Partnership: The pupils in Year 7 and 8 of the Cité Scolaire Grand Air of La Baule, in support of the Serge Betsen Academy!
It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Cité scolaire Grand Air of La Baule(France) has set up a partnership with the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA). This secondary school, which welcomes 514 students for the Years 7 to 10 (US equivalent: 6th– 9thgrade) and 625 students for the Years 11 to 13 (grade 10th-12th), wanted to make the SBA the main beneficiary of their cross-country race raising money for charity to be held on 14 April 2023.
The story begins with the meeting of Olivier Le Corre, a rugby fan and History-Geography & Civic Education teacher, with Serge Betsen. Olivier Le Corre came across Serge Betsen on the Rialto Bridge in Venice while he was on a school trip with his students. He then discovered with enthusiasm the mission of the association, discussed it internally back-home and contacted us to discuss the set-up of this partnership.
For the last 14 years, on the initiative of the History-Geography and PE teachers of the school, the pupils in Years 7 and 8 (about 240 in total), including the ULIS Section (students with disabilities) participate in the school’s charity race on the beach of La Baule-Escoublac and the embankment of La Baule. Ahead of time, the students look for sponsors within their entourage who agree to pay an amount per lap, this amount being then donated to a partner association. From 2015 to 2019, the Inde et Vous (“India and You”) association was the beneficiary of the race.
Here are some photos of past editions sent-in by Stéphane Aoustin:
This time, the Serge Betsen Academy will be the lucky beneficiary of the 2023 edition. We would like to thank the students participating in this sporting and solidarity challenge and encourage them to surpass themselves. Serge Betsen had the pleasure to meet the students in January and to present to them the actions and the mission of the Serge Betsen Academy. The money collected during the race will be used for the education component of our association, namely to pay the tutoring teachers, to rent premises and pay the centres’ electricity, water and internet bills. This support is very precious, it enables our disadvantaged children in Cameroon and Mali to study in good conditions, thus maximising their chances of getting a job and improving their standard of living. In the next years, it will then be possible to get dedicated support for our two other components, health and rugby, as well as support for the implementation of specific projects.
We would like to thank Mr. Philippe Paul, head-teacher of the Cité Scolaire, Mrs. Perrai and Mr. Delacroix, deputy head-teachers of the college, Olivier Le Corre, History-Geography & Civic Education teacher who is leading the project, Pauline Basulto, Education Assistant, Fanny Morisson and Anne-Sophie Perraudin, History-Geography & Civic Education Teachers, Martine Chateau, Jean-Pierre Angelvy, Stéphane Aoustin, Physical Education and Sports Teachers, Frédéric Merlet and the Ulis section, and the entire teaching team involved in the organisation of this solidarity race.
We wish a good sponsor quest to all pupils in Y7 and Y8 and good training for the race!
You will find all the practical details in the note published by the establishment:
And finally, for those who want to know more about the civic and solidarity commitment of the school, you can read the following article, published in the Ouest-France:
Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson
