1972 School Magazine

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FRANC€' !

To celebrate tsastille Day on the 14th July, a Soiree was planned and organized by Miss Vernon who did a tremendous amount of work to ensure that things.ran smoothly and that she did not have 200 hungry girls on her hands. The evening began with a concert which was opened by that very talented French class, Group 5.1. Their effort was "Le Nouveau Professeur" which nearly brought the roof down when Judy Smythe (5E) crawled across the floor, dressed as a tortoise. Most classes performed a play, and I must say that the pronunciation in the Junior Section of the school puts a lot of the fifth and sixth form girls to shame. Some sopranos frorn 4AB sang, danced and died "Louis la Mouche", and a soloist from another fourth form class sang "Alouette" with helpful background and scenery. The most daring and popular act was performed by 6D. This, of course, was the Can Can which had been completely choreographed by the six girls, and their timing and costunies were superb. Not be outdone, another group of sixth formers performed "Little Red Hiding Hood" in French, which ended with the wolf (Joanne Lonergan) in the arms of Uttle Red Riding Hood (Amanda Greaves). As the concert section finished, French song sheets were passed around, and with a record playing in the background, we set out to show our singing ability. After the singing, all girls in French costume paraded before the judges and anyone who saw Judy Smythe that night will know how she succeeded in winning the Senior Section-talk about originality! After the judging, we played the good old game of "Passez le Ballon". Our goup's balloon accidentally burst while being passed round the circle, saving some fifth former from the mortifying task of having to go on-stage and act out the French instructions enclosed in the balloon. As the game ended, everyone descended upon the food and drinks at the back of gym, where frogs' legs, snails in shells, French cheeses, gateaux, patisserie, sandwiches, and other exotic French dishes were available. It was a very good niglrt and all girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Second term French this year started with a bang when several girls volunteered to participate in the Alliance Francaise Competition to be held in June. The "volunteers" were Sally-Jane Munro and Sybil Nolan from 2C, Susanne Hergenhan and Elizabeth Taylor from 3C, Helen Gehrmann and Bronwyn Schalkoort from 5A, and Amanda Greaves 68 and Miriam Herbert 6A. These girls each undertook to leam a French poem, and at the University one particularly fine Saturday morning in June, each girl went through the ordeal of a dictation, reading, conversation, and recitation of the poem, all of which were separated by long nerve-wracking intervals of half an hour or more. Two of these students were lucky enougn to win prizes, Susanne Hergenhan taking fust place in the Sub-junior Section, and Amanda Greaves second place in the Senior Section. The prizes were presented at a Schools' Evening in the Centenary Hall, B.G.S. after which the Alliance Francaise Society performed St. Exupery's "Le Petit Prince" and it was interesting to see and hear native French speakers, although they were not always easy for us to understand.

THE ENTRANTS FORTHE ALLIANCE FRANCAISE COMPETITION

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