For students of Saint Mary’s Academy in Edmundston, relating across cultural and language differences is a part of life.
With roughly half the student body speaking a language other than English at home, and with the school’s location in a majority francophone city, Saint Mary’s students are used to relating with people from diverse backgrounds.
So last week’s Create to Get Closer mural painting project was the perfect activity for kids who are comfortable crossing cultural lines to connect with each other. The project’s stated aim is to build “strong connections between official language communities through civic engagement.” It was started and facilitated by artist Jean-Pierre Arcand and his wife, Rachel Duprez, as part of their La Francoderole educational organization. Arcand, national director of La Francoderole, facilitates each Create to Get Closer project with his wife Duprez.
During the week of Oct. 7, Grade 4-to-8 students from anglophone Saint Mary’s Academy and francophone Carrefour de la Jeunesse worked on Edmundston-themed murals in their respective schools. On Friday, Oct. 11, six students from Saint Mary’s Academy—acting as anglophone student ambassadors—visited Carrefour de la Jeunesse to collaborate with student ambassadors there on their part of the mural.
The result, once completed, will be displayed permanently in the city as a testament to community across both official languages, and across cultures.
“I think it was a great opportunity to meet other people,” said Saint Mary’s Academy Grade 6 student ambassador Bryan Kondjo. “I ended up meeting some people I haven’t seen in years. It was fun.”
Kondjo’s artistic aspirations were piqued by seeing the artistic skill of Arcand and Duprez: “I saw the level that Jean Pierre was at, so I was like, OK, he’s an expert. If I want to get to his level, I’m going to have to keep on going.”
Arcand initially proposed the project to city Arts and Culture Department Director Annie Coté in July. “She felt a municipal contribution to this wonderful project fell directly into her department’s mandate, especially since it’s such a unique experience for the kids,” said a city spokesperson.
“It’s very important for the children to have fun creating,” said Arcand. “This is my citizen engagement.”
Edmundston’s Arts and Culture Department contributed 11 per cent of the project’s funding—about $2,040—with the remaining amount coming from Create to Get Closer.
It’s very important for the children to have fun creating. This is my citizen engagement.
Artist and La Francoderole National Director Jean-Pierre Arcand
The city then relayed the project information to both schools, who were grateful for the opportunity to collaborate. The schools took it from there.
According to Community School Coordinator Emily McLaughlin-Toner, Saint Mary’s Academy Principal Julie Michaud heard about the project from the city and asked her to work on it with her sister, EAL Educational Support Teacher Beth Toner. “We’ve had fun doing it together and it’s gone really well,” McLaughlin-Toner said.
All the students “really mixed together well, which was really cool to see,” said Carrefour de la Jeunesse Community School Coordinator Amy Hebert. “They all collaborated on the project.”
“I liked that we got to go to the French school,” said Saint Mary’s Academy Grade 6 student ambassador Keya St-Onge. “I saw a lot of my friends there.”
And, like fellow classmate Kondjo, St-Onge was impressed with the facilitators’ skill and instruction: “I liked how instead of us doing our own ideas, they gave us steps to do. If we had to do it on our own, I would have been like, ‘uh, oh, what do I do?”
The location for the completed mural has not been chosen yet, according to a city spokesperson. However, once a site is chosen, there will be a ceremony to commemorate the installation, she said.
Saint Mary’s Academy, Oct. 7-8
Carrefour de la Jeunesse, Oct. 9-11
