Immersion French Workshops Bring Local Secondary School Students to Montclair Campus

Montclair, NJ – March 21, 2025 – An innovative series of hands-on workshops about the language and cultures of French-speaking countries encouraged local secondary school students to practice their French skills in a real-world setting. Sessions ranged from debates about the flavor and sustainability practices of artisanal ice cream producers in Corsica (and New Jersey) and tracing the production pathway and environmental impact of chocolate to workshops centered on French-language YouTube breakout stars and the music and fashion of Senegalese Lebu culture. Students and teachers also learned about the new Montclair Career Hub for International Language Learners: www.montclair.edu/chss/chill, a free online resource that provides tips and ideas for maximizing French language skills in the professional workforce.

Students also produced short French-language films, which were screened during the event. Parsippany Hills High School took the first-place trophy in the more advanced « Tableaux Vivants » competition, which involved creating a plot inspired by a painting made by a well-known French speaker, in this case, “Paris Street; Rainy Day” by Gustave Caillebotte. Cresskill and Parsippanny High Schools tied for second place in this category. In the “Poésie en images” contest for beginning and intermediate students, Bordentown Regional High School impressed the audience with its creative adaptation of André Chenier’s violent revolutionary poem, “A Charlotte Corday”; Bernardsville Middle School earned second place in this category.

“What remarkable teachers and students,” said Dr. Elizabeth Emery, organizer of the event and Professor of French at Montclair State University. “Even students with only one to two years of French language instruction rose to the occasion: they used the words they know to ask questions, to participate in conversations, and to engage in the different activities, several with native speakers from France, Sénégal, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire.”

French is spoken on five continents, which underscores its significance as a global language and demand in the global workplace.

For more information about future events at Montclair State University, please visit www.montclair.edu