Thil. Paul-Langevin students write a book with the help of three writers

When writer Laure Roldan, along with writers Serge Basso de March and Jeff Schinker, enter a classroom, it's always to talk about stories. Not the kind you read quickly, but the kind you write, the kind you construct with words and the momentum of an idea. That day, at Thil's school, it was the fifth-grade children who listened, guided by their teacher, Julie Renaud, and the headmistress, Virginie Perfetto.

Barely had the circle closed around the words than a project was already taking shape: to write a book, their book. The exercise was simple in appearance. Each student wrote down on a sheet an object, an animal, and a color. Then a draw was held. From two of the three elements drawn, sometimes incongruous, often surprising, the children had to invent a story. Like Clara: "Once upon a time, there was a mascot who was a turquoise blue cat." Enthusiasm took the organizers by surprise. Their imaginations began to run wild. Now they had to provide a framework.

Led by the Pays Haut-Val d'Alzette community of communes, the initiative quickly gained momentum . The goal was to create a real illustrated book. Each child drew a visual for their text. Then a graphic designer stepped in to design the cover, lay out the book, and even produce invitations for families, elected officials, and project partners: the principal of the secondary school Frédéric Bellucci, the academy inspector Lilian Stempert, departmental councilors Bruno Trombini and Annie Silvestri, as well as representatives of the CCPHVA and the municipality.

The publication of the book wasn't the end of the project. It was its crowning achievement. "Everything was thought out, organized, and executed by the students: preparing the toasts and cakes, setting the tables, welcoming the guests, serving, and even the final cleanup. They demonstrated a professionalism rare for their age, becoming the complete architects of their event," says Mayor Stéphan Brusco. Serge Basso de March, poet and co-host of the Atelier du Gueuloir, accompanied the young authors until the official presentation of the book, alongside the director and the mayor.