The European class is an optional class, we meet together for one hour each week. The main objective is to tackle the cultural aspects of mathematics and we learn many things through projects. For example, one of themes that we talked about was cryptology. The teachers asked us to decipher codes. The final task was to create our own riddle and write the answer in Cesar code. Cryptology has helped us to prepare some questions on Valence for our Italian partners in order to welcome them with some games.  Overall, the European section is a really interesting class and we learn a lot from it.

Since the beginning of the year, we have Italian pen friends. We have had time to get to know them through several ways like sending each other Christmas cards, emails or through videoconferences.

We have created a real bond with our Italian friends!

On the 29th of March, we went to Lyon to meet our Italian friends and we were not quite ready for what was going to happen.

When we arrived in Lyon, just next to the train station, we saw the Italians with their teachers. At first, we were a little bit shy, then the teachers came, broke the ice between us, and we started talking. Teachers formed groups, groups of 4, and these groups had to find a name that corresponds to everyone. That was fun because sometime, everyone had the same passion, so it was easy to find a name. For example, everyone in the group loved music, so we found the name "muf punk" assemble of 2 styles of music.

We met and then we took the metro to go to the Notre Dame de Fourvière. There, we were welcomed by a beautiful music played by an old person on an accordion. At every place, one French student gave a little speech to present the background of the monument… which is a little bit stressful of course.

First, Meredith did a presentation of the cathedral and then we visited it and it was the best cathedral I have ever visited; the paintings were absolutely amazing with gold leaves. There was also a floor below and it was a little bit like a museum.

Next, we ate a picnic.

Then, we went to a Gallo-roman theatre where Romain did an absolutely beautiful speech about the Gallo-roman theatre. We next headed to the old Lyon and normally there are little secret passages called "the traboules " but unfortunately 95% of the traboules were closed so we only visited one and it was a very cool traboule.

The last thing we did was to look at a fresco painted on wall and called "La fresque des Lyonnais " with some famous people like "Antoine de saint Exupéry" or "Louise Labet". Juliette and Meredith told us about the famous people on the fresco.

We enjoyed ice creams and snacks on Place des Tertres and our trip finished there. We said goodbye to each other before the Italians went back to their hotel and we ran to the train station to catch the train back to Valence.

The next day, we met again with the Italians. They came to our school, we were their tour guides in the school and we had lunch together at the cafeteria. Then, we did a "photo safari" to visit valence. Everyone was really focused, and we enjoyed this safari! After this, they went back to Lyon to return to Italy the following day.

Our thoughts and opinions about these two-day meetings:

It was a bit awkward at first but after a little bit of time we could easily speak together and it was overall a great experience.

We all thought that it was very instructive to meet new people from different nationalities. That’s why we are happy to have participated in this exchange and to have welcomed the Italians in Valence. We hope to see them next time in Italy.

Indeed, we are already thinking about our future projects. Following their first visit in France, we would like to visit them in March 2024 in order to discover their culture. However, it isn't the only plan that we want to organise. There are now two biology teachers with us, so it could be interesting to carry out projects on the environment around us and more specifically on water. For example, the issues of the dumping of waste into the Rhône and the drought of Garda Lake (where our Italian partners live) particularly touch us. For us, it would be an opportunity to do science (biology and maths) in English while seeking to solve problems that concern us all.

Last but not least, a little poem composed by Nathan:

In Lyon lays an undiscovered treasure,

For it is the most sought after.

It is a must, but in the map we shall trust.

We were lost, trying to find a forsaken passage, a message that would last centuries. The use for these were to travel with ease when the enemy would seize. With that tool, the Resistance could defeat fools. (… and even us)

Texte écrit par Marius, Adrien, Emy, Anaïs, Meredith, Lyne, Lisa, Alan, Théo, Lully, Julie, Nathan, Raphaël, Valentine, Juliette et Romain