Articles in the local newspapers

In 1995-1996 and 1996-1997, I wrote monthly in the local newspapers to announce the "Students of the Month" (those who improved the most, who made themselves the most positively noticed, who participated the most...) and to give some news from the French class.

Reading these again a few years later, I find it fun to see the evolution of these articles (from simple announcements to a real motivation and teaching tool) so I put them up on this site !

NB : the pictures are not very good
(I only have photocopies of these newspapers !)
and the texts have sometimes been edited by the editors.

Septembre 1995

Boothville-Venice Students Learn About French Culture

Octobre 1995

French Class Students Of The Month Chosen

By MR. PIERRE, FRENCH TEACHER

Novembre 1995

French Students Of Month Announced At BV & Buras

It pays to discover...the French language with Mr. Pierre! That's what three lower-Plaquemines (but upper-achiever) students must think right now. As for September and October (see previous editions), Mr. Pierre is proud to announce three very carefully selected "Students of the Month" among the 125 students who learn French every day in Boothville-Venice and Buras Middle.  After having observed them for results, progress, participation, positive attitude, help to improve the class' spirit and their efforts to speak French as much as possible, the "special ones" for November are: in Boothville-Venice High School, among all beginners (4th grade) Robert Ellis; in Boothville-Venice High School, among all advanced (5,6,7, and 8th grade) Kenny Tiet; in Buras Middle School, among all students (6,7, & 8th grade) Liza Brupbacher. Bravo, les enfants! Say it in French: Très bien! I have to confess.... that I am hurried to see who, among all of you, will deserve to be called "Student of the Year" in May 1996!

Contest: The first student who can tell me what "Le petit renne au nez rouge" is wins 100 Belgian Francs (French Class Reward Money). Hurry, the solution will be published next month! STUDENTS OF MONTH - Pictured above are Robert Ellis and Kenny Tiet. Not pictured Liza Brupbacher.

Décembre 1995

Mr. Pierre Announces Great French Students Of Month

"Fantastiques" is the word I would choose to qualify three of my dear students, learning French, day by day...Wait a minute...Maybe "super" would be more appropriate? Or "Extraordinaires"? And who would deserve those adjectives more than 120 others? It was again very difficult to select three "Students Of The Month".  But after a brainstorm comparable to a hurricane, these three names came up for December and really deserve that honor: Franck Plaisance, among all beginners, 4th grade Boothville-Venice High School; Emily Gerkin, among all advanced, 5,6,7 & 8th grades Boothville-Venice High School; Michael Marino, among all students, 6,7 &, 8th grades Buras Middle School.  Felicitations! Keep going, you never know what's next for you. Last month, I asked what "Le petit renne au nez rouge" is. Lauren Frelich (a happy-going 4th grader in Boothville-Venice) whispered "The Little Red Nose Reindeer" in my left ear and won 100 Belgian Francs (French Class Reward Money)!

Try this one now: "Le journal de la Paroisse est très intéressant"! No need to whisper the answer... Mr. Pierre, French Teacher. EMILY GERKIN & FRANCK PLAISANCE  FRENCH STUDENTS OF MONTH

Janvier 1996

Mr. Pierre Recognizes French Students

Oops...I owe you all some apologies, dear readers. It's about time I proudly announce the Students Of The Month for January. Especially since these three students really stand out : Richie Boyd, among all beginners 4th grade, Boothville-Venice High School; Jessie Buffinet, among all advanced 5,6,7 & 8th grade, Boothville-Venice High School; Roman Barthelemy, among all students 6,7 & 8th grade, Buras Middle School.   Bravo! You did well, and even better. And you can be sure you will not be forgotten when time will come to select the "Students of the Year"! Keep going! I will support you all! Mr. Pierre

STUDENTS OF MONTH - Pictured above are Jessie Buffinet and Richie Boyd. Not pictured Roman Barthelemy.

Février 1996

French Students Of Month announced By Mr. Pierre

February was a busy month, hard for the students, the parents and their teachers. Among other events we want to remember the Parent-Teacher Conference day: it's always a pleasure to meet caring parents, concerned about their children's present and future. Of course, the three following students are not the only "good" ones... But these really deserve something special for their extraordinary performance: the honor of being called "Students of the Month"! They are Lauren Frelich of Boothville-Venice, among all beginners 4th grade; Jordan Mareno of Boothville-Venice, among all advanced 5, 6, 7, and 8th grades; and Hung Huynh of Buras Middle, among all students 6, 7 and 8th grades. Yes, it's coming soon: May 1st I will very carefully select three "Students of the Year"! And this will not be done randomly! Keep doing your best! Sincerely yours, Mr. Pierre.

