Mac Olsen
Express Staff
The French culture featured prominently at the Gala du Nord, held at the Centre Chevaliers in Falher during the evening of March 6.
Students of Ecole Heritage performed songs on stage, often with the guitar talents of Joel Lavoie, as well as other musicians. They sang songs in French and there were many examples of their artworks found throughout the hall. Joel Lavoie takes great pleasure in seeing the students’ talents shine brightly.
“As musical director for the ‘Gala du Nord’, it’s always a pleasure to see the work that all the kids put into the songs and music – and the art! – come to fruition on stage,” says Lavoie. “And then, to see the smiles and pride on the faces of the parents, friends and family after the show, it really fills me with joy.”
Principal Nicole Walisser offers similar sentiments.
“It was a very proud evening for École Héritage. To see our students celebrating their talents together, in French, is simply amazing. The Gala showcased the talents of our students in art, music, theatre and dance,” says Walisser. “The passion of the Café Nord-Ouest parents and Héritage teachers was evident – you could feel the energy in the room. This was a high-quality exposition of talent – our students were in the spotlight.”
Look for several videos of the concert performances on the Express’ Facebook page in the near future.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Ecole Heritage and some students created artworks to relfect the occasion. See one of the photos below for more.
A board member and project coordinator for CAFE Nord-Ouest, Sylvianne Maisonneuve, noted that this is the second year for this event and she is pleased with how it went.
“It was a smashing success, a veritable showcase of students’ artistic talents, be it musical or artistic.”




