Denny pupils chosen for prestigious Youth Ocean Event
Six pupils from Denny High School’s Higher French class enjoyed the opportunity of a lifetime when they took part in the Franco-British Youth Ocean Conference, an international event bringing together young people from Scotland and France to explore global ocean and climate issues.
The High School was one of only five Scottish schools who were selected to participate in the conference.
The pupils - Alex Sergeant (16), Euan Sloan (16), Emily Somerville (16), Taliah Omand (15), Katie Bryant (16) and Ella Robb (16) - travelled to Paris at the end of November to take part in the two-day conference. The event formed part of France’s “Year of the Sea” and was hosted by the Agence Française de Développement (French Development Agency).
Develop language skills
Jointly funded by the UK and French Ministries of Education, the conference aimed to give pupils the chance to meet their French counterparts and for teachers to build wider connections that will benefit the school community.
While there, the pupils, accompanied by Modern Languages teachers Molly Dawson and Lauren Young, were paired with pupils from a school near Bordeaux. They used their French language skills in real-life situations by taking part in negotiations and debates on climate change through a United Nations simulation which saw them take on the roles of "France" and the "private sector".
The event allowed the Denny High pupils to expand their environmental knowledge, develop their language skills and represent Falkirk on an international stage.
Molly Dawson, Modern Languages teacher, said:
We selected our pupils from last year’s top performers in French, focusing on those who chose to continue the subject this year. We knew the conference would be an intense and immersive experience.
“For us as language teachers, the highlight was seeing our students thrive throughout the conference. We are incredibly proud of everything they achieved.
Pupil Alex Sergeant said:
It was the perfect experience to use the language skills we have developed at school in a real-life context.
Fellow pupil Emily Somerville added:
We didn’t just get to use our French with the French students, we also learned so much about their own culture and the difference between Scotland and France.