National French Week

November 5-12, 2007

This November, Santa Catalina Upper School students celebrated the seventh annual National French Week, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. The week-long celebration began on Monday, November 5, and lasted through Monday, November 12. Our students anticipate this celebration each year because it is a time when all things French are explored in and out of the classroom.

The week’s kick-off event was a fabulous French Community Dinner for resident students and guests. Planned by Madame O’Dowd, a native of Provence, and inspired by the theme of Marcel Marceau, the evening’s ambience was that of a French Café Théâtre complete with mimes.  Student performers as well as actor and school staff member Mr. Robert Colter regaled the audience with mime skits set to guitar music played by senior Lucy O’Leary.  Diners not only learned a bit about miming and its influence (including on Michael Jackson!), but also learned about ratatouille, a wonderful dish from Provence, and the title of a popular children’s movie this past summer. It was a wonderful dinner and all our thanks go to Madame, her students, and her assistants!

Each day of National French Week has a theme, so Santa Catalina’s French classes focused on exploring the following topics each day: Monday - Cuisine; Tuesday - Science, Techonolgy, and Careers;  Wednesday - The Arts and Arts & Crafts; Thursday - Sports, Games, and Traditions; Friday - Music and Dance.

Both students and teachers eagerly look forward to National French Week each year because it allows us to work at a different rhythm, in more creative and “hands-on” ways. It is a time to set aside textbooks, grammar notes and verb charts and really explore the cultural aspects of the French-speaking world.

The activities in the classes of Dr. Brenot, Madame Jellick, and Madame O’Dowd varied more than ever this year! They ranged from studying 18^th Century French Women’s Clothing and a dress-making project, to creating a class cookbook of our favorite recipes from our mothers; sharing French music, designing the “perfect uniform,” carrying out a creative chain project of poetry and illustration; another creative project on “My favorite word in French and why” and, French film. The films featured this year bolstered the topics studied in the weeks leading up to National French Week, and included the Cocteau classic “La belle et la bête,” “Maman, il y a un homme sous ton lit” (a modern French comedy), “Lucie Aubrac” (a love story set amidst the French Resistance during World War II), and films based on two of Molière’s plays.

Without a doubt, however, the highlights of the week were a live teleconference with Paris, crêpe-making (and eating!) in the dining room back kitchen, and our spirited pétanque competition.  For the latter, our French classes moved outside to the front lawn to play pétanque, the French equivalent of Italian bocce ball, amidst much laughter and to the delight of some visiting families.

Our live teleconference was a huge precedent for Santa Catalina School: we had a live video conference with a family in France via Skype on Dr. Brenot’s Tablet PC!  Our French 3 Honors class spoke in real time to a young Parisian family of four and learned about what they had done during the day and what life, in general, was like in Paris.  It was a fabulous and unforgettable experience!