2017 Paris Student Finalist recites at London Final.
Sunday the 23rd of April was the culmination of a wonderful year for the ELSA Poetry by Heart competition. Our 2017 winner, Eléonore Fontaine, from Institut Notre Dame, was invited by the UK organisers, Tim Shortis and Julie Blake, to recite the poem, The Galloping Cat by Stevie Smith at the UK final held in the magical setting of The British Library in London.
Eléonore gave a delightfully original recital of the poem in front of a packed room of UK finalists, prestigious judges and invited guests including the British actor, Freddie Fox. She proved to be a great ambassador, not only for her school, but also for the ELSA Poetry by Heart competition. As well as reciting her poem, Eléonore was also interviewed by the UK team about her experience taking part in the ELSA Poetry by Heart competition.
As 2017 has been such a successful year for us, we are keen to continue building links with the UK competition and with Tim and Julie, the UK organisers. In order to do this, we would like even more schools in France to take part. In 2017, we welcomed 11 schools to the competition, and we hope that we will beat this number in 2018. If you are interested in taking part in next year’s competition, please contact either Antony McDermott (a.mcdermott@ejm.net) or Jennifer Elliot (j.elliot@ejm.net). Just imagine – in a year’s time it could well be one of your students on the stage at the UK final reciting their chosen poem.
Antony McDermott (Head of English Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris) and Jennifer Elliot (Head Librarian – Ecole Jeannine Manuel Paris)
Eléonore gave a delightfully original recital of the poem in front of a packed room of UK finalists, prestigious judges and invited guests including the British actor, Freddie Fox. She proved to be a great ambassador, not only for her school, but also for the ELSA Poetry by Heart competition. As well as reciting her poem, Eléonore was also interviewed by the UK team about her experience taking part in the ELSA Poetry by Heart competition.
As 2017 has been such a successful year for us, we are keen to continue building links with the UK competition and with Tim and Julie, the UK organisers. In order to do this, we would like even more schools in France to take part. In 2017, we welcomed 11 schools to the competition, and we hope that we will beat this number in 2018. If you are interested in taking part in next year’s competition, please contact either Antony McDermott (a.mcdermott@ejm.net) or Jennifer Elliot (j.elliot@ejm.net). Just imagine – in a year’s time it could well be one of your students on the stage at the UK final reciting their chosen poem.
Antony McDermott (Head of English Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris) and Jennifer Elliot (Head Librarian – Ecole Jeannine Manuel Paris)
Paris Final
The English Department of the Ecole Jeannine Manuel, in association with ELSA France, hosted a tremendously successful inter-school event on Saturday, March 18, 2017.
Eleven schools from around Paris – Ecole Jeannine Manuel Paris and Lille, The British Council, Camille See, the International School of Paris, Sections Internationales Sèvres, Collège Sevigné, The American Section of the Lycée International de St. Germain en Laye, The Canadian International Bilingual School, Institut La Tour, and Institut Notre Dame participated in the French finals of Poetry by Heart, a popular competition co-founded by Sir Andrew Motion which is held annually in the UK. www.poetrybyheart.org.uk
At this year’s competition, we were particularly proud to welcome two special guest visitors: Tim Shortis and Julie Blake, organisers of the UK Poetry by Heart competition. Tim and Julie praised the way in which we had organised the competition in France and are very keen to continue making links between us and the UK competition.
35 talented students in troisième, seconde, première and terminale were selected by their schools to compete by reciting two poems chosen from over 200 available on the Poetry by Heart Anthology. The students all recited their poems beautifully.
Congratulations to the winners:
3eme: Alexia Laurie, Section Internationale de Sèvres, who recited Invitation to Love by Paul Dunbar and Proverbial Ballade by Wendy Cope. Runner up: James Hamilton from Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris.
2nde: Ismael Sy Yoka Canadian Bilingual School, who recited To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick and It’s Work by Benjamin Zephaniah Runner up: Jean-Shelia Messi, American Section of LISG.
