24 fifth-grade students from the Arènes de Cimiez school visited the Municipal Council Hall at the Nice city hall on Monday, April 14, 2014.
Citizenship Education is a necessary duty that every citizen must learn by heart. Thus, Nice city hall regularly hosts young students for civic education classes. It was thanks to a parent’s suggestion that the Arènes de Cimiez School came up with the idea to organize this civic instruction class in the municipal council hall.
During the municipal elections, these students worked with their teacher, Maud Perfettini, on the election of the mayor, his role, as well as that of his deputies and municipal councilors. To illustrate their theory, they were welcomed by Lauriano Azinheirinha, Deputy Delegate for Education and School Catering, who personally gave them a civic instruction lesson.
In the municipal council hall, he discussed with the young students all the themes related to citizenship, such as voting, their rights and duties, the rules that govern life in society, and also the meaning of the general interest.
On these points, the young students didn’t just listen. In their own way, they created a debate by multiplying questions: How does the City Hall function? In the event of the death of a municipal councilor, who replaces them? And what if the Mayor no longer wishes to be Mayor?…
Every question found an answer, even the most curious ones that sometimes sparked good humor in the room. To close the session, Lauriano Azinheirinha offered them books to enrich their knowledge about how their city functions.
In this small group, few students imagine working at the city hall one day, but that didn’t stop them from showing interest in everything they learned about their city. “I learned a lot of things I didn’t know, and I’ll use it to fulfill my duty as a good citizen,” commented one student, delighted by this outing that was both educational and civic.
