By Sophia Wang
French Club is a club at Williamsville East High School that celebrates French culture. Formerly, the club had met once a month, but since moving to a virtual format due to the pandemic, French Club has continued to take place over Zoom. Ms. Roberts, the clubs advisor describes some of the club’s activities, mentioning how, in the online meetings, members participate in activities ranging from watching animations from French film festivals and French themed movies such as “Ratatouille”, to learning about French culture and playing Kahoot trivia games. Ms. Roberts spoke about the significance of the club as well, saying that “it’s truly a celebration and an understanding of France as well as francophone countries and their traditions.”
Past in-person French Club meetings included activities such as crepe making for La Chandeleur, a holiday on the second of February where crepes are made to represent the sun and the coming of Spring. Other meetings centered around events including celebrating Mardi Gras with mask making and playing musical chairs with French music. “It’s a really nice club to compare your own community with French speaking cultures,” Ms. Roberts says.
Maggie Meosky, a French Club member and officer, mentionedofficer mentioned her favorite meeting being the annual one where the club watched Disney’s “Ratatouille”. When asked about something interesting she learned from the club, Maggie spoke about another meeting where club members explored the holiday of Mardi Gras. That day, the club took a look at the various festivities in regions where the holiday was celebrated, such as New Orleans and different areas of France.
French Club continues to meet online for now, but in the future, there’s a possibility of the club resuming in person meetings where members can physically discuss francophone culture together!