Friday, Jan. 10, French 5 students held its 15th La Petite France (The Little France). This annual simulation shows students what it would be like to live in a French village.

For the first time this year, junior high French students participated in La Petite France.

“The reason we did this was because we moved level 3 down to the junior highs. La Petite France is usually French 3’s final speaking assessment. Because we were bringing French 3, we thought that we might as well bring 1 and 2 also,” said Ms. Amy Miller, French.

This is the first year that French 3 is offered at the junior high.

“French 3 was moved to the junior high because now we offer a full year of French to 7th and 8th graders. In 9th grade, students can complete French 3,” said Ms. Sophie Morrow, French.

The teachers hope that moving French 3 to the junior high will benefit the students in the long term.

“One way students have benefitted from this is that now they are able to eventually take College in the Schools French levels five and six,” Morrow said.

At the festival, Miller graded the French 5 students on their ability to speak and use the correct vocabulary with the younger students. Students in French 1 through 4 were graded on how many tasks they completed.

“At the train station, the student would need to purchase a roundtrip ticket to a town in the South of France. They had to discuss the schedule and the price with the student working at the train station. When they completed the task, the French 5 student stamped the student’s paper. Then, they moved on to their next task” Miller said.

As La Petite France is a speaking assessment, students were required to speak French the entire time.

“At La Petite France, I had to combine all of my French knowledge that I have learned over the last five years. La Petite France really showed me that I could go to a French speaking country and have enough skill to speak with the French people,” said Nick Leeke, senior.

La Petite France has helped the French teachers see how much their students have learned.

“My favorite part is that it becomes a French speaking area. I usually don’t hear any English for the whole 90 minutes they are in there. They work so hard, and they dont always get a chance to see how much they have learned, and how far they have come. I think this really gives them that,” Miller said.

The French 5 students did not have as much time to prepare for this year’s La Petite France because of the two days of canceled school.

“Typically La Petite France is on a Friday, so we spend a few days practicing the stations in class. We talk to the students about how to speak to a French 1 student compared to a French 4 student.” Miller said.