The Eloquence Cup: AERN tells you all about it

Once again, our School is a source of surprises.

Today, it's the Coupe de l'Éloquence, whose rhythm and tradition had lost their way over the years, in the meanders of a groping modernity, and on the road to weekends, leading to TIKTOK, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK, the globalized triplets. This year, the Eloquence Cup will take place in the theater on the school's festive day, before an audience of students, alumni and parents present after lunch.

Behind this "revival" are Stéphane ROYO, General Secretary of the School, Marie-Odile GRINEVALD, drama teacher and artist applauded a thousand times on countless national stages, and the unconditional support of Kamran KHOSROVANI, President of AERN (Vallon 67- 72). It is he who will entrust Alain FÉLICIANO (Vallon 67-71) and Olivier MICHEL (Pins 71-74) with the organization and preparation of this project, initiated in early 2024.

We had to call for applications: a few daredevils came forward, some of whom, overwhelmed by stage fright as the weeks went by, left the adventure. Declaiming Victor HUGO, ZOLA and CICÉRON, mastering a dry throat, shortness of breath and a racing heart, is no mean feat. The best of them stayed on, gaining a taste for reading and improvisation, guided by Marie-Odile GRINEVALD's benevolence and "professional" remarks.

On our fourth visit, we were blown away by the performances of Monica, Gonzalo, Déa, Youri, Yasmina and Yacoov, whose native language is not French. Three months after their debut, they were speaking with ease, barely stumbling over a few words from classic texts that most French people don't know what they mean. We followed them closely as they improvised on themes close to their hearts.

Monica launches into women's rights, a very topical subject to say the least, followed by Déa who, without hesitation, describes the difference between nation and nationality. Youri launches into meritocracy, and the possibility of a social system in need of improvement. Gonzalo, with his studied gestures, imagines a fight against the corrupt people of the world who are impoverishing us. As for Yasmina, she wonders: "Is it better to succeed in life, or in one's own life? Yacov brilliantly plays on a personal experience to denounce injustice. He is self-confident (or almost), and determined in any case.

In this age of computers, text messages and snapshots, this challenge taken up by our young speakers at the Ecole des Roches is a sign of good health, and one that Edmond Demolins, founder of the Ecole des Roches, would have welcomed.