Amy Lotven Herald Staff Writer

TODD WETHERINGTON | DAILY HERALD Members of French teacher Jeff Pageau's Roanoke Rapids High School class play a game of Pétanque Wednesday morning as part of the school's National French Week activities. Advertisement

ROANOKE RAPIDS - Monday they made crepes, Tuesday they learned about art and Wednesday they played Pétanque. A Roanoke Rapids High School class has truly gone French.

The activities were part of the seventh annual National French Week sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French.

Locally, activities were organized by Roanoke Rapids High French instructor Jeff Pageau.

Monday, students learned the fine skills of making crepes - even tilting the pan like pros. They also brewed up some chocolate mousse. Tuesday, Dwight Berry stopped by the classrooms to discuss French artists.

Wednesday, a group of students were outside the Girl Scout Hut on Sixth Street playing a game of Pétanque - a popular French game similar to Italian bocce ball.

Tuesday evening, the public and the students were invited to a French film night in the RRHS auditorium. A buffet of dessert items prepared by the students and coffee donated by Starbucks preceded the showing.

Pageau said nearly 300 people attended, mostly students, but also some members of the public. He even spoke to one woman who drove down from Emporia, Va. “Hopefully next time, there will be more non-students,” he said.

The film was called “Au Revoir, Les Enfantes,” or “Goodbye, Children.” The film inspired good discussion Wednesday morning on the impact of the Second World War on French civilians. He's hoping to hold another film night in January as a cultural event for the Valley and possibly organize a film series.

Today, Pageau planned to lead students on an online search, or scavenger hunt, of French musicians and scientists.

Mia Wesner, a freshman in her first semester of French, said the experience has been “really fun.” Wesner said she thinks traveling to France would be fun, but she's not sure she'll be able to make the trip anytime soon.

Freshman Chris Martin said he enjoyed the activities and it helped him better understand the culture.

Pageau agreed, saying it helps make everything more “real” for the students.

Ultimately, Pageau hopes French Week and the classes in general will help students and the community realize the importance of understanding French on a global level.

Many people on the local and nationwide levels see the need to study Spanish, but his goal is to get kids to think outside of Halifax County and understand there is a need for the French language in business and commerce, he said.