Sudbury students enjoy francophone concert

The hot weather didn't dispel the energy at Sudbury's Bell Park on Thursday, as more than 1,000 students of two different school boards gathered for a francophone concert.

Roughly 1,200 students from grades four to eight from Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon and the Conseil scolaire du Grand Nord schools celebrated francophone culture in honour of St. Jean Baptiste Day, traditionally held at the end of June.

Students from Sudbury's two French school boards gathered at Grace Hartman Amphitheatre in Bell Park for a concert. June 1/23 (Amanda Hicks/CTV Northern Ontario)

Veronique Champoux from the French public school board said the two school boards don't often get together, but it's what St. Jean Baptiste Day is all about.

"It means bringing all the francophones together," Champoux said.

"It's about getting together, celebrating our identity as French people, celebrating our culture."

Rodney Meilleur from the French Catholic school board said it's about preserving francophone culture and history, as well as passing it on to the next generation.

"We are a minority group in Sudbury, even though Sudbury is one of the starting points for the Franco-Ontarian culture," Meilleur said.

"We have to keep fighting, keep promoting it and showing we're so very proud of our culture."

Sudbury DJ Alex Reed opened the performance, followed by Ottawa-based hip-hop artist LeFLOFRANCO.

The celebration was to launch a number of francophone events happening in Greater Sudbury all month.