Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx: middle school students in the footsteps of history in Alsace-Lorraine

The Defense class of the François Truffaut college took a trip to Alsace-Lorraine from May 12 to 17, 2025, marking the students with the places visited and the stories discovered.

Since 2013, François Truffaut College has had a ^9th grade class labeled "Defense Class." This project is based on a close connection with National Defense and the duty of remembrance.

It's the ^3rd 3/3 class, made up of young girls and boys, bringing together students who are all volunteers. Some wanted to participate "because in this class we talk more about History", another "I've been thinking about it since 6th ^grade : for the actions we do to bear witness to the last world wars in France" finally another specifies "in this class I have a feeling of belonging and then I like what we do there, like Tuesdays with the flag ceremony".

These middle school students expressed their enthusiasm for experiencing this year together. Each year, they undertake a trip to remember their past. This year's trip was titled "Alsace-Lorraine, a troubled destiny in the heart of Europe."

From May 12 to 17, 2025, they spent six days visiting Alsace's memorial sites. For many, this trip was a discovery of a region deeply marked by wars, occupations, and attachments to either France or Germany. They were marked by certain places and by the situations experienced by young people barely older than them in the last century. These memorial visits clearly anchored strong memories for these young middle school students for a long time to come.

They also enjoyed the museums that described combat living conditions, weaponry, and means of protection. With their teacher Jean Samuel Barria, an Air Force reservist, they welcomed retired General Buisson, a representative of the Souvenir Français association, who financed part of their trip to Alsace, in Gascon. Indeed, the students had conducted various sales activities throughout the year to finance this trip, but they needed this help, as well as that of the Saint-André garage owner who regularly supports them, to travel to the other end of France.