Maya RachailThursday, October 15, 2015
MEETING FOR WORSHIP 14/10
Wed. 14/10
The meeting for Worship* took pace in the amphitheater in Shallcross Hall at 9:50, we were all looking forward to that moment we had never seen before but to be honest we were also kind of nervous because it was all new for us.
When we got into the room, everyone was remaining quiet which created a really special atmosphere in this huge room.
The 10th and the 11th graders, the teachers and the principal (and obviously us) were gathered there.
All our partner told us to be quiet and we stayed with our French friends to make that moment funnier so they stayed with their friends too.
The most disturbing thing was that we never knew when it was starting. But about 10 minutes later, a student stood up and talked about baseball, 4 students took the floor after him about different subjects (the stress for applying to college, the accomplishment of our goals in life, the real meaning of Colombus Day, and the fact of being humble).
We thought that it was very brave to speak to a crowd of people about your feelings, otherwise it made us feel really uncomfortable to be silent during 40 minutes with so many people around us.
Nevertheless, we were more open-minded after that experience, it made us understand Quaker values a bit more.
*"Worship" means practicing a religion, Friend's Central school is a Quaker school so they have this weekly event which is on Wednesday. This meeting doesn't take place in a church or a religious building, no one prays. That moment is dedicated to the students who can express themselves (they talk about their feelings, something that makes them happy or philosophical thoughts)
<- Quaker symbol.
This is Friends' Central School seal.
They all have a meaning:
- The scale: equality and justice
- The dove and the olive branch: peace
- The shaking hands : fraternity, brotherhood, and friendship
- The dove and the olive branch: peace
- The shaking hands : fraternity, brotherhood, and friendship
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Impressions of Philadelphia: Landmarks and Architecture
Inside this city we were impressed by the number of traffic lights and clusters of tower blocks and skyscrapers. Outside the city, in the suburban areas, we find clusters of individual houses and each neighborhood has the same style but there aren’t any skyscrapers.
In the city center of Philly, the old and modern styles of architecture are mixed in perfect harmony. Some museums and art buildings belong to the neo-classical style.
‘L’église de la Madeleine dans Paris’ = ‘Museum of Art’
Benjamin Franklin Parkway was built by the same method that Napoleon used to remake the Paris boulevard plan in the 19th century.
The city is split into different parts, including the Historical Center, the Civic Center, the Central Business District and other neighborhoods like Chinatown where we find Asian food. 
Tuesday, October 13th
National Constitution Center
We visited the National Constitution Center and went to the City Hall; both places are in the city center of Philadelphia .
The National Constitution Center is an institution which gives us information and explanations about the United States Constitution; it is also a way to teach American citizens more about the Constitution, the birth of the U.S and the historic circumstances of its birth. It opened on the 4th of July 2003, on the national holiday so there is a real relation between this place and the early stages of U.S history.
City Hall
City Hall is located in the center of Philly; it was built between 1871 and 1901 and was the tallest building in all Pennsylvania until 1932, and until 1987 in Philly because there was an unofficial law which said that you couldn’t build a taller building than City Hall. Now it is the 16th highest building in Philly. At the top, there is a bronze statue of William Penn who was the founder of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia; it is the biggest statue atop any building in the world : it is 11,3 m (37 ft.) and it weighs 27 tons.
OUTSIDE CITY HALL
INSIDE CITY HALL
Gaëtan DAVEAU Guillaume CRITTOGAMO
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia. The bell today is located in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park.
According to people, the bell would have rung after the signature of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
A ranger told us about the Liberty Bell’s history. That was very interesting. We learned a lot of things like how the bell cracked. A movie was available for people who wanted to learn more about this iconic place.
By David and Lucas
Independence Hall
Independence Hall is the place where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. This building belongs to the UNESCO. The architectural style of Independence Hall is Georgian.
By Lucas and David.
Impression about Friends'Central School
Friends’ Central School is a school founded in 1845. The school is situated in Wynnewood near Philadelphia. The institution was created by Quakers and has a really good reputation because of its high level of education and its privileged social background.
The school is also very big, it’s a real campus : there are several buildings and installations. We were all amazed by the beautiful environment of the school! Class in America is also different from French classes : most of students do not have notebooks but ipads, students do a lot of group works and there is a lot of interactions betweeen students and teachers.
FCS is composed of several buildings, each building represents each subject. In fact there are seven buildings including the gym.
This school lets its students the possibility to practice a lot of different sports, the campus has four courts of tennis, two soccer court, a gym where student can practice basket-ball and volley-ball, a baseball court and a swimming pool.
So Friends’ Central School gives a lot of possibilities to its students, and a really perfoming cursus.
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