Preparations for this year’s Francofest began back in October when a dynamic group of Wallace High School Year ten students got together to plan a Trade Stand.
Their chosen theme was the innovative ‘Mardi Gras Moments’ , and the team met weekly to work on this project.
Francofest sees schools from across the province gather at QUB to celebrate French culture. Organised by NICILT, it aims to promote the use of languages in business whilst fostering links between schools, colleges and industry.
Miss Ferguson commented,
“It was wonderful to see our pupils’ entrepreneurial spirit flourish. They became much more confident in communication and definitely honed their team work skills too!”
The day itself involved the preparation of a trade stand, role plays in French and being interviewed by four French judges. The Wallace pupils took these challenges in their stride and their colourful stand, bedecked in Mardi Gras masks, was eye catching and memorable.
Product Advertiser Ryan Heyes, Product Developer Katie Hunter, Product Sourcer Max Kamalarajah and Project Manager Sophie Jackson were ably supported by Ellie Dickson, Kayla Dixon, Nathan Dougherty and Caleb Dobson.
Max Kamalarajah commented,
“The buzz at Francofest was ‘formidable’. All the stalls were unique and it was impossible not to be enthused by the French vibe. Running our own stall has definitely increased my confidence ‘parler en français’ and it was so much fun being part of the “Mardi Gras Moments’ team. ‘C’était une experience incroyable. Merci Mlle Ferguson d’être un merveilleux mentor et à NICILT pour cette grande opportunité. “
Ryan Heyes added,
“The Francofest competition was a great event that helped us to build on team and language skills. It is definitely a worthwhile competition and I thoroughly enjoyed the day out.”
Kerrie Ferguson concluded,
“With Brexit it has never been as important for young people to learn a language and the Francofest event highlights the importance of language skills in business today. Our pupils gained so much from the experience, not least hearing from Benoît Le Devedec, from the Institut Français in London.”
So it’s now over to the current Year 9 students to immerse themselves in French culture and start planning for Francofest 2021!
Last modified: March 10, 2020
