Languages

What a fulfilling year for the College’s languages students. In April 15 students of Italian and 7 students of French along with six staff members took off for a language and culture tour of Italy and France. They were able to undertake some intensive language study and experience first hand the culture of the country; not to mention to put into practice what they have learnt in the classroom! From all accounts it was an invaluable and memorable experience for them all and it has certainly made a positive difference to their engagement in the classroom. The Years 10 and 11 Italian classes took part in the Dante Alighieri Poetry Reading Competition again with some outstanding results. This time, two of our Year 11 students, Stefan Tsagaris and Raphael Canty, succeeded to the finals, and for the first time ever De La Salle College was placed second overall at Year 11 level with Raphael winning the prize for the non-Italian category. Not to be outdone by students of Italian, the French students participated in the Berthe Mouchette Competition run by the Alliançe Française, also achieving great results with Charles Hammond and Liam O’Callaghan of Year 12 gaining a place in the finals.

Mrs Kath Marino KLAC – Languages

Italian Language and Culture Trip

This was an extraordinary trip. We were 15 lucky students who experienced so much more than a holiday to Italy. We had so many different and amazing experiences during our time there. We were a group of turisti wandering around the bustling streets of Milano, Firenze and Roma and some of the smaller medieval towns of San Gemignano and Siena. We saw the passing countryside of Italy from our bus and ordered food and bought items from Italian shopkeepers. Some of us even had a ride in a Ferrari when we visited the Ferrari Museum. In the medieval town of Orvieto, we lived with an Italian family, and we were able to get to know this lovely town with our friends. Our host families were very welcoming and helped us understand the Italian culture. We were able to see Italy through their eyes. The group attended Italian classes in the morning and in the afternoons we were able to live in the town as locals. We would play soccer and basketball with the local kids and play Italian card games like Scoppa and Briscola. Italy is steeped in art and history and the medieval Tuscan town of Firenze and the ruins of ancient Rome brought this to life for us. In Firenze we saw the Palazzo Vecchio and visited the Galleria degli Uffizzi where many well known paintings by Botticelli, Michelangelo and others are exhibited. In Rome we saw the Colosseum and the Forum but by far our most memorable experience was being in St Peter’s Square for a Papal Audience. When Pope Francis in his ‘pope mobile’ came within two metres of our group, we were so excited, and a few of us were even able to take ‘selfies’ with the Pope. The diversity of experiences made this trip so memorable. Every day has been different and special, every day our Italian improved as we challenged ourselves to speak the language and test our comprehension skills. None of us wanted to leave. A huge thanks from all of us students to Mrs Russo, Miss D’Angelo and Mr Mackintosh for organising this trip. Thanks to everyone at De La Salle for supporting the Languages Department and making this happen. We were given a special opportunity and we hope that many more students will experience this in years to come.

French Language and Culture Trip

Prior to this event, we had heard again and again of the beauty of France. But when we arrived in Paris, we discovered that it was so much more than we could ever have imagined. We spent two nights in Paris in the FIAP Jean Monnet. This was an opportunity for all of us to use the language which we had been studying for years and to get a taste of the French way of life. We attended some of the worlds most famous landmarks. We climbed the 301 metres to the very top of the Eiffel Tower, we viewed the Mona Lisa – shocked by the fact that it is about the size of a textbook – strolled around the gardens of Versailles and cruised along the Seine. After our stay in Paris, we stopped in Tours for a night. This was a completely different lifestyle from the hustle and bustle of Paris. Tours was much more relaxed, but equally charming. Our next destination was Rennes where we would be staying the longest. Here we would stay with our assigned families and attend school. We went on tours of the city, and became aware of its long history. We watched French films, and went to the famous Rennes museum. Over the course of our stay in Rennes, we formed many close friendships. It was a trip we will never forget.

Lachlan Bulman Year 10

Alliance Française de Melbourne

Memorising and reciting a fifteen line poem is not an easy task – but even worse when it's in a different language! After weeks of perfecting our poems and French accents, the Year 9 and 10 students travelled to St Kilda to participate in the annual Berthe Mouchette Speaking Competition. The French colonial inspired building stuck out like a thumb amongst the many pizzerias and cafes on Lygon Street. We entered the illustrious building and waited in the lounge; it was time to recite our poems. One by one, we walked the winding stairs up to the adjudicator. Finally, after a long wait, it was my turn to deliver my poem. I walked up the stairs and opened the door to see the judge sitting in a chair opposite. Reciting that poem was like pleading for your innocence – the adjudicator was totally expressionless. After I finished the last line, he just said ‘Très Bien’ and I left the room. We ended the day by eating pizza (well, it was Lygon Street).

Liam Ramirez Year 10 In August our Year 11 and 12 French students went to the Alliance française in St Kilda for the Berthe Mouchette Competition. Understandably they were very nervous. The task was good preparation for their end of year oral examination, which consists of a short conversation on personal themes and a discussion of an issue related to the theme of the Second World War. They all approached the task in a very positive manner and were able to display their skills. It was pleasing to see how excited all the students were at the end of the session. The boys did magnificently well, with Remy Cadman and Nigel Menzies achieving a score of 18 and 19 out of 20 respectively, and Charles Hammond and Liam O’Callaghan scoring 20 out of 20. Mr Thierry Moran