Languages
Un voyage dans l’histoire !
On April 3, students of Year 9 French travelled to the Immigration Museum to attend “Notre Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition”. The immersive exhibition, currently touring the world, relives the spectacular history of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. Due to popular demand, the exhibition has been extended to 18 May.
More information can be found via this link:
Our students highly recommend the experience to all Francophiles and history buffs out there. Below are some student accounts from the day:
This excursion has to be one of the best I've been on!! I found the history behind the structure of Notre Dame interesting and the way the exhibition was presented to us was great. It was easy to pick up how to use the HistoPads and the models used to represent everything were clear and well-made. My absolute favourite part about this exhibition was learning about the Western Rose, a stained glass window once found in Notre Dame. Not only was it fascinating to learn about the stories behind this window, but it is also just so beautiful to look at. I found myself just studying it for a couple minutes, trying to take in every element incorporated into the design. After some research into the Western Rose of Notre Dame I gained a bit more insight into its origins and symbolism. It is currently being held in Charlestown, Ireland. People believe that the central figures are The Virgin Mary and Child, but it is debated across cultures. Surrounding them are the 16 prophets, all with their own roles. The outer circle contains the opposing vices and virtues, the virtues looking down in a way at the vices, or unpleasant traits. Overall, this was a very interesting excursion.
Clementine Campbell (Year 9, Everard House)
I loved taking the train into the city with friends and learning about the history of the Notre Dame and seeing the events that took place in the cathedral throughout its history. Afterwards we were allowed to go to some restaurants and cafes for lunch, walking around the city with friends and getting lunch was a really fun experience. My favourite part was seeing Napoleon's coronation, which was a surreal experience. All in all, I think everyone really enjoyed it and had a great time.
Harry Stow (Year 9, Toner House)
The Notre Dame excursion was a lot of fun!! I very much enjoyed being in a museum, especially one so interactive! The Histopads were really easy and engaging to learn with. And the room and building itself was beautiful. I loved learning about the old historic monarchs who spent their time in Notre Dame, and I didn't know that Napoleon had such a connection to the cathedral. Learning about the historic figures, along with their bonds to Notre Dame, was fascinating.
Sara Campanero Healy (Year 9, Skipper House)
The highlight of the trip was finding creperies to eat at and trying French food, and it was impressive how the expo showed us what France looked like from centuries ago on the tablets. I learnt that the stone chambers built under Notre Dame Cathedral helped to prevent the fire from spreading further.
Florence Garlinge (Year 9, Pakana House)
CATHERINE CONSIDINE, French Teacher