The Estic will open a Defense class for second graders this fall. Let’s look back on this program that aims to inspire vocations.
Created in 2005, the Classes of Defense and Global Security (CDSG) have developed spontaneously and progressively to strengthen the strained relationship between the military and youth following the suspension of conscription in 1997. In Saint-Dizier, the high schools Saint Exupéry and Estic have Defense classes. For its third grade classes, the private high school established a partnership with BA113, allowing students from general and professional fields to discover defense and security professions.
“The students are fairly aware of the issues, the goal is also to create vocations,” explains Maxime Belgrand, a teacher and key player in the project. This is the third year that this Defense class has been operating at Estic. The group has gradually grown from five participants at the start to a group of 23 students, coordinated by two teachers in physics-chemistry and French.
Renewed Convention
“Some wish to be military personnel or work in security, while others participate out of curiosity,” specifies the teacher, who is also the president of the French Memory in Saint-Dizier and a municipal councilor. This option plays a role in the student’s academic path, with two hours of classes per week and an oral exam.
Regular visits are organized with BA113, particularly with the protection squadron and deminers. On June 18, the convention with BA113 will be renewed. The Defense class also participates in ceremonies, such as the recent one on May 8, and has also visited the local police station and fire station. The big news is the opening of a new group for second graders next term.
Ceremony with the Defense class – Photo: DR
Defense Advisor
As a municipal councilor, Maxime Belgrand, along with Francois Cornut-Gentille, has become the “defense advisor” for the new municipality.
