Classes Duo Paris / New England
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Classes Duo Paris / New England is a cross-cultural exchange program organized between an elementary school in Paris and an elementary school in Brattleboro, Vermont, with 22 students participating. It features the life and work of Carole Denise Fredericks, an African-American woman who relocated to Paris in 1979 and became a pop music legend. It began in September 2020.
Due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, only Maurice Rouvier Elementary School in Paris has been able to implement the planned program to date. The French students were only able to meet the U.S. students once during the course of the 2020/2021 academic year.
Rouvier students researched Fredericks on line and created “Leçon Blues” – a short video documentary about her life. As part of their research, they crossed the city to visit the 18th arrondissement, where Carole lived and is buried. They stood before her apartment building and read the plaque that was installed in her honor, and they visited her gravesite at Montmartre cemetery. Read the school’s account of this field trip (in French and English) here: Visite 19 mai – Montmartre.
Carole Denise Fredericks – Commemorative Plaque
Image courtesy of Entrée to Black Paris
Carole Denise Fredericks – Gravesite at Montmartre Cemetery
Image courtesy of the Carole D. Fredericks Foundation
During the 2021-2022 academic year, an even younger cohort of 21 Maurice Rouvier students (CP level – 6 years old) learned about Carole D. Fredericks, once again through the medium of film. Rouvier instructors created a second video featuring the children singing Fredericks’ songs at various locations in the city. This video also features footage of the children interacting with Fredericks’ sister, Connie Fredericks-Malone, in Paris.
Photo Gallery of Classes Duo Sessions and Screenings
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L’Entrepot – local Paris cinema – venue for 24 November 2021 Leçon Blues screening
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Invitation to November 2021 Leçon Blues screening
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24 November 2021 – Maurice Rouvier students arrive at cinema
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24 November 2021 – Audience getting seated for the screening
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24 November 2021 – Beginning of film – Connie Fredericks-Malone expresses her thanks
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24 November 2021 – Interview with Carole D. Fredericks as shown in Leçon Blues
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24 November 2021 – Rouvier students leaving the cinema
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24 November 2021 – Monique Y. Wells (center) with Maurice Rouvier educators Nicolas Roux (left) and Aurélien Rudelle (right)
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Maurice Rouvier Elementary School – banner
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13 April 2022 – Maurice Rouvier students meet Connie Fredericks-Malone for the first time
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13 April 2022 – Maurice Rouvier students make poster for Connie Fredericks-Malone
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13 April 2022 – Students surprise Connie Fredericks-Malone with gifts
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13 April 2022 – Connie Fredericks-Malone models one of her gifts – a new beret
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13 April 2022 – Connie Fredericks-Malone autographs cups for students
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13 April 2022 – Video session in Maurice Rouvier courtyard during Connie Fredericks-Malone visit
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13 April 2022 – Experimenting with pigmented powders during video session
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8 June 2022 – Rouvier educator Aurélien Rudelle and Connie Fredericks-Malone sing with Rouvier students prior to video screening
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8 June 2022 – Students watching scene from Petit Ceinture segment of 2022 Maurice Rouvier video
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Scene from 2022 Maurice Rouvier video – House of the Rising Sun 1
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Scene from 2022 Maurice Rouvier video – House of the Rising Sun 2
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Scene from 2022 Maurice Rouvier video – Students meet Connie Fredericks-Malone for the first time
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Scene from 2022 Maurice Rouvier video – Connie Fredericks-Malone, Jim Malone, and Rouvier student
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Scene from 2022 Maurice Rouvier video – Students with Jim Malone and Connie Fredericks-Malone at the Petit Ceinture
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Scene from 2022 Maurice Rouvier video – Respire
Classes Duo Paris / New England is a collaboration among the Wells International Foundation, CASPE 6/14 of the City of Paris (Déclic Langues program), and the Carole D. Fredericks Foundation.