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For years, Micheline Jacques walked through the gates of the Gustavia school complex as its principal. But on this Friday, September 4, she came to meet some of the students in her capacity as a senator from Saint Barthélemy. Welcomed by the principal, Agnès Combin, Micheline Jacques is there to present awards to the students who participated in the reading contest named after her at the end of June. “I’m bringing them little gifts from the Senate,” the senator smiles.
Gathered in the school courtyard, the students sit cross-legged to listen to the senator. Standing next to the elected official are the four finalists from the school: Lilou Lagarrigues, Charlotte Soula de Guigne, Luana Questel Marques, and Salomé Basset. The senator congratulates the girls before presenting them with gifts. The main prize, of course, goes to Lilou Lagarrigues, as the fourth-grade student was selected as the competition’s winner by the jury members (JSB 1672).
Micheline Jacques also took the time to explain the role of the Senate and that of senators, as well as the history of the Palais du Luxembourg and the Louvre, while referencing historical figures such as Marie de Médicis, Henry IV, and Napoleon I. The students asked a few questions, and the session lasted a little longer than expected—much to the delight of the senator, who clearly enjoyed returning to her role as a teacher for the younger students. It was a most refreshing return to her roots ahead of the upcoming elections, as the Senate elections will take place on Sunday, September 27.
It should be noted that Micheline Jacques also met with the contestants in the reading competition at the Saint-Joseph School in Lorient and the Sainte-Marie School in Colombier.
