It all began in February 2024, when the final year students at the Lycée Français International Simone Veil embarked on a journey that will live forever in their memories: a historical and human journey ‘in the footsteps of Jewish life in Poland’. This project, which is both educational and civic-minded, is in line with the history and history-geography, political science and geopolitics syllabuses of the Terminale, as well as with the school project of our establishment.
The trip began at Auschwitz, the emblematic site of the extermination of Jews during the Second World War, and went on to visit other sites marked by history and memory, retracing the richness of the Jewish presence in Poland before the Shoah.
The purpose of the trip went far beyond a history lesson: it aimed to raise students’ awareness of past and present challenges, and to highlight how remembrance and humanist values are essential pillars in shaping a responsible and engaged democracy.
This project was supported by the Fédération Nationale André Maginot (FNAM), an organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of historical memory among younger generations. In return, our school committed to submitting a student’s written reflection as part of the national competition, the “André Maginot Prize for Remembrance and Civic Engagement.”
Mrs Annick Berthod, history and geography teacher and organiser of the trip, chose to send the essay by Ambroise Collette, then a student in Terminale. His text, full of sensitivity, depth and rigour, won over the jury. On 1 February 2025, at an official ceremony at the Institut National des Invalides in Paris, Ambroise was awarded First Prize in the Lycéens category.
The day, marked by strong emotions, continued with a visit to the Musée de l’Armée, then ended symbolically under the Arc de Triomphe, with the rekindling of the Flame.
Mrs Berthod warmly congratulates Ambroise on his commitment throughout the project, his remarkable work, which has been recognised by the FNAM, and this award, which is a source of pride for our school.
