Marblehead sister city partnership renewal inspires students

MARBLEHEAD – The renewal of Marblehead’s Sister City partnership with the French city of Grasse will be remembered by Marblehead High students as well as adults.Marblehead High teacher Wendy Soucy and two MHS seniors, Sophie Katzman and Seth Jalbert, attended last week’s selectmen’s meeting to make that point.They accompanied renewal coordinator Miryam Zuber and members of her committee to show selectmen a painting and a poetry display they created as their senior projects.Jalbert’s painting showed the Battle of Yorktown, where General George Washington and French Admiral Francois de Grasse worked together to defeat the British, making Yorktown the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War. He framed the battle scene with large portraits of Washington and de Grasse.”It shows the two cultures meeting,” Jalbert said. The painting will accompany a Marblehead delegation to Grasse in September.Katzman’s display showcased several student poems with explanations in French.Selectmen Chairman James Nye called the visit by Senator-Mayor Jean-Pierre Leleux and a group of Grasse elected officials and artists “a tremendous event” and said the high school students “added a lot to it.” He praised them for acting on their own initiative and Selectman William Woodfin called the students’ work “a perfect example of a meaningful connection.”Zuber presented the board with a gift from the Grasse delegation: an elaborate book detailing the history of the perfume industry – Grasse is known as a historical perfume-making center. The book is scheduled to be displayed in the Marblehead Room at Abbot Public Library.Board members gave her flowers for her hard work making the “spectacular” renewal happen and even acting as translator during the ceremonies and Selectman Judy Jacobi added some special praise for doing it without spending any of the town’s money.