BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Vive la Francophonie! at Awty

By Alina Syed, The Awty International School, School Buzz Reporter | March 20, 2023

Click the Buzz Me button to receive email notifications when this writer publishes a new article or a new article in this column is published.

Awty Middle Schoolers holding up the French flag with pride. (Photo courtesy of The Awty International School)

Vive la Francophonie! Long live the Francophonie! On Friday, March 17, The Awty International School embraced their French culture with a full day of Francophonie (French language) inspired activities!

“Francophonie” is a term that refers to a community of people and countries that share the French language and culture. The term was coined in 1880 by French geographer Onésime Reclus to refer to French-speaking countries and territories. Since Awty is accredited with the French Ministry of Education and includes a French Baccalaureate Program, it is only fitting that Francophonie was celebrated!

The Awty Dance Ensemble Team performing at the Secondary Assembly. (Photo courtesy of The Awty International School)

Throughout the day, students from the Early Learning Campus (ELC) all the way to the Upper School participated in several fun French games and performances, such as the ELC puppet show, free pain au chocolat handouts, and a Village de la Francophonie exhibit at the Lower School.

A Francophonie assembly was held for the Middle School and Upper School which included many French musical performances by students and faculty! Awty Juniors Aine Devins and Elizabeth Hsu performed a beautiful French song with Aine singing a solo and Elizabeth playing the guitar. Furthermore, Aine impressively signed the entire song in sign language for the deaf student population that attended the assembly.

11th graders Aine Devins and Elizabeth Hsu performed a Francohponie-inspired song at the Secondary assembly. (Photo courtesy of The Awty International School)

In addition, the Awty Lower/Middle School Dance Ensemble Team performed an amazing number that included jazz and hip-hop style moves. The team definitely hyped up everybody in the PAAC for the day’s activities and built excitement for the other performances!

The Awty International School had an amazing time celebrating the French language, which holds a heavy influence on many of the Awty Rams. The performances, pain au chocolats, bread-making classes, and dance competitions added the perfect amount of excitement and joy for students and faculty at the end of the school week. Vive la Francophonie!