Creek welcomed a new club this year: French Club, sponsored by French teacher Laura Wilton. The club’s mission is to explore French culture.

“In my normal French classes, I have a structured curriculum that I teach from which focuses on teaching students to communicate in French, which is important,” Wilton said. “But that means I don’t have much time to talk about the parts of French culture that I find interesting. My hope with French Club is to help students get excited about French through showing them things I am interested in.”

So far, the club brings in around 10 to 15 members per meeting, all of them eager to learn.

“This is the first club I’ve ever joined, but it’s really exciting,” Junior Madisyn Jones said. “I don’t think any other clubs offer what French Club does.”

So far the club has hosted a game night, watched a French movie, painted pumpkins and decorated Swiss Rolls to look like a Bûche de Nöel, a traditional yule log cake served as a dessert during Christmas in French-speaking countries.

“To get ideas of what activities to do, I ask French teachers in a Facebook group I’m part of,” Wilton said. “That way, I can feel confident that the activities are ones that my students will enjoy.”

Many students enjoyed the inaugural pumpkin decorating the most, but Wilton has more in store for her students. She intends to have a crepe-making meeting in February.

“It’s hard to pick a favorite [activity],” Freshman Diyasha Gupta said. “I’ve gotten to learn so much about French culture, like how December festivals are celebrated.”

In the coming years, French club intends to have more frequent meetings with the addition of student officers. Currently, the French club constitution states that to become an officer a student must attend at least half the club meetings of the previous year, so as it is, Wilton is the only person planning and working on club activities.

“[In the next year] I’m looking forward to all of it – everything,” Jones said. “I can’t wait for it to happen.”