NOUVELLES DES ASSOCIATION DES PARENTS (APE)

KELOWNA °

Anse-au-sable celebrates its 5th Anniversary

“On February 18, Anse-au-sable School was teeming with
activity. A joyful crowd of 250 people, including francophone
students from Anse-au-sable, Summerland Middle School and
Trout Creek Elementary, parents and friends, gathered together
to celebrate the school’s 5" anniversary. Director Joyal
welcomed everyone at the main entrance, which was
symbolically blocked with a ribbon. In the bracing air of a
beautiful spring day, surrounded by festive balloons, Mrs. Joyal
introduced the guests of honour—Mr. Ardanaz, CSF director
general; Mr. Bourbeau, councillor for CSF southern region;
Mrs. Ethier, first president of SEFK (Société des Ecoles
Francophones de Kelowna), Mrs. Joane Lebel, ex-president of
SEFK, Mr. Roger Hébert, FPFCB representative, and Mrs.
Leblanc, current SEFK president. Mrs. Ethier and Mr. Ardanaz
then cut the ribbon, to the applause of the spectators.” — Diane
Béchade, Express du Pacifique, March 3, 2003, page 10).

February 18 was quite a day! It began with a show by
clown-tumbler Ben La Barouette, followed by the official
ceremony, several moving speeches, a PowerPoint presentation
on the history of the school, and a show, Arc-en-soi, by the
Anse-au-sable students! Mosaic artist Seloua Nour presented a
superb mosaic of the school logo. Collage artist Katia Dorcin
also presented a magnificent tableau showing the faces of
students since the school opened. You could feel the emotion
and pride flowing through the crowd. What a wonderful reward
for the many years of work! And there’s plenty of energy to
burn for the years to come!

Ben La Barouette returned a few days later to lead circus
workshops for the students. Many were bitten by the Cirque
du Soleil bug! The science fair, held later in the school gym,
presented science projects that amazed the parents. Then came
the mini-car races, where we all cheered wildly after all the
hard work to build the most aerodynamic autos possible! For
Francophonie Week, the big Coupe Dégueue (Gross-Out Cup)
competition, putting multigenerational teams to the test. For

ANNE-HEBERT, VANCOUVER

example, how many spoonfuls of oil can you swallow without
making a face?

In mid-March, Mrs. Marciski’s class had a special visit from
the students of Barraute, Quebec. Many new friendships were
forged during that week! In mid-May, it will be time for Mrs.
Marciski’s students to travel to Barraute for the exchange. Mrs.
Marciski’s class also took part in a pilot project led by Mr.
Baumgartner. As part of the junior entrepreneurs project,
students learned to do research, gather information, and conduct
interviews to prepare a product for sale; in this case, the product
was a digital book.

The students in Mr. Vézina’s class became visual artists.
With the help of artists Odette Morissette and Rene Donati, the
students prepared an exhibition entitled, Au-dessus de l’Arc-en-
ciel, which was displayed for a month at the Centre Culturel
Frangais in Okanagan. Some hundred people attended the
opening and—a real tribute to all of the budding artists—every
item was sold! In April, everyone in the school attended a play
presented by the Centre Culturel and the Théatre la Seizieme.
The work, entitled Dans les bras d’un géant, taught us all that
even giants have fears and dreams!

Whew! Two months to go, and, believe me, here at Anse-
au-sable school we still have a long list of projects on our plate!

Nicole Leblanc, APE president

Boy, we do eat well at Anne-Hébert! On March 13, during
Francophonie Week, we hosted our multicultural festival in the
beautifully decorated school gym. Parents brought in dishes
from the four corners of the world. Delicious!!! Everyone
enjoyed the feast, accompanied by the live band music of
JouTou. What a great way to celebrate our cultural diversity
and share our francophone heritage at the same time. On April
26, we were feasting again—this time for an evening of wine
and cheese sponsored by the RCMP Fairmont Training
Academy. The tasting featured some twenty types of cheese

~@

(all fantastic!) along with delicious breads and wines. At the
same time, we held a silent auction that offered more than 120
sales items, some donated by Vancouver business while others
were found by the parents themselves. Prizes ranged from gift
certificates and household articles to overnight hotel stays and
tickets to a Canucks hockey game! Attendance at the event
was excellent. Profits will be used for improvements to the
school playground. Lastly, June 12 will feature hamburgers
and hotdogs at a country fair at the school. There will even be
a bike rodeo to help burn off those calories and keep in shape!

Didier Thevenard, APE vice-president

INFO-PARENTS PAGE 21