Ms. cottage was , as always, invaluable.

The young company has gone to La Fleche for two more public performances in the city's beautiful theatre.

 
The photos were taken during the performance, because of the absence of a dress rehearsal ; please forgive us for their questionable quality ! N.R

    Marie rightly concludes by saying that her character has confidence in herself, while she is not as asserted.

 Beyond Feminism , isn't building self-confidence the most important ?

 

    Top Girls , a play to see and ponder on !

 

 

 

  

   

 

Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas

The 12th edition of the Christmas Party, Friday, December 14, has been a huge success with his captivated audience.

   MSomveille Ms. Jordy and Mrs. Verdon attended the show, prepared by the students and their teachers.

  Small theater stages, Twelve days before Christmas, were presented.

It could also applaud the college and high school students for songs on the Christmas theme, including, of course, Rudolf red nose.

  240 people attended the evening and then found a buffet. The association has once again relied on a great catering team that helped us enormously.

 

 

Wednesday, December 12^th : Last afternoon of rehearsal for the theater group of students of the British Section who will perform, next week, Alan 

Bennett's play, The History Boys . The group is made of eight actors, seven boys and a girl, led by William Blasco , counseled and encouraged by other students and Sarah , assistant in English, all together and warmed by their enthusiasm in the Maison des Lycéens.

 The play is part of the contemporary repertoire . It was created in 2004 and its author , novelist , playwright , actor, screenwriter and director, was born in 1934. It has known a great success , won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2005 and Tony Awarde in 2006. It resulted in a film in which the actors of the play acted. This piece is part of the program for high school seniors this year.The action takes place in 1980 in a school where students are preparing to enter Oxford or Cambridge. Hector is a professor of literature with little academic methods which advocates a lively approach to culture . He is popular with students, but the familiar behavior he demonstrates causes his dismissal. The Director concerned of the students' results, then recruits Irwin to train students for the competition that awaits them. He bases his method on the awakening of the critical eye.

The play stimulates reflection on teaching , pedagogy , issues around the three characters , Hector, Irwin and the Director, but also through the reactions and reflections of students. We can easily understand that it has challenged our young actors. They expressed surprise at the first reading and their pleasure to work on a text which is contemporary by its language and the questions it raises . They appreciated the funny moments in a show with a serious background. Did they have trouble to slip into the shoes of the characters ? Not really. Most of them have the same age as the character they embody and the academic world that is shown is not completely foreign to them .

The atmosphere in the rehearsal room and the interest for the theater and for this play encouraged other students to join the group . All agree that the preparation of this performance brings them a better understanding of this part of the curriculum, especially with a text so full of literary and artistic allusions that enlarges their general knowledge.

 

On stage, that is to say in the lower part of the Maison des Lycéens , William Blasco firmly and tactfully directs the progresses of these young actors, already in costume. He corrects here the tone of a voice, there a gesture... All start again patiently , one two, three times. Different settings of a scene are tested, to choose the best one... The viewer can appreciate the feat that this work represents : directing actors is an art, acting is an art ! Understanding one's character is not enough, they have to be actors , move on stage , dare gestures, tones of their voice they didn't know, in front of an audience, to give life to their characters . A beautiful work !

Two performances are scheduled :

Tuesday, December 18 at 19h
Wednesday, December 19 at 19h
Amphitheater High School Grand Air
 

The students of La Baule welcome students from a high school in Le Havre for a performance of The History Boys and will go see it performed by students of International School in Saint -Germain -en- Laye in February 2013.

 

 

Nice work team of the Summer School this year.

                   Thursday 30 and Friday 31 August, were welcomed 23 children entering 6th. The team leaders: Mrs Heather Laillé, Laillé Claire, Lisa and Nickie Spendov Roussin deployed all their energy and expertise to provide children present activities that are both fun and rich learning.

                   Parents were expected Friday at 16:00 to attend the presentation of the work on these two days, after having sung in chorus the song of jubilee of the queen, the future 6th played small parts they themselves had written and then everyone could enjoy lesdélicieuses specialties prepared by the facilitators helped children (cucumber sandwiches, sausage rolls, flapjacks ....). Mrs. and Mrs. Verdon Chicaud gave us the pleasure of being with us. Congratulations to all for this great year!

                 Beau travail de l'équipe de la Summer School cette année encore.

                  Jeudi 30 et vendredi 31 août, ont été accueillis 23 enfants entrant en 6è. L'équipe des animatrices : Mmes Heather Laillé, Claire Laillé, Lisa Spendov et Nickie Roussin ont déployé toute leur énergie et leur savoir-faire pour offrir aux enfants présents des activités à la fois ludiques et riches d'apprentissage.

                  

   

 

 

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Our Garden Party this year was held at the Garden Tennis Club in La Baule, in a nice   sun we welcomed new families, many future students for the sixième but also future students for the others classes came to share a drink and a picnic lunch in a friendly atmosphere.

