During National French Week, the Bolles French Club hosted a series of engaging activities on the Upper School San Jose Campus, spotlighting five French-speaking countries: Canada, Morocco, Haïti, Senegal and France. Beginning November 3, the entire student body was invited to participate in daily campus-wide events celebrating Francophone cultures.

• Monday – Canada
  Freshmen Ben Goodman ’29 and Krish Malik ’29 prepared and served tire d’érable—a traditional maple syrup candy poured over snow.
   
• Tuesday – Morocco
  Students enjoyed atay, thé marocain, or Moroccan mint tea, during Activities. Pablo Anton Gamboa ’28 and Stella Smith ’28 guided participants in the art of traditional tea pouring.
   
• Wednesday – Haïti/Canada
  French 4 and AP students took part in a French slam poetry workshop led by Valérie Clio, a Québécoise artist with Haitian roots. The workshop was organized and funded by the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques in partnership with the American Association of Teachers of French.
   
• Thursday – Senegal
  Bolles French teacher Danielle Jones introduced students, faculty and staff to batik, a traditional Senegalese fabric painting technique. Participants also sampled bissap, a hibiscus-based drink prepared by Sidy Mboup ’26. Special thanks to fine arts teachers Tiffany Gonzalez and Lily Kuonen for joining the fun!
   
• Friday – France
  The week concluded with a crêpe sale in front of Bolles Hall during Activities and lunch. Scarlett Bradley ’29, Nell Dostie ’29 and Evelyn Dunton ’29 were instrumental in making the event a success.

All activities were led by French Club president Hannah Hodges ’27 and vice president Julia Pilla ’26, with support from French teachers Sara Phillips-Bourass and Jones. To view pictures of National French Week activities, visit our online photo gallery. #BollesGlobal