With every Christmas season, comes the beloved French Christmas Carolers. French teachers, Madame Frederique Toft and Amy Jo Hyde, take their French students caroling across the school to amplify the holiday spirit.

Holiday caroling has been a tradition for generations with the French classes at BSM. As a BSM alum and current French teacher, Hyde reminisces on her days as a BSM caroler. “I remember caroling in my French class when I was a student at BSM in the 80’s. When I became a French teacher, I started that tradition in my first year of teaching. I have done it in all four of my previous schools,” Hyde said.

This year French students sang “Bonhomme de Neige” (“Frosty the Snowman”), “Bonjour l’Hiver” (which translates to Hello Winter), “Noël en Canon” (“Christmas in Canon”), and “Un Joyeux Noël” (to the tune of “Feliz Navidad”). These songs are repeated yearly.  “We try to choose catchy, upbeat songs to familiar tunes. Feedback we get from kids is that they love caroling––even the ones who pretend to hate it––and most kids say they remember the songs years after they have left BSM,” Hyde said.

Carolers go to various classrooms around the school, depending on if a teacher is willing to give up class time for a few Christmas songs. Hyde sends out an email to all the faculty a few weeks in advance, asking if they want the carolers to stop by. Faculty can choose their preference of 1-3 songs for the carolers to sing.

Hyde teaches the level one class, along with other levels, who are new to the caroling experience. They have never rehearsed the songs, unlike levels two and above, so they start practicing weeks before Christmas. “The lower levels, my classes, start practicing right after Thanksgiving Break. The upper levels, Madame Toft’s, only practice about a week before since most kids know the songs already,” Hyde said.