A classroom by the sea: A geopoetic voyage to the Magdalen Islands

In August 2024, our grade 7 and 8 students embarked on an educational adventure to the Magdalen Islands. For five days, they explored poetry, geography, Quebec culture and the challenges of climate change. Accompanied by their French teacher Mme Arsenault and their history-geography teacher Mme Lemay, our students were in for an unforgettable adventure.

The first day started with a visit to La Plage du Corfu where our students learned about the history behind the shipwreck of the same name. They then enjoyed a gastronomic experience and got to taste local dishes prepared by their hosts. The day ended with an authors’ circle experiment to share their thoughts on the trip so far. 

Next, the trip continued to Havre-Auvert island. Our students observed the firing of a trebuchet, a medieval artillery weapon. Local painter Joanne Ouellette was there to capture the scene in watercolour and took our students through her travel art journals. In the afternoon, our students took a tractor excursion along la Plage Sandy Hook beach and saw the famous Borgot Lighthouse.

The last day was full of cultural discoveries. Our students learned about how climate change is threatening the islands. They also took part in a watercolour workshop at La Grave with a local artist and visited a radio station, where they read the poems that they wrote during the trip. Have a listen here (in French only).

During their trip, our students learned about the challenges, the culture, arts, and geography of the islands. They had plenty of opportunity to write, sitting on the dunes with the beach as their classroom. Experiences like this are the cornerstone of our educational philosophy at The Study. What better way to learn than through hands-on experience?

A big thank you to Mme Lemay and Mme Arsenault for all their hard work to organize this trip!