At Union School, we believe that education goes far beyond the classroom. That’s why we have the pleasure of regularly welcoming inspiring personalities from a wide variety of backgrounds, working in fascinating professions and fully embodying the values we hold dear: excellence, caring, team spirit, trust and passion.
These guests, be they artists, craftsmen, scientists, entrepreneurs or sportspeople, come to share their careers and their exceptional achievements with our students. Their passion, determination, curiosity and creativity are all inspiring examples that feed children’s imaginations and show them that wonders can be achieved through hard work and perseverance.
By opening a window on the world and sparking vocations, these encounters are a wonderful opportunity to awaken the passions and strengthen the aspirations of young minds.
We had the immense privilege of welcoming Lionel Prud’homme and Barbara Gintz, both master leather artisans working for Maison Hermès (Atelier Harmonie). Lionel is the long-standing foreman and a historic figure within the House.
With Lionel and Barbara, we discussed the origins of Hermès and its history. We also talked about the origins of leather, the different types of leather, and discovered the history of the famous Russian leather, also known as Volynka leather. They explained to your children what the profession of saddler-leatherworker entails, of course – we also discovered that one of our students’ mothers had passed her CAP (vocational training certificate) in saddlery and leatherworking a few years ago – but also the difference between the techniques of saddlery and leatherworking. Our duo recounted the genesis of an object which, before being manufactured in small batches, gives rise to a “recipe book” written by the artisans of the Atelier Harmonie, recipes which are then passed on (the Passation) to the artisans of the workshop designated for production; they also explained how a workshop operates, the rules of the Prix de l’Adresse, and much more.
They spoke to us about Excellence, Kindness, Team Spirit and Solidarity, four of Union School’s core values, which they embody wonderfully.
Also striking was their humility, their profound kindness and their generosity. All this was expressed using a very specific vocabulary, that of the family.
Once again, your children were extraordinarily attentive, and their questions showed how captivated they were. They all touched linen thread, smelled beeswax, and experienced the different textures of leather. And now we all know why the boxes are that legendary orange colour.
They were also extremely spoiled. You all found a little fish, a rabbit, a giraffe, a rhinoceros, and who knows what else, made of coloured leather, in their bags.
John Nollet came to share his passion for hair, talk about his career and share his achievements and dreams !
Amélie Poulain‘s haircut, it’s him, Jack Sparrow’s haircut, him again. Attention was at an all-time high, and the questions were extremely numerous and detailed. It was an immense pleasure and honor to welcome him ! A first for him ! Well done to our students for their curiosity, attention and enthusiasm. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to John Nollet, a unique moment of transmission !
November 2024 will live long in our memories. He had never done it before, but agreed to do it for Union School: Alain Ducasse came to meet our students!
It is impossible to recount this morning in just a few words, as we were unanimously dazzled by the generosity, humility, curiosity, speed, agility and creativity of this immense ‘collector of stars’!
Alain Ducasse is yet another committed pioneer who, not content with cooking on land, at sea and in space (!), has also been campaigning for a very long time for ‘less salt, less sugar, less animal protein.’ ‘Less and better’ to protect our health and the planet, and to enable all human beings to eat properly at a modest price. For these reasons, research into the as yet unknown resources of the very deep waters of our seas and oceans is of great interest to him.
‘Better and faster’ is another of his mantras. He was bored in the classroom, and later left the hotel school for the same reason, but in the end he created his own campuses from which people graduate twice as fast as elsewhere.
All this covers just a tiny part of the fascinating career of this fascinating man, who at the age of 27 was the only survivor of a tragic plane crash which, in his own words, ‘de-socialised’ him for two years, but you will have understood that we all had an AMAZING time!
It was love at first sight that prompted us to invite Lauren and Igor, the pair behind Ex-Libris Paris.
Their personalities are out of the ordinary and their talent as mad as their minds! Lauren, always top of her class with a magnificent 20/20 average in her baccalauréat, and Igor, dyslexic and having hated his schooling.
In love, they decided to combine their talents to bring ex-libris up to date. We talked to them about the history of ex-libris, the different materials used and the symbols they can contain. Fascinating stuff!
INOUBLIABLE! Exceptional and wonderful. Three words to describe this morning during which our schoolchildren – thanks to Mathieu Lehanneur’s profound kindness and immense generosity – were able to carry the Olympic Torch!
