Gadzarts - Traditions

Traditions

The Gadz'Arts community is proud of its ancient traditions which are based on the values of mutual aid and fraternity as well as on the oral memory of numerous anecdotes and songs connected to the history of the school.

• In school, the pupils wear a lab coat (named a "Biaude" in Argad'z language). It is traditionally grey for the first and second year students - white ones are reserved for those in their last year of study. Gadz'Arts customize their coats individually. The coats of the first year students are generally rather sombre and plain; whilst those of the second and third year students often have elaborate coloured motifs and drawings.
• Gadz'Arts also possess a uniform (nicknamed a 'Zag' in Argad'z), a nod to their military past. It is navy blue in colour and very close to the uniform of the officers of French Marine.
• When they enter the school, the students are given nickname, called a "bucque", that they use afterward in their relations with the other students and alumni.
• Each student is the "ancient" of one student of the following class and the "archi" (or godfather) of one student of the class coming 25 years after. This creates continuity, which is the root of long term relations that last long after the students have left the school. It is called a family.
• One redundant and certainly the most important of gadz imagery/symbol is the square:
  • It is one of the most important instruments for a mechanical engineer.
  • It is a symbol for probity, a motto of the school's founder Duke of Rochefoucauld-Liancourt:"Helping with all that is useful, attaching his name to all that is right".
  • It refers to the alleged historical link between the school and freemasonry. Unconfirmed.