French Club Finds Community at First Meeting

Lena Boas, Extras Editor| September 24, 2022

  • Carolyn Craig ’25 and Magnolia Hance ’26 search for the French historical monuments during the scavenger hunt. The group that found the most pictures first earned a point.

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  • Eshaan Chopra ’23 goes over the French Club slideshow with its newest members. There is a big focus on French culture in the club and previous knowledge of French is encouraged but not required to join.

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  • French club treasurer Sophia Haikal ’23 and secretary Shivani Kondubhatla ’25 prepare traditional French desserts. At the end of the meeting, each member was able to try the French chocolate croissant (pain au chocolat).

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  • Officers Sophia Haikal ’23, Eshaan Chopra ’23, Ruby Gross ’23, Shivani Kondubhatla ’25, and Nicole Frazier ’23 pose for a picture. The officers went over an introductory slideshow, introduced the scavenger hunt, and gave out chocolate croissants.

    Lena Boas
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  • Eshaan Chopra ’23 goes over the French Club website with its newest members. There is a big focus on French culture in the club and previous knowledge of French is encouraged but not required to join.

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French Club held its first meeting of the year in Madame Harwick’s room on Sept. 21 at 8:30 a.m. Also called “le club de français,” French Club holds meetings on the third Wednesday of each month.

After the meeting began, French Club officers introduced themselves, explained how the club point system works, and reminded new and returning members about their club dues. Each year, French Club holds a competition between club members to see who can get the most points throughout the year. The member with the most points earns a free meal when the club members go out to eat at a French restaurant called La Madeleine at the end of the year.

“I’m excited because I want to go to La Madeleine for the dinner at the end of the year,” French Club member Carolyn Craig ‘25 said. “I [want] points so maybe my meal will be free if I get enough.”

The focus of the meeting was learning about Journées du Patrimoine (European Heritage Days), a holiday celebrated from Sept. 10 to 18, honoring the heritage and cultures of different European countries. In France, their national celebration days are on Sept. 17 and 18. Historical monuments that are normally closed are made open to the public, so that visitors can have the opportunity to learn more about their country’s culture and heritage.

“I decided to join French Club because I really liked my French class so I figured I would like French club,” French Club member Camilla Carrillo ‘25 said. “I wanted to learn more about French culture. I thought it was really cool how [the club] was run by the students.”

Presenting the slideshow, the officers explained the history and some fun facts behind famous monuments and buildings in France such as the Hotel de Matignon, la Luxembourg Palais, and l´Arc de Triomphe. Then, students split into groups and participated in a scavenger hunt to find pictures of national French monuments that were hidden around the room.

“I’m already enrolled in French but we don’t learn more about culture and I really wanted to [learn] that through the club,” said French Club member Mehak Mehmi ‘24. “The [scavenger hunt] was fun, going around the room and it got us up and moving. Everyone is really open and if you have any questions they’re really free to help and they won’t judge.”

The next French Club meeting will be on Oct. 26. at 8:30 a.m in Madame Harwick’s room.