Coppélia Laroche-Francoeur
École secondaire De Rochebelle

“Commitment is my driving force. Every morning, I feel like going to school because I know I can help make it a more enjoyable and stimulating place!” These refreshing words, spontaneously offered by Coppélia LaRoche-Francoeur, sum up the Secondary 5 student at De Rochebelle high school’s distinctive joie de vivre. Member of the student council, the Action planète committee, the sports committee, the school band and the basketball team (captain), she is involved in just about every student association. “When you get involved, it’s impossible not to be happy!”

Some may speak of sacred fire but Coppélia prefers to talk of responsibility when it comes to commitment. “I soon came to realize that you can’t just wait around for others to do things for you,” admits Coppélia, who is enrolled in an international studies program. “It’s the same at school. I said to myself that by getting involved, both in school policy and various committees, I could put my energy towards improving student life.” And Coppélia has more than her fair share of energy. Among other things, as the representative of her year, she organizes student activities during holidays as well as theme weeks, promotes these activities, tours the classrooms to garner student feedback and provide information, and chairs the committee’s different meetings.

And it’s the same story when it comes to her involvement with the student council for her pavilion and again with the Action planète committee. As part of Action planète, in addition to participating in all the awareness campaigns, Coppélia put her artistic talents to good use to support environmental causes. “I designed logos that have been posted above the light switches and faucets throughout the school to remind everyone not to let the water run for nothing and to turn off the lights. A small, tangible gesture that has had a positive impact.”

The Des ados et des passions project is another of Coppélia’s concrete actions. Accompanied by eight fellow students, she prepared and carried out a tour of the region’s elementary schools in order to explain all about high school and how it works to sixth grade students and host discussions on the subjects that make them tick. The project was such a success that the instigators produced an information video intended for other high schools, inviting them to set up their own similar type of project.

Another tangible example of Coppélia’s determination to provide information and share her concerns is her work with the mental health committee. As the only student representative on the committee, Coppélia takes her role to heart. “I have to accurately express the needs of teenagers so that we can focus on the main concerns among students. Based on this knowledge, we host activities and organize talks. We raise public awareness of issues that affect teenagers and we try to invite the appropriate resource persons here to the school so that young people know where they can go to find help if they need it.” Coppélia is forever striving to do more and, for her own personal project for the international studies program, chose to organize an event focused on homelessness. “I believe that my personal project is a nice way of carrying out an activity that will have a positive impact and will be more than simply a grade on my report card,” she asserts. Thanks to the event, which will presented in the form of a show bringing together street youth, marginal people and students from the school, Coppélia hopes to show that, by using structured activities, it is indeed possible to help young people break free from the vicious circle of isolation. The show will take place in May 2010 on the square in front of Saint-Roch church and all the profits will be donated to the Fondation Saint-Roch.

“I am convinced that my involvement can help bring about change. All the little gestures make a difference and this is what I do my utmost to accomplish. I also encourage all those around me to get involved and believe in what they do,” the young student asserts with enthusiasm.

Coppélia Laroche-Francoeur
École secondaire De Rochebelle