LFC welcomed the Ambassador of France to the United States, Laurent Bili, during his Midwest tour last week. After a musical performance by 3rd-graders, M. Bili toured the school, stopped in classrooms and met with leadership during his hour-long visit.
Over the weekend, emotions ran high at the Athenaeum Center as the LFC*extra Musical Theatre cast gave four sold-out performances of the world's longest-running musical, Les Misérables – High School Edition. Bravo to the incredible cast of 19 students, two stage helpers, and their directors for their passion, dedication and hard work!
Daycare and maternelle reunited with author and illustrator, Edouard Manceau, as part of “Les Troubadours” – a traveling, French-speaking, youth literature festival. Like his visit in 2019, Manceau worked directly with students to show the importance of literature through illustrations and performances.
On April 1, students in primary started the day with new teachers! For some “Poisson d’avril” fun, teachers swapped places during welcome time to prank their students.
In line with the United Nations sustainable development goal, “Quality Education,” secondary school eco-delegates taught a STEAM lesson to 5th-grade students on geoscience, including activities like identifying rocks and fossils, and creating their own sketches.
The Lycée has a proud culture of engagement and philanthropy. Our series, “Oui” are Involved, highlights community members who give their time, expertise and resources to help enhance the LFC experience for all. This week, we learn more about Aurélie Richard, who joined the LFC Board of Trustees in 2018, and has served as Chair of the Finance Committee and Board Treasurer since 2021. Aurélie and her husband, Alexandre Seran, joined the LFC community in 2016 and have two children, Gabriel and Raphaël, both in Grade 5.
Each year, first-grade students have constructed their own cities over the course of multiple STEAM classes. Complete this year with a colorful Hancock Building, vibrant Ferris wheel, and houses of varying shapes and sizes, this hands-on project is designed to incorporate each element of the STEAM curriculum – and has quickly become a class favorite!
LFC President Eric Veteau was recently awarded the French rank of Chevalier in the Ordre National du Mérite. This honorary ranking, established by Charles de Gaulle in 1963, recognizes distinguished military or civilian service of at least 10 years to the French nation.
Our middle school students recently said “Oui” to Wellness by participating in hands-on games and activities to learn new skills and strategies promoting well-being. This assembly was led skillfully by 7th-graders, who spent six weeks designing and preparing activities under the guidance of their homeroom teachers, Health Office and Vie Scolaire. Sixth and 8th-graders were then divided into small groups, with each group taking part in four of the six following activities:
A Kahoot on sleep and hygiene (example: how much sleep does a 12-year-old really need?)
A Wheel of Wellness to learn first aid techniques (example: how to use an EpiPen)
Guided meditations
A workshop to learn personal fitness techniques (example: how to do a proper push-up)
A presentation and Kahoot on nutrition facts
“Thankfulopoly”: a type of Monopoly featuring gratitude elements.
The healthy activities encouraged our middle schoolers to take part in their own self-care and wellness.
To help our 5th and 6th graders prepare for their transition to middle school, students took part in an Olympic-themed Hackathon. Consisting of a series of challenges using different technological tools, students had two hours to work in groups and complete the following tasks:
Draw an Olympic flame using pixel art software
Use recycled materials and specific dimensions to create an Olympic flame that can be supported on a Maqueen robot
Program a Maqueen robot to dance, light up in multiple colors and display animations on its screen
Program an Ozobot, a small robot that recognizes lines and colors, to trace the Olympic flame's international route on a map
Use Scratch to program their athlete's hurdle jumps
With the help of their 5th grade and middle school teachers, students showed ingenuity, creativity and true team spirit. Their hard work and determination paid off: they all did a great job and got great results!
On Friday, March 8, in celebration of the upcoming Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, a worldwide virtual relay was organized by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs through the embassies. Alongside many other schools and institutions around the world, LFC was ready to take on the challenge. First running 2024 meter relays during their PE classes, students and staff then took part in an all school passing of the baton. It was breathtaking and mind-blowing! The Lycée "virtually" received the baton from the French Embassy in Bolivia, and passed it onto the French Embassy in El Salvador. Congratulations to all for their teamwork, athletic achievements and school spirit!
After several weeks of hard work, our 4th and 5th-grade students printed the first issue of the LFC Times – a multimedia newspaper created in honor of Press and Media Week in schools. Packed with information in feature articles, both written and audio, this paper was made throughout different language workshops and writing sessions. Some are in French and others in English, depending on the needs of the students. "To be informed is a right, to inform is a duty.” Well done to our young journalists!
After spending several months working on their science projects, six high school students and seven middle school students took part in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science Regional Fair. These students, who are members of the high school Science Club and winners of “Best Project” at the middle school’s "Faîtes des Sciences", competed against over 250 projects submitted from nearly 30 private schools across Chicago. Participants are judged on their presentations, posters and their scientific approach to a topic of their choice. Congratulations to all our participants, who each received an award — including two silver medals, two gold medals and two Awards of Excellence!