Sophie Demers

LJI Reporter

After weeks of work, the students of Madame Florence Neau’s grade 2 – 3 class presented their stories at the Lucy-Faris Library as part of the À Vos Crayons writing competition. 

Gathered around a table in the library on May 13, the students took their turns reading their stories. From a robot that can turn into a dinosaur on vacation in Mexico, to Easter bunnies that lost all the chocolate and many animals on various adventures, the students presented their written creations with enthusiasm.



À Vos Crayons is a competition organized by Gabrielle Rivest who brought to life Noah Langlois, a fellow young student’s idea of a local writing competition by partnering with the Lucy-Faris Library. 

Rivest wanted to encourage children to write and express themselves. “It’s a wonderful way for kids to express their creativity,” said Rivest, who hopes to make the contest an annual event. The contest was open to all kids in the area. There were very few parameters to be able to enter, kids could write whatever they wanted and let their imagination run wild. 

The participants entered a raffle for gift cards for the local bookstore Bouquinart. 

The works will be on display in the library until June 19.



Madame Florence is dedicated to developing her students’ desire to write and thought this contest was a wonderful opportunity to encourage them. Leading up the contest, she reads various children’s books to the students, which she states helps them develop their vocabulary and think of ideas for their own writing projects.



“From the start of the school year, I introduce writing rituals 2 or 3 times a week: in their free-writing journal, they can write using an image or their imagination,” said Madame Florence. “They like knowing that I don’t correct anything in their journal. They’re much less apprehensive about putting down their ideas. As the months go by, their confidence grows, their sentence structure improves, and their texts get longer. They can also illustrate their stories if they wish.”



Once a week they can read their creations to the class, which allows them to build their confidence and hear their peers’ stories. Along with the À Vos Crayons competition, the class’s literary creations will be presented at the school’s Salon du livre on June 17.



Photo: Madame Florence’s grade 2-3 class at the library presenting the stories they submitted to the À Vos Crayons writing competition (SD)

Photo: Sophie Demers