On October 11th 2019, Lycée Jean Mace organized its traditional Day of Languages to celebrate foreign languages and cultures.
 
As soon as eleven a.m., students from different middle schools in Niort were invited to play various games at different stands and were later also given a tour of our high school. Never before had our fully opened “salle polyvalente” (multipurpose room) sounded so busy and chatty!
There was a very good atmosphere as students' participation was intense despite a slight background noise. And there were already about twenty answers from participants in our lucky-draw box before noon!
 
            Many different countries were represented around the stalls: such as Germany, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Greece, Georgia, Portugal, Sweden, Croatia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Russia, and of course, the UK. There was also  a fun and informative stand for Latin!
« This is going great! Our Day of Languages enables students to discover foreign countries and their languages. There are lots of students attending activities and meeting the challenges. We don't even have any time to rest». Two students from one of the numerous Spanish stands pointed out.
 
            At noon, the Middle Schools' groups were gone and the atmosphere got quieter. However, stalls were still very animated.
 This year, more countries than ever were represented, which was confirmed by one of our English teachers: « It's all very friendly. The occasion has become more and more diverse and playful. It's a very good way to feel European too. » He added proudly that he had been to almost all of the stands and played most of the games and quizzes.
 
            In the school library, a debate organised by one of our European Classes started with the participation of several British guests. The debate sounded very interesting and lively. Students approached many topics with questions about European identity, for example, Brexit, or the interviewees' personal life, even the role of religion in Europe and what it was like to live in their country. Upstairs, around a few tables, more private conversations took place in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, which led to very relevant exchanges.
            David Callahan, our Californian assistant, gave us his point of view: « It's cool to play some games about languages, it's entertaining and instructive! It's pretty cool that your high school makes this possible» And he finished by saying that such an event didn't exist in the USA but it could be a very good idea to do it over there.
 
            As time flew, fewer and fewer students were playing or lingering around the different stalls. At the end of the debate with the native speakers in our Resource Centre, one of them, Debby, stated: «  It's an awesome opportunity to invite British people, listen to their accent, learn about their opinion of their own country, and discuss very interesting current topics. »
 
            While the stalls were closing, another teacher who took part in organising the event, concluded:  « It has been an amazing day again, with very motivated, efficient, creative participants from many different classes, as well as great guests! Students were unbelievable, they worked so hard to make this event a success!... And it was quite different from past years! Awesome! »
She only wished that there had been more music. That's a deal for next year! 
 
 
Simon et Clément, Section EURO Anglais - vendredi 11 octobre 2019