La Fête Française 2008

New timing – 9.00 till 10.45. New audience – Junior forms present throughout. Otherwise a similar format to the previous fêtes on this, our 26th year!

Happy expectation was bubbling as the CHC filled, to a French café sound, and the whole school responded to ‘Bonjour’. 3B sang Alouette (with Ollie Rockall as the unfortunate skylark) and Les Sept Jours. 3CW, also on the bird theme, delivered a short poem, Une Pie (a first for la Fête), and Mon Merle. Four volunteers from these forms had a ‘festivals’ puzzle to solve.

La Fête has to have the massed choirs of Form Four singing La Marseillaise! Another form quiz ensued. 5L played Au Clair de la Lune on their instruments and then sang it; Frère Jacques as a four part round came after. Four boys from Form Five had to be ‘models’ and ‘dressers’ for the next game – picking the right clothes from the pile: Jonny Charles holding up oversized jeans caused great hilarity!

5S, 6H and 6T together sang Le Pays Basque, an (edited) version of a rugby song. Questions for Form Six making words from letters given – and Form Seven making sums from number given – brought us to the 8H play.

The audience had been waiting eagerly for this! Aldro a du Talent was written by Jack Gault, Patrick Edmondes, Do-hun Kim and Matthew McWilliam.. Based on the TV programme, it showed competitors (recognisable as Aldro staff?) doing their party piece. Caspar Bayliss ably performed as Mr Aston: the three judges were introduced – Freddie Knottenbelt as ‘Lomby’, Patrick Edmondes as Mr Rose and Jack Gault (with Welsh flag and little sheep) as Mr Swan. The first competitor (Jon Hall as SL) had to dispense water as fast as possible but ‘she’ also checked the judges’ costumes were tucked in and their hands were clean! Nick Lee (DAS) with obligatory helmet and drill, made a chair that immediately collapsed, then Ashley Beddows (till only that morning walking with crutches) as DT staged an experiment which went wrong.

PD with pepsi was convincingly drawled by Dohun, followed by Matthew McWilliam’s DH whose ‘frisbee ultime’ flattened the judges! Anthony Parker (as DC) made the point with an umbrella full of ‘fiches bleues’ and Robert Zorab juggled the baby as Mr Thompson.

The judges, unimpressed by all the talent, awarded ‘Mr Tuddenham’ the prize - moments later the whole crew were blown up by another of his ‘expérience ratée! Many thanks to the 8H boys for a send up enjoyed by all.

The morning’s fun in French came to its last item: the year 8 quiz. The teams were –

8D 8R 8H
M Anton W Soulsby C Bayliss
T Savill A Foster R Zorab
F McGaw G Gilligan-Court J Gault

Monsieur’s sports round was a real challenge, as ever. The Kim’s Game round was a triumph for 8H (best score given by scorer Henry Thomas, under Mrs Hunter’s direction, in any Fête). Final scored 8D – 13, 8R – 17, 8H – 21.
Merci à tous les participants et à la prochaine!

SL