Concours! Surprisingly, I haven't received any answer to the last contest. I asked what "Le journal de la Paroisse est très intéressant" means... Come on, you can figure it out! Clue: if that statement was not true, we would be very isolated ! JORDAN MARENO AND LAUREN FRELICH FRENCH STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Mars 1996

French Students Of Month Announced

Ta-tzaam! Applause...Yes! Here they are, in no particular order of merit, since all three deserve to be cheered for their improvement, participation, motivation, motivationing efforts, heu...well, that's about it, but that's a lot! You should see them in class, they are great, as well as a lot of their classmates! Oh, well, if you want me to say it: BVHS and BMS are great places to teach French! We don't have a lot of materials, or perfect students with a great Cajun background, but we just manage to have great French classes anyway!  Ta tzaam! Cheer these students for March: Robert Demoll in fourth grade at Boothville-Venice High School, cannot believe he is so good, one of the very best, but he is! He definitely is! Jeremy Smith, eighth grader at Boothville-Venice High School, would almost never raise his hand to give the answer he always knows, because he is gifted, excellent, great, but doesn't want to show it. And Melissa Price a sixth grader in Buras Middle, hides her motivation and great abilities very well, but we all know how good she is. Waow! Bravo! I have received the correct answer to the last contest, and we all know by now that we are not very isolated anymore. I asked what "Le journal de la Paroisse est très intéressant" means. And guess who told me, in the corner of my right ear, "The Parish Newspaper is very interesting"?

Yes! It's her, again! At the cost of a long-distance phone call to get confirmation of her good guess! A happy-going fourth grader, February's Student of the Month: Lauren Frelich.  With another gift of 100 Belgian Francs, she's becoming the richest French student. Let's challenge her again, to see if she will be able - again - to give me the answer before you all: today, I ask what "Le lapin de Pâques est très gentil" means. On your marks...get set... FRENCH STUDENTS OF MONTH- Pictured above are the French Students of the Month for March. They are Jeremy Smith and Robert Demoll.

Avril 1996

French Students Of Month Announced

Mai 1996

Mr. Pierre Announces French Outstanding Students Of Year

Oui! Oui! Oui! (Yes, yes, yes!) It's THE event of the year for all students taking French with Monsieur Pierre in Boothville-Venice and Buras Middle: the long-awaited announcement of the "Students Of The Year"! Take a spoon full of Motivation, at least a bowl of Participation, some good French words and sentences, a good dose of humor, a cup of curiosity and interest. Mix with help to French class spirit. Boil to the highest point. Let cool down, but not too much: make sure the mixture stays at the top. Check carefully once in a while, it must constantly improve in quality. If everything goes right, 'Voila!", after a few months you have a "Student of the Year" in front of you! 

The recipe seems simple, but do not forget that it takes a while. What's harder is to evaluate and make a decision: who? It is heart-breaking to have to choose among students who, for most of them, did the tremendous job of learning, step by step, a second language and some bits of another culture. But I promised to select the most outstanding student for each category, and so did I (it cost me the most outstanding headache I ever had). 

The three super-honored ones are...Kevin Louviere, a fourth grader at Boothville-Venice High School, who has always been going, and goin, and going... but he doesn't have big, long ears. I stopped counting his extra questions, but didn't stop to answer them because I quickly realized he was remembering, and using them! 

Kirk Landry, among all fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders in Boothville-Venice High School, is that funny and smart little guy who found himself a French nickname. "Chou de Bruxelles" invests a lot to learn more. 

Jonathan St. Ann, among all sixth, seventh and eighth graders in Buras Middle School, has had "ups and downs" but is definitely the most deserving student taking French with me in Buras Middle. He did not hesitate to go back to the basics to be sure to know them, and gave up on some funnier possibilities to do so.

Well...wait a minute...Wow! Look at the names .for the selected ones in Boothville-Venice... Notice anything? I swear, I did not do it on purpose. Should that be another requirement to be "Student.Of The Year" in French?? No, it is, it must be pure coincidence. These students really deserved this honor for all the reasons above. Not for the strange fact that their initials are "KL." And neither because their middle name initial is "J". No. But it's definitely strange.

Voila. This time, I will have to put my wonderful writing talents (huh! huh!) on the side, and let you enjoy your summer holidays. So will I, to be fully ready for next year. We all need this break, don't we? And don't be jealous of the honored ones: if you honestly consider it, they really deserve it. So will you next year, if you want to! Have a wonderful, restful, enjoyable and memorable summer holiday. All of you! Sincerely: Mr. Pierre.

See the columns of 1996-1997