Lycée High School
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIESLycée Play
The Anglophone Section has been producing drama productions for over 20 years thanks to the drive and initiative of Section teachers. We are also privileged to have access to the renowned Fontainebleau Municipal Theatre for our productions. Students audition for the roles of the play and a team of parent volunteers help with costumes, scenery and props. Thanks to vocal coaches from the anglophone community and technicians from the theatre, the Section’s productions are always of a very high standard.
Humanitarian Trip
In 2018, for the first time, three groups of Anglophone Section students have spent some of their summer working in a community service project in Nepal under the auspices of Projects Abroad, a seasoned overseas volunteering projects leader. Convinced by the benefits of volunteering, especially starting at an early age, we believe that volunteer work expands one’s understanding of other people’s lives and often leads to a new perspective of the world.
Depending on their choice, the Anglophone Section volunteers did construction work or taught at a Katmandu school or worked at a teacher’s hospital at Chitwan. Students were unanimous that it was a life-changing experience.
The Section aims to build on students’ volunteer experience abroad by setting-up an independent study program during the next academic year for highly motivated students who are interested in researching humanitarian issues, possibly under the supervision of willing INSEAD professors whose academic research is in a related field.
MUN (Model United Nations) Conferences
The Anglophone Section has been sending delegations to MUN conferences for many years.
They are:
- SAIMUN – St. Andrew’s International MUN conference in Dublin for seconde students
- THIMUN – The Hague International MUN conference for première students
- PAMUN – Paris MUN conference for terminale students
- FIMUN – Fontainebleau International MUN conference for all Lycée students (compulsory for 2e and 1e students).
The underlying idea is that of role-playing simulations of the work of the United Nations, aimed at encouraging young people to take an active part in the events of the world in order to promote international tolerance, understanding and cooperation.
Schools throughout the world are invited to participate and represent one or more UN member states. Initially each school submits a list of countries in which they are particularly interested and then a draw is made to determine the final attribution of countries. Over the years our Lycée students have represented many nations.
In terms of preparation, various stages are gone through:
- All students undertake thorough research of the country attributed to the delegation. Everyone must become well-acquainted with current events and all pupils are involved in both debates and the presentation of written papers.
- Each individual delegate selects a UN Committee or Commission in which he/she is particularly interested (e.g. Economic Issues, the environment, plight of refugees, etc.) and through research and presentations becomes the delegation “expert” in the field.
- An ambassador is selected whose main function is to make a one-minute presentation of the country and its political agenda to the entire Conference (sometimes an audience of over 3 500!).
- Students debate issues in class and learn to write UN resolutions in the appropriate manner.
- The delegation participates in mock preparatory debates with other participating schools, e.g. Lycée International St. Germain, American School of Paris, etc.
- A group of delegates prepare a list of questions and visit the country’s Embassy in Paris.
Most of this preparation talks place in the MUN club, an extracurricular club which is, in a large part, run by senior students. Pupils from the Germanophone Section and European Sections are also welcome to participate.
These conferences which are, of course, conducted in English and the preparation for them constitute one of the most exciting and stimulating educational opportunities available. They are formative, highly-enjoyable events which frequently instil in our delegates a lifelong interest in world affairs. This sort of experience can reinforce university applications and a number of our former pupils have, thanks to their MUN experience, embarked on university courses and subsequently professional career paths in Foreign Affairs, International Relations or related subjects. The French administration of the lycée fully appreciates the importance of this experience for our students.
As a MUN Club Vice-President summed it up:
“MUN may not change the world, but it will change you.”
Graduation Ball
The highlight of a students’ school career in the Anglophone Section is undeniably the graduation ball held at the Château of Courance, near Fontainebleau. The unforgettable evening starts with a champagne cocktail in the Japanese garden of the château in the company of teachers and Heads of Schools and continues with a full sit-down dinner of exquisite cuisine. When the plates have been cleared, it is time to dance the night away.
Graduation Ceremony
In conjunction with the Germanophone Section, the Anglophone Section organises a graduation ceremony shortly after the announcement of the Baccalauréat results. It takes place in the Lycée’s cour d’honneur which is only rarely open to the public. A champagne cocktail follows, giving students the opportunity to share their last moments together in the Lycée before starting off on their new lives.