1ère: Morgane Ropion, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris, who recited The Deathbed by Siegfried Sassoon and Remembrance by Emily Brontë. Runner up: Beatrice Motte, Institut Notre Dame.
Terminale: Eléonore Fontaine, Institut Notre Dame, who recited Envy by Adelaide Anne Proctor and The Galloping Cat by Stevie Smith. Runner up: Noah Plasse, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Lille.
The 2017 ELSA Poetry by Heart overall winner was Eléonore Fontaine from Institut Notre Dame. She will be reciting one of her poems at the UK Poetry by Heart final on Sunday 23rd April at The British Library.
Thank you to the judges, officials and scorers: Barbara Ginsbach, Pat Finifter, Ruth Lemounier, Zoey Crabb, Patricia Leroy, Mario Chioini, Claire Allman, Johanna Bambridge, Nancy Willard Magaud, Ellen Fournier, Libby Wilson, Andrew Auerbach, Sabine Hurley, and Heather Worrall.
Thank you also to all of the English teachers for the time and effort put into preparing your students for the competition. A special mention to all of the students who participated in the finals and the in-school competitions for your hard work and dedication.
See you next year!
Jennifer Elliot, Head Librarian, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, ParisAntony McDermott, Head of English, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris
Eleven schools from around Paris – Ecole Jeannine Manuel Paris and Lille, The British Council, Camille See, the International School of Paris, Sections Internationales Sèvres, Collège Sevigné, The American Section of the Lycée International de St. Germain en Laye, The Canadian International Bilingual School, Institut La Tour, and Institut Notre Dame participated in the French finals of Poetry by Heart, a popular competition co-founded by Sir Andrew Motion which is held annually in the UK. www.poetrybyheart.org.uk
At this year’s competition, we were particularly proud to welcome two special guest visitors: Tim Shortis and Julie Blake, organisers of the UK Poetry by Heart competition. Tim and Julie praised the way in which we had organised the competition in France and are very keen to continue making links between us and the UK competition.
35 talented students in troisième, seconde, première and terminale were selected by their schools to compete by reciting two poems chosen from over 200 available on the Poetry by Heart Anthology. The students all recited their poems beautifully.
Congratulations to the winners:
3eme: Alexia Laurie, Section Internationale de Sèvres, who recited Invitation to Love by Paul Dunbar and Proverbial Ballade by Wendy Cope. Runner up: James Hamilton from Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris.
2nde: Ismael Sy Yoka Canadian Bilingual School, who recited To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick and It’s Work by Benjamin Zephaniah Runner up: Jean-Shelia Messi, American Section of LISG.
1ère: Morgane Ropion, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris, who recited The Deathbed by Siegfried Sassoon and Remembrance by Emily Brontë. Runner up: Beatrice Motte, Institut Notre Dame.
Terminale: Eléonore Fontaine, Institut Notre Dame, who recited Envy by Adelaide Anne Proctor and The Galloping Cat by Stevie Smith. Runner up: Noah Plasse, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Lille.
The 2017 ELSA Poetry by Heart overall winner was Eléonore Fontaine from Institut Notre Dame. She will be reciting one of her poems at the UK Poetry by Heart final on Sunday 23rd April at The British Library.
Thank you to the judges, officials and scorers: Barbara Ginsbach, Pat Finifter, Ruth Lemounier, Zoey Crabb, Patricia Leroy, Mario Chioini, Claire Allman, Johanna Bambridge, Nancy Willard Magaud, Ellen Fournier, Libby Wilson, Andrew Auerbach, Sabine Hurley, and Heather Worrall.
Thank you also to all of the English teachers for the time and effort put into preparing your students for the competition. A special mention to all of the students who participated in the finals and the in-school competitions for your hard work and dedication.
See you next year!
Jennifer Elliot, Head Librarian, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, ParisAntony McDermott, Head of English, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, Paris
