Français
In the courtyard of the Gustavia school complex, kindergarteners mingled with primary school children on this Tuesday, December 9. With big smiles, little hand gestures and sometimes intimidated glances, the tiny tots invade their elders' space in bunches. The latter welcome them with the kindness that big sisters and brothers often show. Tuesday is National Secularism Day, and to mark the occasion, the school group has decided to unite all its flock around a single project, as playful as it is original.
Of course, the older pupils, particularly the CM2s, prepared for the event well in advance of the fateful date. They all drew pictures on the theme of living together, respect and friendship. The theme was, of course, secularism and the figure of Marianne.
Union and fraternity
The main event of the meeting was the making of a pelican. Or, rather, a pelican's coat. Drawn on a large panel, but devoid of plumage, the bird looks strange at first glance. The children take it upon themselves to restore its majesty by gluing (with the help of a teacher and a "big one" for the little ones) each in turn a paper feather to its flanks. On these paper-cut feathers, the children wrote liberté, égalité, fraternité and other appropriate words. In the end, the pelican was covered in the beautiful plumage of secularism and hung at the entrance to the school.
Before parting, the older children stood up and sang a song for the younger ones, who were seated. The song was entitled "Toi et moi", written by Fabrice Ramos. A song about an unlikely yet obvious encounter between two people who cross paths without looking at each other. "Even if everything in life separates us, I need you and you need me to see", the children sing.
A beautiful morning that will be followed, on Tuesday December 16, by the school group's Christmas party in front of the Hôtel de la Collectivité. With, needless to say, a show put on by the children on the Christmas Village stage. A joyful start to the festive season. T.F
