Grade 7 students from Ecole St. Joseph School went on a field trip earlier this month to Quebec City. They also spent a short time in Montreal.
Marcus Golczyk, a French immersion teacher at the school, said that the class visited historical monuments and relived historic moments over the course of their six-day trip.
Courtney Dalton said that it was fun being in the provincial capital and her favourite part was visiting the biodome and the aquarium.
“I just love looking at animals,” she said. “I got to see a sloth.”
The class at the Québec Aquarium, from left, Adze Christensen-Blondin, Alexis Kelly, Kamryn Gallant, Abbey Janes, Emma Rae McBryan, Avah Penney, Brilee Baggs, Gavin Rose, Owen Bowden, Kaitlyn Rayner, Georgia Zorn, Jabrielle Lim, Eva Gordon, Lissa Shimada, Courtney Dalton, Emma Pedersen, Daphne Liard, Elyssa Marier, Tessa Nendsa, Russell Macintosh, Maya Pfupa-Baird, Austin Morton, Mme Corinne Varin, Najib Mohammed, Mr Marcus Golczyk, Liam Kincaid. Photo courtesy of Ecole St. Joseph School
Emma Rae McBryan said that visiting the maple woods was one of her highlights.
“I love maple syrup so it’s a big win,” she said. “We got cupcakes because it was my birthday that day.”
She also really liked playing laser tag and visiting the biodome.
Maya Pfupa-Baird said she had two favourite parts: laser tag and visiting a mall.
“Nobody could see me because I was dressed in all black and somebody would go right past me and I’d just jump them,” she said. She was also excited to buy a video game for her computer at the mall.
Dalton said that the most interesting thing she learned on the trip was that France and England hated each other. She added that historic details about how the Canadian colony started, French history, and how the language came to Canada was highlighted throughout their time in Quebec City.
Rae McBryan said that she learned that church is really popular in Montreal, and that there were churches every couple of blocks. She also learned about a castle in Quebec City called Chateau Frontenac, which is also a hotel.
From left, ghost guide, Bentley Oldfield, Elyssa Marier, Emma Pedersen, Courtney Dalton, Kaitlyn Rayner, Georgia Zorn, Eva Gordon, Adze Christensen-Blondin, Daphne Liard, Brilee Baggs, Lissa Shimada, Tessa Nendsa. The ghost walk tour guide captivates the students with stories of ghost sightings throughout Montreal’s history. Photo courtesy of Ecole St. Joseph School
Pfupa-Baird said that it was difficult communicating with the locals in Quebec City. She was told that she had an accent which is why some couldn’t understand her and likewise, she had difficulty understanding them because of their accents.
McBryan said that she spoke in French when she was outside of the hotel they were staying at.
“I spoke a lot of French with my friend and with people that were around the city, like if I was ordering food,” she said. “Once we got to the hotel room we were just speaking English.”
Golczyk recalled what one of their guides said about the class.
“He was very impressed with the behavior of our kids but he was even more impressed with the level of French that we were speaking,” he said. “That’s what I push in class — we just try to communicate in French.
He said that he told his students that it doesn’t matter if they make mistakes and encouraged them to try speaking in French and was pleased to see that they did.
“They were trying it at restauraunts and making an effort to always start in French,” he said. “That guide, he’s done three groups this year and we’re the group that speaks the most French is really neat to hear.”