Festival du Voyageur a huge Hit

Students dance and jig to lively music at Festival du Voyageur
Posted on 02/23/2022
This is the image for the news article titled Students dance and jig to lively music at Festival du VoyageurFestival du Voyageur

Students and families bundled up and embraced the adventurous spirit of voyageurs at Kenora Catholic’s Festival du Voyageur celebration at École Ste-Marguerite Bourgeoys on February 23. Over 300 people explored French-Canadian and Métis culture while dancing and jigging to lively music, playing games, admiring snow sculptures, and enjoying hot chocolate and sweet treats.

Grade 6 student, Lily Johnson, talks about the Cabane à sucre. “I got to try it, and it was maple syrup rolled in snow. It was really sweet, but really good too.”

A highlight for many students were the horse-drawn sleigh rides.

“We got to ride horses in a carriage, and that was really fun, we went around the parking lot,” says grade 6 student, Davea Tsentouros. “The horses are so big and so pretty, and they have glow-in-the-dark sticks on their feet, and that was really cool to watch.”Student enjoying maple syrup

Festival du Voyageur is part of the Board’s French-Language strategy, exploring past traditions while celebrating French-Canadian and Métis culture.

“One of the main goals of the event was to bring people together to increase and promote engagement in French language and give our student leaders an opportunity to use their French outside of the classroom,” explains Andrea Sachowski, Vice Principal at École Ste-Marguerite Bourgeoys. “We know that student engagement is linked to student achievement, and by hosting an authentic French experience, we hope that students will feel more invested and encouraged to learn their second language.”

Despite the cold weather the event was a huge success.

“A personal highlight for me was seeing people face-to-face,” says Sachowski. “Connection is so incredibly important, and it was nice seeing families out and about enjoying all the activities we had to offer. It was great to see all the smiles and laughter. Although the weather was less than ideal in the
-30s, my heart was warm seeing everyone come together as a team to create such an amazing event. We are already looking forward to next year’s activities.”

Kenora Catholic’s French Immersion School celebrated Journee Franco-Ontarian Day in September and has plans for Saint Jean Baptiste Day on June 24th to continue learning about the school’s heritage, unique culture and traditions.
Lively musicFamily
A warm fire at Festival du VoyageurParticipants enjoying the festival
Maple Syrup SamplingChild playing the spoons
Canoeing with BijouStudents at festival
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