Mayla Montgomery

On Jan. 29, French club members came together for an early Mardi Gras celebration. From king cake to trivia, the club members had the opportunity to learn about French Mardi Gras traditions. “Our club doesn’t only have people that take French as a class, it also has just people that want to learn more about the French culture,” Secretary Sahiti Oruganti ’25 said. “I think it’s so important that we learn about their traditions and their festival.”

On Monday, Jan. 29 French Club members gathered in Mme Harwick’s room for an early Mardi Gras celebration, typically celebrated on Feb. 13. Provided with king cake and beads, members and officers alike were able to learn about the traditions surrounding Mardi Gras through a fun trivia game. 

The officers planned the meeting weeks in advance, each fulfilling specific duties that went towards making the meeting a success. 

“Each of the officers had a specific role assigned to them,” Secretary Sahiti Oruganti ‘25 said. “I was sending out emails one week in advance, and our other officers were making graphics or preparing the slides.”

Their marketing garnered a larger turnout than expected, which helped to fuel the Mardi Gras festivities throughout the meeting. 

“I think it was really good, we got a pretty good turnout, and I think everyone had a lot of fun,” Oruganti said.

Hoping to help people outside of the language department learn more about other cultures and traditions, the meeting began with an informational video talking about traditional Mardi Gras festivities. 

“Our club doesn’t only have people that take French as a class, it also has people that want to learn more about the French culture,” Oruganti said. “I think it’s so important that we learn about their traditions and their festivals, which was what the video that we were playing in our meeting was about.”

Following the video, members were served king cake, a popular Mardi Gras dessert with a plastic trinket called a fève hidden in one of the slices. Whoever got the slice with the fève won Mardi Gras beads and a crown. While waiting to discover who had the fève, members and officers socialized with one another. 

“I liked getting to know my fellow members of French Club better,” club member Bella Yi ‘26 said. “It’s a small club so I appreciate the people who go to meetings, and it’s always fun to experience new things.”

To close out the meeting and allow members to demonstrate their newfound knowledge of Mardi Gras, the officer team led a game of trivia for a prize of more Mardi Gras beads. Members were split into two teams and had to hit a buzzer to answer Mardi Gras-themed trivia questions. 

“Overall, I would say the meeting was a success because I got to learn some new things and interact with new people,” Yi said. “French Club is a nice moment [where] I get to hang out with people with a common interest and it’s good to be able to take a breather from school.”