Louise DEMATTE -  

Louise Dematte was born in Landrecies in 1895. Known as the great lady, she was a cultivated teacher who gave high quality courses with the limited economic means at her disposal. With the support of Ernest Couteaux, the originator of free secondary education in France and of the first school to combine classical and technical education, she made a name for herself as a teacher;it was the first school to combine classical and technical education, making its complementary course the equivalent of a large high school where a varied and modern education was given.Melle Dematte also set up, in addition to the French, math, history and science courses, language courses (English, German), art courses (music, painting) to look after her students, often from modest backgrounds. She wanted her pupils to have a well-made head in a healthy body. It became a technical college and then a technical high school and then a professional high school. It was transferred in 1974 to the Lycée Couteaux.
Melle Dematte retired in 1950. She remains in Saint-Amand where she dies in 1980. Very attached to her city, she was a great teacher, very demanding in her work, fair, very loved and respected, as former colleagues and students testify.she was one of the pioneers of technical education in Saint-Amand. She constantly sought to help students from underprivileged backgrounds who were experiencing great difficulties at the time. She was also a source of inspiration for many Amandin teachers who had the chance to work with her. In 2009, the Louise Dematte school group was inaugurated in the Moulin Blanc neighborhood in honor of this exemplary figure.

The school group was inaugurated in the Moulin Blanc neighborhood in honor of this exemplary figure