Photo credit : Hardik Korat
Le Bac Celebrates 35 Years
Left to right : Maxine McKenzie-Cox , Lace Marie Brogden ( former director ), Claire St . Cyr-Power , Karen Leniczek , Laurie Carlson Berg ( current director ) and Lynette Nishnik
Bac Bash Extraordinaire : Bac 35-year Homecoming and Partnership Celebration
Bac Bash — Extraordinaire Since the first group of Bac students graduated from the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina in 1987 , the Bac Program has been celebrating graduations « en français ». In 1997 , a special 10th anniversary celebration was held , known to graduates of Le Bac as the Bac Bash . The 2018 Bac Bash Extraordinaire celebration had an extra flair as Le Bac commemorated not only its 35th anniversary but also 35 years of partnership with the Université Laval in Québec City .
A time of celebration The second of June was a very special occasion for Bac alumni and friends . In the afternoon , St . Kateri Tekakwitha and Harbour Landing schools opened their doors to alumni , family , and friends for class photos and tours of the new schools . In the evening , nearly onequarter of Le Bac ’ s alumni and friends gathered for the Bac Bash Extraordinaire , which began with a meal and was followed by a series of speakers and a lively dance . Dr . Tom Chase brought greetings and congratulations on behalf of the University of Regina . Next , Acting Dean Dr . Andrea Sterzuk , a graduate of Le Bac , conveyed words of congratulations from the Faculty of Education and told her story of growing up as a Core French student in rural Saskatchewan and how Le Bac changed her life . Current Bac students interviewed alumni throughout the evening and posted stories of how Le Bac changed the lives of both its alumni and personnel ( see www . facebook . com / le . bac . 5264382 ). Bac graduate and faculty member Claire St . Cyr-Power offered words of thanks to La Cité for providing French-speaking spaces and community to Bac students . Tributes were made to former Bac directors Louis Julé , Nancy Fraser Child , Bernard Laplante and Lace Marie Brogden . As current Bac Director , I thanked alumni for their ongoing support and invited attendees to join with other alumni in supporting the new Bourse de recrutement des Anciennes et des Anciens du Bac / Bac Alumni Entrance Award . Guests gathered for the cake cutting and then enthusiastically danced until 11 p . m .
Historical context Le Bac first opened its doors to teacher education students in 1983 . Historically , this was a bold move for the Faculty of Education , the University of Regina , and the Government of Saskatchewan . According to Poliquin ( 1997 , as cited in Boutouchent & Carlson Berg , 2018 ), 1 while the Northwest Territories Act of 1875 made it possible for communities to establish schools in the language of their choice , the conscription crisis of World War I pitted English Canadians and French Canadians against each other . In the years following the first world war , the Ku Klux Klan publicly demanded linguistic unity and denounced French Canadians as disloyal . Instruction in French was rendered illegal in Saskatchewan in 1931 through Bill 31 , which was presented as a way of reinforcing national cohesion . It would take nearly 40 years for Bill 31 to be repealed following approval of the federal Official Languages Act in 1969 . The same year , the first French Immersion school opened in Regina .
1 Boutouchent , F ., & Carlson Berg , L .( 2018 , May ). L ' éducation en
français en Saskatchewan a un avenir prometteur . Paper presented at the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics Conference , Congress 2018 , Regina , SK .
By the early 1980s , provinces outside Québec had an urgent need for Frenchspeaking teachers ( Julé and Tétreault , 1993 ). In 1981 , the University of Regina Board of Governors gave its approval to expand offerings in the Faculty of Education to educate teachers for designated schools ( Francophone ). Creation of Le Bac also provided Frenchspeaking teachers for French Immersion and Core French classrooms . Le Bac has been an integral part of the Faculty of Education since its inception , offering the only French language teacher education program in Saskatchewan .
Today , there is still a chronic lack of French-speaking teachers throughout Canada . Le Bac has doubled its enrolment since 2010 and is experiencing its highest enrolment in the program ’ s history . So , while challenges remain , celebrating the program ’ s continuity and its solid partnership with the Université Laval helps raise awareness of our program and fosters alumni support .
A longstanding partnership From the beginning , Le Bac has collaborated with the Université Laval in Quebec City . Students enrolled in the 4-year Baccalauréat en éducation française do their second year of studies at Université Laval . Bac students doing the B . A ./ B . Ed . do their third year of study in Quebec City . This historic partnership provides Bac students a year of study in a French majority language culture . The year at Université Laval , along with Le Bac ’ s ongoing individual tutoring , enable students to develop a strong mastery of French language and cultures in order to serve children and youth within and beyond Saskatchewan ’ s borders in three different language contexts : Core French , French Immersion , and Francophone schools . Through internships in Quebec City , Bac students have the opportunity to get to know Quebec curricula , a unique opportunity to be able to compare and contrast different ways of conceptualizing teaching in Canada . Le Bac wishes to thank its university and alumni partners who helped to make our 35-year homecoming a success !
By Laurie Carlson Berg Director , Le Bac
Members of the Bac Bash organizing committee : Karen Leniczek and Tara Dryburgh ( Regina Public ), Carrie Vany , Natalie Mitchell and Paulette Belisle ( Regina Catholic ), Linda Osborne ( Ministry of Education ), Florina Catusanu , Jan Devitt , and Lucie Anderson ( Équipe du Bac ).
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