Joyeux Carnaval! French Classes Travel to Quebec

By Matilda Kreider

If you were wondering why Instagram and Snapchat were full of pictures of snow and ice this past weekend, it’s because students from BHS French classes traveled to Quebec for the Winter Carnival. 19 students across all four grades left for Quebec late Thursday night and returned to Branford late Sunday night.

It was an activity-packed weekend, with just the first day seeing students walking around Carnaval sites, exploring the Hotel de Glace (Ice Hotel), visiting a Huron reservation, making maple butter, dancing in a Cabane de Sucre (Sugar Shack), and dog-sledding through the woods. On Saturday, students ate chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and croissants for breakfast, explored the oldest parts of Quebec City, spent hours tubing down huge slopes, watched a Carnaval parade, and walked across Montmorency Falls. On Sunday, students competed in a grocery store scavenger hunt and shopped for souvenirs before embarking on the ten-hour bus ride home.

The weather was not as cold as you might expect for Quebec in February, so it was pleasant to be outside. In fact, temperatures had been so warm there earlier that week that the famous ice sculptures started to melt! Snow fell softly throughout the three days, making for a winter wonderland experience. With no assignments and lots of fun, this was a field trip unlike any other. But even though it was not a strictly educational trip, students learned a lot from hearing so many French speakers and even got to use a little French themselves. That’s what French teachers Madame Casanova and Madame Radovich, who were the chaperones, like about this trip- seeing their students trying to use what they’ve learned in class! Reflecting on the trip, junior Solenne Smith said she “would recommend it to anybody taking French.” She explained why, continuing, “You get to do and see a lot of cool things and utilize your French skills too.” Sophomore Lauren Elmasry added that she “especially enjoyed going dog sledding and seeing the ice sculptures at Carnaval.” There’s nothing like some hot chocolate and fun in the snow to remind you that winter doesn’t have to be boring! For these students and teachers, practicing French along the way only sweetened the deal.