On February 3rd, 2009 the French Department held a French Poetry Night, or a “Soirée Française,” in CAISL’s atrium. The night not only included presentations of French poetry, but also a selection of typical French cuisine.
Madame Keller and Mr. Mollet had been preparing their students for weeks; making sure that they memorized their poems. The students also made posters that held the text of their poems. Five long tables were set up in the atrium to seat all the guests. There was another table on the side that held all the food in a buffet. The night started out with the meal which included Taboulet, Piémontaise, a selection of cold meats, cheeses, chocolate éclairs, and Gallette des Rois, which had prizes in them! Whoever got the prize received a king’s crown. There was French music in the background throughout the evening. Towards dessert, the students began the pièce de resistance.
Students all the way from French 1 to IB French classes recited poems by famous French poets. Each student stepped onto the stage, one by one, to present their poet and poem. French 1 students who included Isabelle Guedes and Maria do Mar Sá Machado, made up their own poems that were short and sweet. Fernando Dias, Bernardo Branco, Isabela Sarmento and Carmen Ruiz-Morrissey presented poems by the poets Pedro Vianna, R. Desnos, and M. Careme. The poet J. Prévert was presented by Robert MacDonald, Alyssia Vendas, and Duarte Reis. Leonor Limão recited a poem by Victor Hugo and Marta Pina Fernandes presented P. Verlaine with Ana Carolina Sarmento. Christiana Dell recited Le Dormeur du Val by A. Rimbaud while J. de la Fontaine was presented with the recital of two of his fables, La Cigale et la Fourmi and Le Corbeau et le Renard, by Felipe Martins and Inês Vaz Pinto. Finally, Charlotte Stewart and Rafael Fernandez presented C. Baudelaire by reciting A Une Passante and L’Albatros. They also presented a student definition of poetry. Christiana Dell hosted the show throughout the whole night with Rafael Fernandez as co-host.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the night and gave a positive feedback. The French Department held a French Dinner last year, but in response to demand for more student interaction, they held a Poetry Night this year. All the students were very nervous to recite their poems, but they all managed to give excellent presentations with a sigh of relief at the end.
By Charlotte Stewart, Grade 10
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