French Week was a festive week of activities in the beginning of November meant to honor and celebrate the French language.

Throughout the week, students engaged in many French-related activities across campus, including enjoying special French foods for lunch, listening to a guest speaker, and participating in student-led initiatives. Freshman Julia Piquet additionally hosted a French trivia video as part of her “Julia on Campus” segment on RaiderVision.

Patricia Bona, president of the L’Alliance Francaise, visited as a guest speaker on Nov. 8 to speak to students in high-level French classes.

“The L’Alliance Francaise is a government division and focuses on the culture and the education of French people in the world,” said French teacher Alicia Cofiño. “We were looking for someone who would address the topic of the importance of the French language and how it impacts the professional world.”

Bona’s speech also helped students understand ways they can benefit from learning French and how the language incorporates into business and labor.

According to a study from Rutgers University, over 275 million people around the world speak French, including nearly one out of every five people over the age of five in the United States. French is also the fourth most spoken language in homes inside of the United States with around 1.6 million speakers.

“My favorite part of French week was the food,” said sophomore Rocco Bradley. “It was very nice to have different foods available for lunch, like french fries. The best part was the crepes because they were very good and a nice change.”

Another way French students honored their culture throughout the week was by designing and hanging French-themed signs and posters in the Atrium.

“I enjoyed seeing the culture and the things that they hung up in the atrium. It was cool to see and learn a little bit about French culture and see what the French students made,” senior Will Bettridge said.

Participants considered French Week a successful new celebration, teaching the school community about France and showing students the value of learning the language.