These selected archives are in chronological order.
People in photos will be identified here, but there will not be any commentary regarding views expressed in any article. Most papers, both internal and external to St. Lambert, correctly refer to the parents going to McGill University for support for their immersion proposal.Indeed, Dr. Lambert of McGill was the first person we approached with our proposal. When a paper claims that we received help from McGill for setting up the immersion program, this is incorrect, as I described in my main article. Over the years, this pervasive belief built up to the point where even the school board that originally housed the St. Lambert experiment was temporarily taken in.
More archives may be added at a later date.
Between 1964 and 1972, the parents were involved in nearly all aspects of the pilot project in St. Lambert – from developing the model to supporting it in its early years. The immersion program grew from 26 students in 1965 to 45,000 in 1977, (Figures for enrolment, here and later, were provided by David O. Johnston, Quebec Representative of the Federal Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.)
Between 1977 and 1991, the number of students in the bilingual programs grew impressively from 45,000 to 300,000, as the program was introduced and institutionalized across Canada. The St. Lambert parents were no longer actively involved, but the South Shore communities as a whole supported the program with increasing levels of enrolment. The program’s humble origins were starting to be recalled, and the anniversaries of the pilot program were actively celebrated, bringing together founding parents, teachers, administrators, and children of the pilot project. The thirtieth anniversary honoured Mme. Billey-Lichon in a special way for her thirty years of teaching in the immersion program. Valerie, Murielle, and I each gave a short speech.
1968-12-04 – Article – South Shore Echo1969-05-30 – Letter – Joss to Neale1969-11-19 – Letter – OM to Members of French Committee1970-12-03 – Gazette Article
The fortieth anniversary in 2006 brought together the founding parents with McGill professors, Dr. Wallace Lambert and Dr. Fred Genesee, at a celebration sponsored by the Riverside School Board. Valerie was represented by her grandson, Benjamin Blanchard. Dr. Lambert gave a speech recalling his experience in St. Lambert, and the two professors presented us with attractive, hand-designed certificates that had been prepared by the Board. [Dr. Lambert passed away in 2009.]
1996 – Article – St Lambert Echo2006 – 40th Anniversary – Gazette article2006-03-22 – 40th Anniversary – Dr. Fred Genesee, McGill University and OM2006-03-22 – Dr. Lambert, Murielle Parkes, Olga Melikoff, and Benjamin Blanchard, grandson of Valerie Neale2006-03-22 – Olga Melikoff and Murielle Parkes
2006-03-23 – Gazette article
2006-03-20 – Article – Gazette – French Immersion Changed Canada2006-03-25 – Gazette – Letters (including from Victor Goldbloom)
From 1991 to 2011, immersion enrolment grew from 300,000 to 340,000, and, by 2018, it was approximately 400,000.
In the spring of 2016 the fiftieth anniversary of the pilot project was celebrated in style by both “The Canadian Parents for French” and the Riverside School Board. Murielle and I went to the Ottawa celebration on Parliament Hill with Murielle’s daughter, Debbie, and two of Valerie’s daughters, Laurie and Ardeth Neale. The breakfast was well attended by the CPF membership. Film clips of early immersion scenes and accounts by immersion graduates from different parts of the country were viewed on screen. St. Lambert was represented by Nancy White who gave a speech on her experience in the pilot class.
To their fiftieth celebration, the Riverside School Board invited David Johnston of the Commission of Bilingualism and Bicultural to give an address, as they did Murielle and myself. Murielle gave a short history of our project, and I showed two bulky volumes of our archives, which I had started to collate.
The Riverside School Board honoured the late Mme. Billey-Lichon, as appreciated teacher, and Murielle, Valerie, and myself, as immersion founders, with a permanent plaque that will hang in the Riverside School Board offices.
On November 20, 2016, Murielle and I were invited to a symposium at Vanier College on the future of French immersion, during which Murielle was interviewed by Marian Scott of The Gazette.
In October, 2018, Trafalgar School for Girls, Montreal, which I attended from 1940 to 1942, named me a “2018 Scholar & Explorer” for my work in bilingual education.
On November 1, 2018, Murielle and I were unexpectedly honoured by the QCGN (Quebec Community Groups Network) with the Sheila and Victor Goldbloom Distinguished Community Service Award..
2016-04 – Invitation CPF2016-04-15 – Riverside invitation to 50th anniversary press conference2016-04-06 – CPF celebrates 50 years of Immersion2016-04-06 – CPF Breakfast – Front row, left to right: Lesley Llewelyn – Riverside School Commissioner, Olga Melikoff, Murielle Parkes, Debbie Parkes (Murielle’s daughter) – Back row, left to right: Pierre Farmer, Assistant Director-General Riverside School Board, Dan Lamoureux, Chairman Riverside School Board, Laurie Neale and Ardeth Neale (Valerie Neale’s daughters)2016-05-04 – Program – 50th Anniversary – Riverside School Board2016-05-04 – Plaque in honour of the “Founding Mothers”2016-05-18 – Letter from OM to Jane Dunant – Riverside School Board2016-11-18 – Conference Programme
2018-11-1 – From left to right: O.M., Geoffrey Chambers, President of Quebec Community Groups Network, Murielle Parkes.2018-11-1 – QCGN Community awards – From left to right: Judy Martin (2013 winner); John Rae, O.M., Murielle Parkes (2018 winners); Haley Campbell (2018 Youth Award winner); and Eva Ludwig QCGN Secretary)
