Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition & French Model UN
Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition
For over a century, the Berthe Mouchette competition has been known for recognising the importance of the French Language as a form of art. This competition is held by the Alliance Française, an organisation that aims to help Victorian students learn and understand French. This year, the Year 9s were required to recite the poem Liberté by Paul Éluard. We rehearsed in class and then learned the meaning behind this moving poem. As well as that, we were required to spend time outside of school to practice. Most of us were quite nervous, hoping we gave justice to this poem, which had so much meaning. We are honoured to be part of such an incredible movement. We cannot wait to participate in the following years and wish the upcoming finalists the best of luck.
Aaira K, Year 9
The Berthe Mouchette Competition, in which Mac.Rob students traditionally participate yearly, is a poetry competition that brings an aspect of culture and creativity into our French learning journey. As Year 10 students, this was our second year participating in this contest. Unlike last year, when assessors were invited in person, the contest was held online this year, which brought its own challenges and advantages.
This competition is a unique and memorable experience for the candidates that reinforces the vitality of French in Australia. The oral component of the competition, in which Year 10 French students participated, requires students to recite a French poem to test our pronunciation, memorisation, expression and fluency.
We were given the opportunity to choose between two poems for the competition: Liberté or Confinés. Liberté is a simple poem written by Maurice Carême in 1954 which expresses a breathtakingly simple yet important message of freedom. Confinés is a slam poem by the Grand Corps Malade, and as the title suggests, talks about the perils of confinement that we have faced during the past few years. Both poems exhibit emotions that many of us have felt recently and offer the light-hearted comfort of commonality, therefore, students dedicated time in and out of class to learn and develop a connection to these poems.
Participating in the Berthe Mouchette Competition was really beneficial and insightful. Through the poems, we could identify the language and grammar being taught in class, but we were also introduced to a real-life application of French phrases and words. We were also able to further develop our French pronunciation and intonation.
We are so grateful to have been given this amazing opportunity, and congratulations to all the finalists!
Cheshta P, Shriya S and Vaishnavi R, Year 10
List of Year 9 Finalists
Tanveer A, Anaya A, Steffanie B, Meenakshi D, Shennelle D, Anya F, Naomi K, Aaira K, Alexandra P, Evana P, Soleil P, Shreeya R, Amy R, Trinity T, Ameesha W, Katie W, Wing W.
List of Year 10 Finalists
Ayushi A, Diya A, Sanjna D, Anni G, Poorva G, Jessica H, Akshaya K, Lochana K, Nishita K, Bianca K, Ivy L, Amrit L, Aarathi M, Hiya P, Vaishnavi P, Cheshta P, Vaishnavi R, Nika R, Shriya S, Niharika S, Ujjesha S, Minali S, Sanika T, Niveda T, Miti V, Megan V, Lana Y, Muntaha Y, Lyshana Y, Chonglan Y.
French Model United Nations
On the 21st of July the three of us had the valuable opportunity to attend the 2022 French Model UN at The Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership. As delegates of the 'General Assembly', this opportunity outside of the classroom was an incredibly empowering - albeit novel experience - that allowed us to apply the French grammatical and language skills that we learn in class in a dynamic setting with other VCE students. Our role at the Model UN consigned us acting as delegates for our nominated country: Brazil, and present Brazil's view on 'Climate Action' in forming a draft resolution.
The Model UN involved three sections: the Position Statements, the Caucus and Amendments. In each section, we had the opportunity to not only gain an insight into French culture but also an outlook into global politics and diplomacy on a wider scale. For us, the Caucus section was especially valuable where we had the occasion to meet students from other schools and form relationships through use of the French language. A particularly memorable experience was forming allyships with India and Saudi Arabia and successfully passing our amendment in the later part of the day.
Ultimately, this potent experience provided us with an unconstrained environment to broaden our mindsets and shape our opinions on global matters. Furthermore, it allowed us to see interactions with the French language in a setting outside of the classroom and hone our critical thinking skills.
We are so grateful to have been a part of this experience and we would encourage all students to partake in the Model UN in the future!
Pakhi A, Nisha R and Nim Wickramaratne. Year 12