The wonderful world of Italian language, literature and culture

Fluent in at least three languages and competent in a few more, Mr. Chiarella has taken on the mission of passing on his passion for everything Italian to hundreds of children who attend the PICAI Program of Italian courses he runs out of Laval Liberty High School on Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon.

"It's the traditional labour of love, the desire to have children ages kindergarten to senior high school learn, appreciate, enjoy, and benefit from getting in touch with their Italian origins, a sort of Italia in Quebec and Canada experience that enriches not only the children but also their families, their schools, and most importantly their communities," Mr. Chiarella, Director of the PICAI Centre for western Laval told Courrier Laval Bilingual Edition in a recent interview.

One of three such centres on Laval island, the others located in St. Paul School in Duvernay, and Odyssée des jeunes in Vimont, the PICAI school at Laval Liberty is a wonderful amalgam of many cultural pursuits, embodied in a program of diversified learning activities that range from basic classroom grammar to literature, history, geography, and sports and entertainment – and the beauty of it all is that it doesn't only take place within the walls of the school but also radiates out into the community – from the Centre de la Nature to Little Italy.