 

While some played tennis, we organized for the first time that a raffle was a great success thanks to our generous donors. Thank you again to them !

 

 

Happy holidays to all.

Du 6 au 8 juin 2012, la classe de Seconde 1 est partie à Londres.

      Voici quelques notes de voyage accompagnées de quelques photos empruntées aux journaux de voyage de deux élèves.

A touch of London that colours your week!

Day 1

-08h15.AM: La Baule Escoublac, train station

-Ready to invade London?

-Sir! Yes Sir! Lycée Grand Air's one and only class of 2°1 is ready to go.

-Backpacks on shoulders?

-Check!

-Passport in hand?

-Check!

-Constance 1, Jean, Coline, Constance 2, Aude, Marie, Quentin, Ophélie 1, Delphine, Martin, James, Joshua, Léopold, Pauline, Caroline, Thomas, Sarah, Tiphaine, Louise, Claire, Agathe, Ophélie 2, Robyn ?

-Check! Erwan is in mission in the US and Owain stays at the base and Charlotte awaits us in London as scout, Sir!

-08h30.AM: La Baule Escoublac, train station

The train arrives at last and the class accompanied by Miss Giraud and Sir Guerer disappears in its metal insides.

-09h24.AM: Nantes, train station

The group gets out of the train

-Hello Nantes!

-10h05.AM: Nantes, train station

After a short wait in the station, the class prepares to face the deadly 4h01 of journey by train, for destination: Lille Europe station.

-Goodbye Nantes!

Everyone battles to find a seat fitting his personal criteria such as: NEXT TO MY FRIENDS!!!!! Once all are seated, various groups formed, different activities begin. Card games (no bets of money I swear!...well, I think not...hopefully!), reading (or not?), listening to music,talking and, of course, eating our picnic. Suddenly, when half of the class is actively taking a nap (maybe not so actively in fact) after lunch (eating is veeeeery tiresome) a shadow appears, and the train conductor emerges from the dark entrails of the train! (from behind the glass door actually, but it's not fun) With a wide grin on his face, he proposes to show us his magic and requests a game of cards. Once such provided, he displays his amazing powers (his nimble fingers) in front of the bewildered students. Quickly, a friendship sets up between the wondrous man and the pupils.

-14h06.PM: Lille Europe, train station

We arrive to Lille Europe.

Note to oneself:

-We're friends with the voice of the train!!! (=our private magician)

Changing€ £, realising we have forgotten our wallet at home and we have NO money (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!), waiting, waiting, waiting and passing through security checks for the Eurostar)

-15h34.PM: Lille Europe, train station

The Eurostar arrives, nearly everyone in the class is eating chewing-gum (thanks Quentin!!!) and here comes the War To Sit Next To My Friend (WTSNTMF) II! All claim victory as the train takes us away from France. Darkness falls, our ears begin to hurt.

-Farewell France, my beloved country!

It's pitch black outside, the lights are on inside but it is still dim.

…............................................................................................................................................................

D 2

Sorry, I am unable to fill you in with details on this part (I fell asleep).

-16h03.PM (local time) : London St Pancras station

-Hellooooooooooo LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We meet up with Charlotte and arrive at our hotel after taking the underground. A band of little French devils appear at one of the windows and observe us attentively while we wait for our room keys to be given to us. I think we have astonished them with our...peculiar behaviour. We settled down and went to the refectory to eat. We discovered a new type of nuggets: filled in with a weird white sauce and herbs and were taken back in the centre of London by the underground, did some shopping, and visited Covent Garden at night. We were given an hour and a half to walk around, during which we enjoyed listening to a street singer sing love songs.

After 8 hours of journey in the train, our arrival in the train station of London St Pancras, where we were welcomed by the Olympic rings. We were 24 students of 2nde 1, accompanied by Mrs. Giraud and M. Guérer.

 

We stayed from the 6^th to the 8^thof June in Palmer's Lodge, near Willesdeen Green station. The boys were separated in two bedrooms of four beds and the girls in three bedrooms, two with four beds and one with ten beds !

 

  

On the second and the third day, we had a pic-nic for lunch that had been prepared for us by the lodge. On the second day, in the evening, we ate in an indian restaurant, which was a great idea. The dishes were delicious but very spicy so many of us drank a lot of water ! 

 

After this delicious meal, we went to the Globe to see Shakespeare's Henry V, which we had studied in class. We really enjoyed this performance which was brilliant !

 

We went to the British Museum just before leaving. We all admired the Rosetta Stone and sculptures from the Partenon. Then we all chose which part of the Museum we wanted to visit. It was a very interesting visit although we didn't have time to se everything !

 By Constance Armengaud et Agathe Pervier, 2nde 1