They were the first, and probably the only, to do so, long before our great champions. Crazy!
The work of this award-winning designer was also explained to the children. From his Therapeutic Objects exhibited at the MOMA, to the furniture found in his Factory, to his favourite creation: *Demain est un autre jour* (Tomorrow is another day).
Mathieu talked about the origins of the Olympic torch, the symbols it contains, and the reasons for its shape and colour.
The children also got a taste of his humour. Some expected to find him ‘hiding in a bush’ on the opening night of the Paris 2024 Games, making sure that ‘his’ cauldron – the design of which remained a secret until D-Day – was working properly!
Gaël Rivière was born blind on Reunion Island. After graduating at the top of his class, he became a lawyer and now works in one of the most prestigious law firms in Paris.
At the same time, he continued to train in blind soccer – blind 5-a-side soccer – until he won a silver medal with the French national team at the London Games in 2012.
When he came to talk to our students about his disability, his career and his passion, Gaël had not yet won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! And he did! Our students were able to touch that famous silver medal with him – a very heavy one – and exchange a few balls blindfolded.
In keeping with our common theme of sport and the Olympic Games Paris 2024, we also welcomed Benjamin de Oliveira Silva.
Benjamin is a breakdancer, one of the Olympic disciplines for the first time. It was in this capacity that he choreographed the show organised for the Olympic medal ceremony.
Benjamin is also a Street Artist and has what he describes as two superpowers: he is colour-blind and dyslexic. His visit gave us the opportunity to enjoy an extraordinary collective breakdance session in Assembly to music composed by his friend Julien Lepreux, M.U.Y.M!
For obvious safety reasons, we can’t reveal the name of the wonderful fighter pilot who shared his adventures with our students.
B’s childhood dream? To become a fighter pilot. What was he told? “You’ll never make it because you’re not good enough at maths…” But B didn’t give up, worked harder than the others, and his very good level of English helped him. Out of 7,000 applicants to the École de l’Air at the time, he was one of only 13 selected.
B came in his helmet and pilot’s uniform, recounted various missions, explained how he had slept in his parachute suspended from tree trunks in the desert to avoid scorpion stings, talked about the small rations of fresh water with which he had been dropped in the middle of the Atlantic for training, etc.
The whole school hung on his every word, listening religiously.
An exceptional moment!
At the age of 17, number 1 in the world in karate in the 16/18 age category, 5-time French champion and European medalist, Lucas was also the brilliant student he is today: a year ahead of his time, baccalauréat with honours, and Sciences-Po Paris.
He is now a member of the French national team and a two-time bronze medalist at the world championships. Lucas left a lasting impression on the children, making himself totally available to answer their questions.
Of course, he also gave karate and hip hop demonstrations, which he danced wonderfully.
You don’t call yourself a former Navy SEAL because you are one for life. Our students had the exceptional opportunity to talk to JD, a Navy SEAL, and find out.
They were also able to appreciate the extreme difficulty of the physical tests required to become a SEAL, and the values held by these exceptional soldiers.
JD also devised a number of games designed to make them realize the importance of the team and the need to help each member of the team perform at his or her best to achieve the best possible collective result.
A lesson.
We were extremely fortunate to welcome Chloé Hoffmann, a student at the highly prestigious American Ballet Theater, to our Assembly.
A future professional dancer, Chloé was 15 at the time and still lives in New York. Winner of Prodiges at the age of 10, she entered the Ballet School and twice finished 3rd at the Youth America Grand Prix. In 2020, she starred in Cédric Klapish’s beautiful film ‘En corps’.
To say that Chloé is eminently inspiring for all our young students is an understatement. She answered all their questions with grace, joy, and humility.
Chloé needs support to enable her to finance the 4-year American Ballet Theater program. If she is to receive a full scholarship for her studies, Chloé needs to be able to find accommodation and food, and be reunited with her family a few times a year. She needs our help! Here is a link to help her pursue her dream.
Anne is extremely generous in sharing the story of her father, René Goscinny, the fabulous scriptwriter of Asterix, Lucky Luke, and so many others.
With her, we learned that René Goscinny drew before he wrote, but that his work never found the slightest echo, that he achieved his exceptional success only later on, and that he invented a profession that didn’t exist before him: that of comic book scriptwriter.
How inspiring for our students!
