What started out as a routine homework assignment quickly became a formidable challenge for the Year 4 students of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. They were asked to create a tourism brochure on Anguilla using the French language. Their Year 4 French teachers, Mrs Verrerlyne Bruno-Mason, who is also the Head of the Modern Languages Department, and Mr Ivan Francis, turned the homework into a contest, with the possibility of a cash prize. After several weeks of hard work, blending creativity, use of IT and their knowledge of French, the students eventually came up with their version of a French Brochure promoting Anguilla as a tourist destination. The Modern Languages Department approached the Anguilla Tourist Board which agreed to sponsor cash prizes for the top three winners.
There were three judges who judged the pieces anonymously on the following criteria: content, creativity, correctness of French language, reflection of Anguilla and their potential to attract visitors to Anguilla.
The French Brochure Contest concluded on Friday 21st June with a brief, but significant prize giving ceremony, in the new IT Lab at Campus B. The fourth form students and parents, along with Mrs. Rita Celestine-Carty, Principal of ALHCS; Mrs. Shellya Rogers-Webster, Corporate Affairs Manager for The ATB; and Mrs Sharon Richardson, Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association, were present.
In giving her remarks, Principal and former French teacher, Mrs Rita Celestine-Carty, expressed her delight at the enthusiastic approach demonstrated by the students and teachers. As one of the judges, she was highly impressed with the quality of the students’ renditions and explained briefly how the judging was done. She also presented a slideshow giving the students a glimpse of all the brochures.
Then she announced the winners: Nandi Edwards was adjudged first, walking away with US$400 in prize money. The second place winners, Sharianne Francis and Damarai Gumbs (absent from photos) collaborated on their piece and won US$200, while 3rd place winner Caleann Adams won US$100. The prizes were presented by Mrs Shellya Rogers-Webster who expressed her delight that the ATB was included in the venture, especially as it relates to tourism, Anguilla’s main industry. In congratulating the winners, Mrs Rogers-Webster noted that all the students had done very well and that, in fact, they were all winners, although there were only three prizes. She further commended the teachers for the initiative and encouraged students to continue working hard to achieve their goals.
When asked for her views on the project, 1st prize winner, Nandi Edwards, said: ” I believe this brochure assignment was a very innovative idea to bridge a learning experience and to contribute to Anguilla’s main industry – Tourism. It developed my use of descriptions in French which ultimately better equips me for French CSEC and the language itself. It also tapped into all students’ creative outlet to ensure that their brochure was visually captivating along with the content inside. I am thrilled to have won this competition and to have contributed to the diversity of tourism in Anguilla. Projects like this benefit everyone, I believe. It allows them to implement French into something beyond the classroom”.
Meanwhile, co-winner of 2nd place, Sharianne Francis, said that, “The brochure assignment was a bit of a challenge – a fun challenge. I prefer the more practical approach to learning as opposed to traditional pen and paper assignments. Assignments like these make learning more interesting and enjoyable”.
3rd place winner, Caleann Adams, also gave her opinion, saying, “I thought that it was a challenge, yet very easy. Challenging, as in being able to translate what you want to say in French, and I am not a very strong student with the subject. In terms of easy, it allowed me to bring out my creativity. I prefer assignments like this because it is very easy to complete this way, and it is very creative”.
The students and teachers hope to make a combined, single copy of the brochure for distribution when they visit the French island of Martinique in December 2019.
