Hands stretched out and joined like a beautiful symbol of fraternity. The work done around the stained glass window shows how the Hélène-Boucher nursery school in Dreux combines art and citizenship.
“Being in Rep +* does not prevent us from being demanding with students who reflect a great diversity. So that children become students and students become future citizens,” confides Hugue Villemade, teacher and director of the Hélène-Boucher nursery school, on the northern plateau in Dreux.
On this Friday afternoon, June 28, a fervor reigns in the corridors and classrooms where parents discover the works of their children made throughout the year. The one that catches the attention is the creation representing the value of fraternity made on stained glass paper. It is distinguished by colored hands that join together.
The rector at the Hélène-Boucher kindergarten
“It’s not about making big speeches. We’re taking action!”
This “painting” has the privilege of being exhibited since Monday, July 1st, at the ArTsenal, in Dreux. A great reward for the schoolchildren from various nursery school sections – 50 children out of a total of 107 – who have done almost everything from A to Z, with the close assistance of their three teachers, Laure Lamy, Pascaline Kadioglu and Hugues Villemade. The assembly of the hands on stained glass paper (transparent paper) was the final step in a complete artistic approach.
“The students drew their hands on paper, cut out the outline, colored it, assembled it by sticking it all on the “stained glass paper,” participated in the transparency effect, applied the colors, etc.”
Hugues Villemade (empty)
This approach was not limited to visual arts work: the schoolchildren explained what fraternity, one of the three pillars of the motto of the Republic, represented to them. “For these children aged 3, 4, 5, they have certain notions such as working together, with their differences. It is not a question of making big speeches. We act!”The parents of the students watched a film summarizing the cultural activities in the school.
At Chartres Cathedral…
The famous Loire stained glass workshops contributed their stone to the building by donating shards of multi-coloured glass slabs. With this material, the children took up the idea of creating a hand by designing a real stained glass window on a glass slab. “The handling of the pieces that could be sharp, because they were sharp, was left to the teachers. Each element was cast in epoxy resin**”
Saint-Exupéry parents mobilize
The children saw several magnificent stained glass windows when they visited Chartres Cathedral at the end of the week, accompanied by teachers and parents. This initiative was preceded by preparatory work with a specialist in the monument, André Bonjour. “This allowed us to create a tour of the cathedral with various educational tracks, including the discovery of horses and knights on the stained glass windows. We were also proud that the school of the republic was introducing a jewel of UNESCO world heritage.”
(*) Priority education network.
(**) Thermosetting polymer, waterproof, resistant to shocks and high temperatures. It is used in the manufacture of stained glass, jewelry, tables, floor coverings, etc.
Cultural activities in all directions
The Hélène-Boucher nursery school in Dreux has also designed frescoes based on the history of Pierre and the Wolf which was read to the children. Parents were able to discover them on Friday, June 28, as well as masks reflecting various moods (joy, fear, joy). A film was also shown around the activities offered during the cultural week in the four Rep + nursery schools in Dreux (Paul-Bert, Marcelin-Berthelot, Hélène-Boucher, Semmelweis). The classes had welcomed and worked with a sculptor, Didier Delpeux and a musician, Élisabeth.
Olivier Bohin
