Immersion French Workshops Bring Local Secondary School Students to Montclair Campus
Montclair, NJ (03/28/2025) — An innovative series of hands-on workshops about the language and cultures of French-speaking countries encouraged local secondary school students to practice their French skills in a real-world setting. Sessions ranged from debates about the flavor and sustainability practices of artisanal ice cream producers in Corsica (and New Jersey) and tracing the production pathway and environmental impact of chocolate to workshops centered on French-language YouTube breakout stars and the music and fashion of Senegalese Lebu culture. Students and teachers also learned about the new Montclair Career Hub for International Language Learners: www.montclair.edu/chss/chill, a free online resource that provides tips and ideas for maximizing French language skills in the professional workforce.
Students also produced short French-language films, which were screened during the event. Parsippany Hills High School took the first-place trophy in the more advanced Tableaux Vivants competition, which involved creating a plot inspired by a painting made by a well-known French speaker, in this case, "Paris Street; Rainy Day" by Gustave Caillebotte. Cresskill and Parsippanny High Schools tied for second place in this category. In the "Poesie en images" contest for beginning and intermediate students, Bordentown Regional High School impressed the audience with its creative adaptation of Andre Chenier's violent revolutionary poem, "A Charlotte Corday"; Bernardsville Middle School earned second place in this category.
"What remarkable teachers and students," said Dr. Elizabeth Emery, organizer of the event and Professor of French at Montclair State University. "Even students with only one to two years of French language instruction rose to the occasion: they used the words they know to ask questions, to participate in conversations, and to engage in the different activities, several with native speakers from France, Senegal, Togo, and Cote d'Ivoire."
French is spoken on five continents, which underscores its significance as a global language and demand in the global workplace.
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Building on a distinguished history dating back to 1908, Montclair State University has evolved from an institution that was a recognized leader in teacher education to an R2 research institution ranked as one of the 100 best public doctoral universities in the nation. The University serves 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students with more than 300 doctoral, master's and baccalaureate programs provided by 13 colleges and schools.
Situated on a beautiful 252-acre campus just 12 miles from New York City, Montclair delivers the instructional and research resources of a large public university while retaining the supportive and personalized academic environment that provides a feeling of community more typical of smaller institutions.
Montclair State University
Andrew Mees, meesa@montclair.eduShare this Story
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