Wright State University had a spectacular day, Tuesday November 10, hosting 250 high school students and 17 teachers for our thirteenth annual French Immersion Day, a recruitment and service event that is held every November in conjunction with National French Week. The following 14 high schools participated in the experience: Allen East High School, Anna High School, Arlington High School, Deerpark Junior/Senior High School, Dublin-Coffman High School, Dublin Jerome High School, Dublin-Scioto High School, Fairmont High School, Finneytown High School, Jonathan Adler High School, St Xavier High School, Sycamore High School, Vandalia-Butler High School and West Liberty High School.
This year, the theme was “The French Antilles,” with all target language activities and sessions focusing on the history, culture, geography, and music of this beautiful Francophone area. Students enjoyed interactive and engaging activities designed to put them at ease and empower them to speak the target language. The morning began with trivia games prepared and presented by WSU French Conversation students (FR 3110), followed by a flag parade and a welcome speech in French by our Department Chair Dr. Marie Hertzler. Break out sessions included: Karine Daddah's tropical fruit presentation and tasting, Pascale Abadie's Island Trivia, Bryan King's (French Club president) Music Bingo, Sarah Koraym's (French Club Vice-President) Find-a-person-who Bingo, Kirsten Halling's zumba lesson and dance, Ben Hirt's Composition Class' “Legends and Tales from the French Antilles.” Students competed to win Eiffel Tower gummies, Mardi Gras necklaces, and other fun prizes. When jailors put very few students in “le bagne” (the penal colony) for speaking English, they earned their release by composing French poems using Magnetic Poetry. One of the highlights of the day was when the Wright State School of Music provided beautiful French music to accompany a delicious Caribbean themed lunch consisting of Jamaican Jerk Chicken, beans and rice, a tropical salad, and mango or key lime choux pastries.
