Ecole libre Saint-François Régis: The Retoric Class

Figure 1.--By the time the boys reached the Retoric class, most were wearing long trousers. At least one of the younger boys on the staircase wears shorts, although they can not be seen in this photograph.

This photograph shows the senior or retoric class at the Ecole libre Saint-François Régis about 1935.

The Form

I believe this was the senior form at the school. Except for a few younger boys, presumably especially bright lads, the boys look to be about 17 or 18 years of age. Notice that this class is noticeably smaller than the junior forms. This is because that school attendance was not mandatory and several boys had dropped out of school by this time. As it was a private Catholic school, probably fewer boys had dropped out than was common in the state system where school attendance was only mandatory through age 14. Most of these boys would be preparing for entry to university.

Baccalaureat

Presently the baccalaureat (bac) in French schools is quite divided in a lot of options. [HBC note: So as not to confuse HBC readers, the baccalaureat degree is a certificate of accomplish awarded to secondary students. It is roughly equivalent to an American highschool diploma, but is achieved by taking a test in a specific subject area. A student receiving a Baccalaureat would generally have a higher level of academic achievement than an Amercan secondary student receiving a diploma.] In 1935 there were fewr options and the baccalaureat was a simplier procedure. The pupils had Rhetoric (now it would be the Literacy), Philosophy, and Mathématiques élémentaires. So students in their last year had to specialize and to decide which bac to pass and to go to the form corresponding to the appropriate bac. Some students passed several bacs e.g. one year the Rhetoric and next year Math Elem. This could also explain why some students look so grown-up.

Figure 2.--While most of the boys wore long pants suits, one boy at the right in the second row wears knickers--albeit very long knickers. Note his fashionable center part.

Clothing

Most of the boys are wearing suits for their class photograph. The suits look different from those worn by the junior boys. There are some bold stripes and other patterns. Some boys wear ties and look quite adult, most boys, however, wear open collars as was more common in the junior forms. The boys are mostly wearing long pants suits, but one boy at the right in the second wears is wearing a knicker suit. His knickers are quite long, almost reaching his ankles.

In the Rhetoric class one boy seems to be much younger than the others are. He is wearing shorts, although they are not visible because he is on the steps at the rear. He is visible again in the "Les Congreganistes photo".

Created: November 13, 1999
Last updated: November 15, 1999