Harker had 56 medalists, including two perfect scores — by eight graders Joy Hu and Ananya Pradhan — in the 2022 National French Contest. More than 100 Harker middle and upper school students took part in the contest, which is held each year by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). The contest consists of a written exam taken at various levels. Students and teachers held a special awards ceremony to mark the occasion.
Two upper school students recently took second and third place in the French Poetry Recitation contest, held by the American Association of Teachers of French. Ella Swan and Tanya Karpinchyk, both grade 10, placed second and third, respectively, at the French 3 level. Each participant was tasked with memorizing one of a selection of poems and submit a video of them reciting it. To celebrate, students enjoyed a game of pétanque out on the upper school quad.
In mid-April, middle school French teacher Carol Parris and her French 2M students visited the Left Bank restaurant at Santana Row for a taste of French food and culture. “We had a leisurely meal in the les Amis room, a lovely private dining room,” Parris said. Students enjoyed appetizers of French bread and fries while waiting for their orders to arrive. “I believe that the most popular luncheon was the croque monsieur, a French grilled ham and cheese sandwich, served with a salad, but the chicken and vegetarian pasta received a thumbs up as well,” Parris said. Not surprisingly, the dessert of two profiteroles (pastry shells with a vanilla ice cream filling and chocolate sauce topping) proved to be the most popular menu item among students.