The environment for students living between the Loir valley and Bercé forest- part 3

"The industrial legacy :
The industrial legacy is considerable in the Loir valley. Along 311km in the 4 departments (Eure et Loir, Loir et Cher, Sarthe, Maine et Loire) hydraulic power was indispensable for the paper mills, textile mills or canneries. In Château du Loir some indications still remain of the old gas factory (gas was produced from cal until 1962). In the same sector of Tivoli Road there was a mechanical construction company (Metal Box company) and a cannery.

The arrival of the railway profoundly changed the landscape et the junction odf Château du Loir, Vouvray and Nogent. Situated at the intersection of Le Mans-Tours and Paris-Bordeaux lines, rail traffic rapidly increased, necessitating the construction of new buildings.
Six paper mills can still be seen today. The oldest, at Poncé-sur-le-Loir, was partly constructed in the 18th century. Finally, traces remain in the valley of different activities which were closely linked : a network of canals was dug between 1840 and 1860 and many industries connected to limestone were developped..."

Survey realized by the historic worshop

The environment for students living between the Loir valley and Bercé forest- part 2

"Churches and castles :

Saint Guingalois : Originally, Château du Loir had 3 churches : saint Martin's, which has been destroyed, saint Saviour's and saint Guingalois', which comes from a Breton saint who have founded a monastery before her death in 504. Saint Guénolé's relics were brought here during the 10th century Norman invasions. The church became the parish church during the Revolution and despite successive transformations, it kept a few Roman elements like the crypt. That's the oldest part with two rows of cylindrical columns between the naves. The chruch was sold as national property during the Revolution and for a long time served as a stable. The Gothic influence is visible in the windows of the five-sided choir. In the 16th century two side aisles were added and the organ was bought in 1843 at Château l'Hermitage.

Le Lude's castle : It dates from the 10th century, the fortress was built on the banks of the Loir on the border with Anjou. During the Hundred Yeras War, the castle was occupied by the English and liberated in 1427 by Loré, Beaumanoir and Gilles de Rais, the legendary Bluebeard.

Gallerande's Castle : It has a pleasant sheltered courtyard, as well as a park and a fortress transformed into a residence in the 15th century.

Flée's church : Saint Peter's church dates from the 11th century and is mainly constructed of stone and wood.

The mound of Joan of Arc dominating La Chartre : The statue of Joan of Arc stands on a hill dominating La Charte as the result of mother's prayer : she prayed that her son should return safe from the First World War and promised the statue in her honour. The son retruned, but the mother lacked the funds of fulfil her promise. These were provided thanks to a collection made in the area and the statue was erected..."

Interview of Mr Georges, the headmaster

Camille and Alice - Have you ever worked in a bigger school ?
Mr Georges - Yes, certainly, in a school with 1700 students.

C and A - Do you find the atmosphere here more convivial than a bigger school ?
Mr G - It's really different, most of the students konw the others and it is the same with the teachers. The atmosphere is most serene, there is a better consideration of others and idea of affiliation to a community.

C and A - Why did you choose our school ?
Mr G - I didn't choose to come here. All principals have to be ready to change schools. Before I was in Lorraine and I chose 10 school academies. After that, my superiors suggested different schools.

C and A - Have you projects for this school ?
Mr G - For the firts year, I wanted to test the water and began projects with the teachers. I would like to improve the results of the scientific classes. What's more, I would like to involve students in sustainable development. I would like more communication with parents and improve the internet site.

C and A - What's your role in Comenius project ?
Mr G - It's interesting and my role, really, is to make easier the reception of the partners. I just took over from the previous headmaster.

C and A - Do you take the Comenius project seriously ?
Mr G - Yes, it's a good experience for the school and opens it to the outside world.

C and A - What does the Comenius project bring to this school ?
Mr G - It encourages cultural awareness and gives our school a window on the world.

The environment for students living between the Loir valley and Bercé forest- part 1

"The Loir Valley is situated 50km from the Loire Valley (other one !) and 200km south west of Paris. It's close to four big towns : Le Mans, Tours, Angers and Orléans. It's a rural area sreved by road, motorway and railway networks. Tree cultivation is important with 53000 hectares of apple trees. Wines extend over 16 communes and include 1,600 hectares of AOC Côteaux du Loir and 128 hectares of AOC Jasnières. Jasnières is a fruity white wine, considered one of the best dry whites in France, with a characteristic "flinty" flavour. It's one of the few white wines to taste good after ageing for 10 or 20 years. In some places, troglodytic architecture can be found. Such cave-like dwellings may be lived in, or used as wine cellars or for growing mushrooms.

Bercé forest covers an area of 5,415 hectares and is situated 30km south west of Le Mans on a plateau at an altitude of 150m. It's said to be all that remains of the ancient forest of Carnutes which stretched from Paris to Bordeaux in the Middle Ages. According to legend, in those times a squirrel could travel from one town to the other without touching the ground. It became a royal forest in 1337, under the control of the forest administration responsible for its development. In 1669, Colbert's decree stated the intention of creating a powerful navy. It was therrfore necessary to cultivate oak trees with very long trunks. The trunks were brought to the Loir, 10 km away, then floated to the naval dockyards in Nantes. In 1791 Bercé forest became a national forest..."

RED'N TAAGA - the highschool's band

This band is composed by French students : Baptiste on the drums, Lucas and Benjamin on the guitars and also the singers, Julie on the bass and finally Théophile on the synthesizer. But why "Red n'Taaga", you will ask us ? Well, it's a Moore word (Burkina language) wich means "friends". These fans of Bob Marley, Tiken Jah or Janis Joplin write their lyrics themselves with the help of friends sometimes. They have chosen strong topics like AIDS, current affairs including the USA situation, illegal weapon trafficking, always influenced by their passion for Africa.
In the beginning, it was for their passion of instruments that Lucas, Benjamin and Baptiste decided to form their group one summer evening during the holidays. While looking for a bass-player and synthesizer-player, they found Julie and Théophile who joined in September. Once the band had been formed and the songs composed, "Red n'Taaga" gave its firts concert at Le Lude with the help of Esperone, another group from Château-du-Loir which also inspired them. And we were there !
While attending rehearsals we noticed an atmosphere of enthusiasm and good humour... We were particularly struck by the pleasure they took in playing, for example, cult songs like "Aïsha" or "A liberated woman", but that's nothing compared to their spontaneity. Indeed when they were asked to set a poem by Baudelaire to music, they leapt at the chance to turn it into a catchy rap number ! However, the group also has its serious moments when creating original numbers !
We strongly advise you to go and see this group and we personally can't wait to attend their next concert and discover their new songs !
the link : www.myspace.com/reedntaaga
by Clémentine and Fanny