Best of the Week 2021-2022: Teaching to the Future

ST. ED'S HONORS FRENCH CULTURE WITH LIST OF EVENTS TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL FRANCOPHONIE MONTH

In celebration of French language and culture, French students and the Language Acquisition Department have planned month-long activities for the community in honor of International Francophonie Month. March 20 will mark the day that the Niamey Convention was signed in Niger, establishing an organization representing countries and regions where French is spoken. Today, this organization is known as the International Organization of La Francophonie and has 88 member states and governments to collaborate with one another on issues of culture, science, economy, justice and peace. To highlight St. Ed's connections with the French-speaking world, French teacher Sabrina Gushue wanted to provide more opportunities for the community to engage in this month-long celebration and gain a greater appreciation for French culture and the prominence of the language. From a Mardi Gras celebration to honor French culture in the United States to an Air Hockey Tournament as a nod to the Winter Carnival traditions in Québec, students have had fun celebrating beloved moments in French tradition. This week, French students served as French Ambassadors to host "The Immersion Adventure," an immersive French celebration welcoming incoming students to learn more about St. Ed's French program in a fun-filled evening that featured a culture-based scavenger hunt, a French food tasting and an escargot and frog legs challenge. Looking ahead and continuing the French culture celebration, St. Ed's will host a fair trade sale with One World Shop on March 15 highlighting products from French-speaking countries in Africa and Haiti. Students will also engage in virtual discussions with St. Ed’s French-speaking partners in Le Puy-en-Velay, France as well as students from Basile Moreau School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. On April 1, St. Ed's will also be taking all students who completed the National French Exam to the Cleveland International Film Festival to watch French short films. "French is a world language spoken by over 300 million people around the globe. It's both a working language and the official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympics Committee, the International Red Cross, and more," says Ms. Gushue. "Exploring the linguistic diversity of this beautiful language, and all the different cultures associated with it, really sparks students' curiosity, widens their horizons and creates more open-minded and caring individuals who will ultimately be able to establish global relationships."