Zoomons en Français!

Upper School French classes have welcomed lively visits by a variety of French speakers, including Parker alumni, a Parker parent, a social media star and musical and theatrical artists.

 

Noah Mintz ’12 and Naomi Saito ’12 shared their fascinating post-Parker French experiences with French III students. Saito helped produce a film in France, and Mintz is pursuing a doctorate in French at Columbia University. Playwright Pascale Daniel, who authored scenes for advanced French students participating in Chicago’s Francophone Youth Theatre Festival in years past, oversaw a student reading of another short comedic sketch. In addition, Mme. Daniel facilitated discussions about the pandemic’s effect on the arts and French theatre in particular. For dual French Club gatherings, Mme. Pritikin enlisted the help of popular French Youtuber Pearl Mboyo, who spoke about her early mastery of English and encouraged students to take risks speaking and seeking out bilingual conversational exchanges. In a continued collaboration with Belgian school Institut du Sacré-Coeur in Barvaux, which has participated in an exchange with Parker for many years, discussions took place via Flipgrid. Parker parent Marielle Lifshitz helped lead weekly conversational and cultural exercises in French I, II and III. And, as a very special treat, thanks to Lifshitz’s tireless efforts, superstar French rapper Black M recorded a personalized video replying to French students’ questions and said he looked forward to performing in Chicago one day!

 

We are grateful to all our international friends, family and colleagues for reinvigorating our remote lessons while consistently lifting students’ morale and creatively expanding the horizons of our French curriculum. We hope these unforgettable encounters will continue to inspire students for many years to come. 

Click here for photos!