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CPF Letters
A Letter from Chelsea Clogg to the CPF Quesnel Chapter... Print E-mail
Bonjour,

It has been 10 years since I completed from the French Immersion Program in Quesnel as part of the very first graduating class. Recently, I have been reflecting on the program and the many ways in which it has enhanced my life and led me to where I am today. I wanted to write to share my experiences since graduating, and express my sincere thanks for this program that has allowed me to take advantage of opportunities that would not otherwise have been available. In light of the controversy surrounding the French Immersion Program in New Brunswick last year, I feel it is important to let the students and parents in Quesnel know about the many benefits and advantages that learning French brings. I was also saddened to hear that Richard Graham passed away. He was one of my favourite teachers, and an asset to the Program. He tirelessly and enthusiastically encouraged his students to continue improving their language skills.

In 1997, after completing 12 years of French Immersion in Quesnel (with one small break when my family briefly moved out of town) I received my bilingual high school diploma. I then began studying at the Campus St-Jean at the University of Alberta. I chose the University of Alberta over other universities specifically for the French-language facilities. I lived in the French residence for two years and completed approximately half of the classes required for my Bachelor of Arts in History in French. Living and learning in my second language improved my French dramatically, but without the solid foundation I gained through the French Immersion Program, I would not have felt comfortable undertaking university-level studies in French. I would encourage future Quesnel graduates to investigate the Campus St-Jean. The U of A is an excellent university, and the opportunity to continue learning in French, both in the classroom and through real-world interaction with French-speaking students from across the country and around the world, is truly incredible.

Following my time at the U of A, I completed a Diploma in Public Relations and worked for three years before I got the urge to return to school. I began researching Canadian law schools, and knew immediately that McGill was my first choice. I was drawn to the bilingual program that allowed students to graduate with a combined common and civil law degree, and I was very excited about the prospect of living in Montreal. In my application letter, I emphasized my bilingualism and the fact that my interest in the language was first sparked in Quesnel, a world away from McGill and Montreal. I was thrilled to learn I had been accepted, and I started classes in September 2005. In my first year, I took half of my classes in French. I was nervous to be taking classes in an entirely new subject in my second-language and with francophone students, but I soon found that my French was just fine. Since that first year, I tried to take as many classes in French as I could, and I found many opportunities outside the classroom to use my French, from going out with friends to volunteering with local community organizations. I find I am now more confident than ever in French, and I am able to converse with the ease and fluidity that comes from speaking French regularly. I am certain that none of this would be possible without the base I have been building since I stepped into Mademoiselle McCarthy’s Grade One class at Helen Dixon so many years ago.

I finished my law degree in December, and I will be moving to Ottawa shortly to begin a job as a lawyer with the federal government’s Department of Justice. I hope to build a career in Ottawa so that I can practice law in both French and English. French has become such an important and enriching part of my life, and I cannot foresee a time that I will not seek out opportunities to continuing improving my second-language. I would like the thank the teachers and administrators of the Quesnel French Immersion Program for bringing second-language learning to a small community in Northern British Columbia and for instilling in me a true love of the language. I encourage parents to enroll their children in French Immersion, not only for the academic advantages that these students gain in elementary and secondary school but also for the life-long benefits of being bilingual. I certainly cannot thank my parents enough for their foresight.

I apologize for the length of this email. I hope that my positive experience with the French Immersion Program is only one of many. If there is anything I can do to help increase interest in the Program, please let me know.

Bien à vous,

Chelsea Clogg
 
Laronde School controversy Print E-mail

February 12, 2009

Editor:

We are writing to express our outrage with the stance the Surrey school board has taken, in relation to the population restructuring at Laronde Elementary.

We strive to teach our children not to make decisions without first collecting all of the facts. We ask our children to consider the outcome of their actions, in the hopes rushed resolutions won’t lead to negative results.

These are some of life’s fundamental principles supported through public education; yet, by the end of assistant superintendent John Ormond’s presentation to parents Feb. 3, we wondered how those values had been lost on the educators themselves.

Ormond is suggesting that by halving the number of French immersion students, and by expanding the school’s catchment, children will miraculously appear and fill the vacant spaces in the English stream. However, according to Ormond, there has been no dialogue between the school board and the parents who are choosing to take their children to other schools.

There has been nothing done to research the reasons people are avoiding Laronde. The school board has not sought out parents to determine if the scope of the problem is big enough that it might be a deterrent for the “new” people drawn into the expanded catchment.

It would seem the Surrey school board has decided the best approach is to avoid the tribulations by tiptoeing around the concerned groups, and throwing its net over fresh, unsuspecting families.

If this is the direction the Surrey school board has chosen, would it not seem prudent to ensure it will result in an increase in the numbers of children in the English stream, before removing children from the school population? There is nothing to say the newly incorporated families would even choose to enroll their children at Laronde. For that matter, there is nothing to say they won’t seek out the French immersion program. Why not present the proposed changes to these families, and get a guarantee, before taking action?  

District 36 must strive to keep families together, by ensuring space for all siblings entering the kindergarten stream. It is not feasible to ask parents to drive two or more children to two or more elementary schools.

Speak to the parents who want their children at Laronde, and more importantly, speak to the parents who have chosen to take their children elsewhere.

Examine the potential hardships posed on the Laronde population, both present and future. Know all of the facts, before rendering a decision.  

Mason & Catherine Cooke, Surrey

 Source:  Peace Arch News
 
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