Current juniors Mary Hoyt, Hadley Beckstrand, and Olivia Hetletvedt, decided there was a need for a club devoted to practicing French outside of the classroom, “We all came up with the idea at different times last year and Madam Toft told us to go for it,” club co-founder Mary Hoyt said.

The three students decided to create the club after Hoyt and Hetletvedt finished French last spring. “Olivia and I started it because we finished French last year, so we wanted to keep doing it, and I know Hadley was really interested in French, so that’s why she wanted to start the club,” Hoyt said.

The club meets about once a month, and focuses on getting students interested in French outside of school. Instead of mimicking a typical classroom setting, the club is focused on getting students to hone their skills through games and activities. “So far we have played bingo, Kahoot, and watched videos. It’s pretty chill and really fun,” Hadley Beckstrand said.

Though the club is focused on furthering French skills, students participating aren’t required to take a French class at BSM. “We have kids that take Spanish classes in our club, and it’s a little harder for them but still really fun,” Beckstrand said.

The turnout so far has been better than expected, and students who attend the meetings receive credit in their French classes. “Surprisingly, we have had a lot of people show up. A lot of them are showing up for culture points,” Hoyt said.

Culture points are assignments students have to do out of class to gain more experience with the language, like reading stories or watching a movie in French.

The club hopes in the future that students will attend the meetings not just for the class credit, but for the sheer enjoyment of it. “I hope that people will start coming because they want to come, and not just for the culture points. We want people to get more engaged with it and come not just for culture points, but because they want to,” Hoyt said.

Anyone who is still interested in joining the club is still welcome, and the club hopes to entice more members by choosing some fun themes for their upcoming meetings. “We will probably have more themed stuff for the holidays and watch movies in the next couple meetings,” Beckstrand said.

Due to the pleasantly surprising turnout so far, the club leaders are optimistic that the club’s success will continue. “We want to keep it going and have enough members for next year. Everyone should join French Club,” Hoyt said.