This weekend, the basketball section of the Gérard-Philipe de Fontaine college is heading back to New York.
Ten young people from the third class will fly away, carrying in their luggage excitement, smiles and enthusiasm. “It’s a great opportunity for us. We can’t wait to be there”, declare in one voice Romane, Précious and Mathias. United by their passion, they hope to enjoy the stay and express their gratitude to their teacher, Damien Bouillac.
On this week’s program: NBA matches, a visit to the immigration museum, Ellis Island and walks in this melting-pot city.
The college students will be welcomed in a school in Brooklyn. In the morning, they will share the school benches and in the afternoon, their love of basketball. All these exchanges will be presented at their third year oral under the theme of immigration.
A section created in 2019
The basketball section, the only one in the department, was created in 2019 when no club had been present in the town for several years. Today, it brings together 37 students and the club of which Damien Bouillac is president, 80 members, most of them young people. Its philosophy is to select young people from neighborhoods with athletic potential and to promote them. “If we can give these kids a reason to live and move forward, we will have won everything,” says the sports teacher. Moreover, the results are up to the ambitions since last year, the boys and girls made a third academic place, thus allowing the section to benefit from a certain notoriety and to set up ambitious projects such as this trip. A program that they have been preparing for a year, in particular the search for funding.
Thanks to public aid from the Department (Damien Bouillac thanks Anne-Sophie Chardon in particular) and the municipality of Fontaine, the budget has been completed. The parents paid the modest sum of 500 euros, per child. For these young people, a way to realize their dreams, so bon voyage to Romane, Précious, Mathias and their comrades.
