LARRY’S RIVER — It’s been a year since Guysborough County’s first French-language school chose a name that embodies the history and hopes of an entire community, and nearly three months since it flung open the doors of its new edifice to welcome a growing student body from Primary to Grade Nine. But École Belle-Baie’s principal, Nicole Avery-Bell, remains as excited as a kid on the first day of school.
“It’s been going beautifully,” she told The Journal last week, as she prepared for the school’s long-awaited official grand opening on Tuesday, March 4. “Honestly, it’s almost like – it’s a weird thing to say – but having been in a community hall last year, it forced us to become close because we were in one big room. All of a sudden, we moved into this beautiful new building, and we have many different spaces. Yet, we’ve found a way to maintain that kind of connectedness we created last year.”
Which only makes the cultural moment all the more poignant. Timed to coincide with French Education Week across the province – and amid the Acadian flags, balloons and bonhomie – it’s hard to miss the significance of years of grassroots advocacy, parent-driven campaigns and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial’s (CSAP) determined efforts to bring French-language education to the last Acadian region in Nova Scotia without a school.
On Monday (March 3), École Belle-Baie’s students and staff kicked off things with a raucous tintamarre, the traditional Acadian parade of joyful, unbridled noise. Tuesday’s grand opening featured speeches, guided tours for members of the public, student poetry readings and performances – including a song from Grade 10 student Kyle Delorey, whose musical talent earned him a spot in CSAP’s Étoiles concert last year.
Laughed Avery-Bell: “We want to make noise – literally and figuratively – to let people know we are here, we are proud, and we are growing ... There is an incredible pride because it really is not something that any of us ever thought we’d see happen. There’s pride because the building is beautiful, but also because it’s a real validation of our community ... finally.”
A long-overdue milestone
The journey certainly wasn’t an easy one. Before École Belle-Baie, students from this region – Larry’s River, Tor Bay, Charlos Cove and Port Felix – faced a three-hour round trip to the closest French school in Pomquet, making it tough for youngsters to hold on to their Acadian heritage. “To preserve and promote culture without the language being taught is difficult,” Jude Avery, a well-known local educator, historian and president of La Société Acadienne de Torbé, told The Journal last September. “The school gives us another tool to do just that.”
When it opened in Sept. 2023, the tiny academy operated out of the Larry’s River community centre, where it re-purposed a common area as a classroom. Still, demand was undeniable. By the time the new $5-million modular schoolhouse – funded under Nova Scotia’s school capital program – rose on a patch of nearby land in December 2024, the student body had grown from 16 to 21. The modern facility – with four full-time teachers – now boasts five classrooms, a staff room, office, reception area and washrooms, with room for expansion.
Reviving a language, reclaiming a culture
A cornerstone of the school’s mission, Avery-Bell said, is ensuring that Acadian identity is woven into every aspect of the curriculum. “There’s always a cultural component, even if it’s math or science. Our kids aren’t just learning French, they’re living Acadian culture every day.”
In one school-wide project underway, students of all ages have brainstormed elements of their Acadian heritage – from fishing and blueberry canning to historical connections with co-operative enterprises in the area – to create a mural that represents the economic and cultural history of the region. “We threw it to a parent, who is very artistic, and she designed something, and then she came back to the students who ‘yayed’ or ‘nayed’ [parts of] it,” Avery-Bell explained. “They’ve been working as a school community to paint the finished design. It will be on plywood, framed with wood from the original school in Larry’s River [until it was closed] around 1970-73.”
One feature – an anchor – resonates deeply for young and old, alike, she said. “Back in 1815 ... when a bishop from Quebec tried to convince people to leave and go to Isle Madame [in Cape Breton] ... our ancestors said, ‘we’ve thrown our anchor; we’re here to stay.’ That has become a motto for the Acadians of our region.”
Looking ahead
While the new modular schoolhouse is a big step in the right direction, the long-term vision remains a permanent brick-and-mortar school. “The province has full intentions for a permanent structure, but our numbers have to grow first,” Avery-Bell acknowledged. “We’re going to be fine here for the time being. We’re very fortunate to have [other] facilities, like in Guysborough – the Chedabucto Lifestyle Complex – for our phys. ed. [for example].”
Old and new challenges notwithstanding, the school’s impact is already being felt outside the classroom and the sense of accomplishment in Larry’s River is undeniable. “This is an opportunity for the kids in that school to be able to learn in their own language and give back to the community,” CSAP’s Director of Communications, Stephanie Comeau, said. “This is a feel-good story.”
Closer to home, Avery-Bell described a winning atmosphere of intergenerational engagement, where parents and elders are rekindling their connection to their language through their children. “We never lost the culture and identity, but over the decades the language was very much lost. With this building, we’re taking it back.”
That’s the real gift, she said. “It’s like, ‘Hey, we really have arrived.’”
