New Initiatives
Despite the pandemic and the subsequent restrictions placed on gatherings, Section activities have continued, albeit in a modified form. Our goal has been to give our students as “normal” an experience as possible, even though most meetings have been forced to move online and outings and trips have been canceled. Believe it or not, two very popular new clubs were created this year! ECONOMICS TAKES FLIGHT Sometimes it takes a pandemic for an idea to take flight. In September and October of 2018, “break period” conversations with my Seconde ENL class would often take the form of informal chats on economics and the markets. I think that there was a core group of kids in the room for whom the subject offered a new world to unlock with their mathematical/scientific minds like a campfire waiting for a match. Outside of these talks, I would later learn, these Secondes (current Terminales), had built up a trading community amongst their friends on Discord groups. On their own, they set up personal “paper trading,” (virtual-pretend
money) accounts; each began with $10,000 that could be “invested” and move in real time with the markets. This was just before the November market correction that ran through January 2019. By mid-January, the most successful investor of the group was a student who had lost his login information, and therefore still had his original $10,000 in cash. The rest of them had been cleaned out in the sell-off. They were hooked. Last February, those same students approached me with the idea of beginning an Economics Club at the Section. The kids made successful pitches to Mike and Adrienne, the green light was given, and the American Section Economics Club became a real thing. Our first meetings were during the lockdown, and it was ideal. In those weeks, we studied economics by following and discussing the dramatic market response to the Covid-19 crisis. A highlight of that period was when we were visited by Section parents on two occasions, both of whom delivered wonderful talks on their work in sustainable development across Africa. The Economics Club meets virtually every other week and has 15 participants from Seconde – Terminale. Christian Vachon, Economics Club Advisor
A NEW CLUB FOR MANGA AND ANIME AFICIONADOS “The world isn’t perfect. But it’s there for us, doing the best it can.... that’s what makes it so damn beautiful.” ~ Roy Mustang in FullMetal Alchemist At the beginning of the school year a group of Middle School students created the Manga Club. At first, the idea was to better understand manga and anime, as well as appreciate
Japanese culture. Soon enough, club members came up with the goal of creating their very own manga. Some students are in charge of art, while others work on character designs, plot, general design, storyline, and much more. The goal behind the project is to learn more about this unique art form, while having fun creating our own world and turning some of the students’ dreams into reality. Club members have regular meetings both in and out of school to make sure that the manga is advancing at a good pace. Meetings are also the time to study memorable quotes from favorite mangas. Club member Ambre Elhaoussine says “We have had some deep conversations based on these profound thoughts. They mess up our minds, and destabilize our current notion of reality. They also make
us ponder on how believing in your dreams and never giving up is an essential part that you need to include in your life, your ethic.” Alix Gerrier, Quatrième
A YE AR L IK E N O OT H E R
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