On March 18, members of the French Honor Society participated in a French festival. French students from all over the county came to compete in various categories in French.

“It’s an opportunity for students to find out that there are other people who speak French besides their teacher and the people that they’re partnered with in the classroom,” said Nora Bordt, French teacher. “Twenty-six high schools from Wake County participate, so there’s about 600 students there. It’s a great, exciting event- good food, lots of fun, good music, and a chance to compete.”

Most students enjoyed their chance to use the French skills they learned and meet other French-speaking students.

“I absolutely loved the French festival!” said Dorcas Mabiala, president of French Honor Society. “The clothing, music, history, and food were amazing. It was totally worth missing a day of school.”

Much preparation went into planning and getting ready for the event.

“We started preparing in September- on a Saturday we have an emersion day where everything is French for a whole day,” said Bordt. “And during that time, we start organizing and people begin to sign up for what they want to do in the festival.”

Students competed in a variety of categories, including dance, singing, culture tables, and poetry. All activities were in French only.

“Unfortunately we did not win an award, however our students did a fabulous job. There was a lot of stiff competition,” said Julie Guilbaud, who teaches French. “It was a great experience to practice their French and hear others speaking as well.”

Students were actively involved, and competing was a team effort.

“Even though we lost, it was really fun,” said Beverly Kuku, a junior. “I learned that we should try harder next time, because students from other schools were better prepared.”

Members from past years also competed again this year.

“It was definitely better than last year,” said Cecilia Boateng, who has been a member for two years. “We did group work and everybody did their part and before the festival we all brought it together. I learned that I shouldn’t procrastinate next time.”

Students from the French Honor Society worked as a team in all competitions, and represented Wakefield well.

“I really liked how we were all uplifting each other and motivating each other,” said Kuku. “We all supported each other even if we didn’t know them that well.”

Both French teachers are incredibly proud of their students and all the hard work and time they put into the festival.

“The outcome was we had a wonderful time,” said Bordt. “We did not win in any category, but we felt that we had prepared the best we had ever prepared before.”