Crazy about crepes: Club celebrates French week

A crowd gathered at the top of the quad steps Nov. 30, waiting in line to buy plates of chocolatey, whipped cream goodness. Students got a good taste of French culture through gooey mouthfuls of crepe, a traditional French food.

The crepe sale put on by the French club also included items such as hot chocolate, cookies, large cookies and pieces of baguette with Nutella.

Junior Cassie Tran, who helped out during 6th and 7th period, said she decided to sell crepes because they usually “sell really well.”

The crepe sale had a nobler purpose, however.

“The money we raise goes to an organization called Doctors Without Borders; 70 percent of our profits go there,” said Vicki Huang, one of the co-presidents of French Club.

Doctors Without Borders, also called Medecins sans Frontieres in French, is a French-based organization that sponsors doctors to go provide aid in countries without good medical care.

“We chose this organization mostly because it is French based but also because it goes to a good cause,” said Huang.

National French Week was celebrated by French clubs all across the country Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

“We decided to make it more inclusive,” said French teacher and club adviser Laura Lizundia “Traditionally, there is a set week that it is done, but it can be celebrated any week. The idea is to raise awareness about French culture.”

Sophomore Meghana Rao, also part of the club, was excited for the week’s activities.

“I enjoy being part of National French Week because I like learning about French culture. But I have to say the crepes are the best part,” she said.

The club organized a variety of different sales and activities in honor of National French Week. Members made French T-shirts and watched a French movie on Dec. 2, and they held the crepe sale on Monday, Tuesday and Friday of that week.

As an extension of the celebration of French culture, students from both Los Gatos and Saratoga French classes got together to eat deserts and talk on Dec. 3 in the SHS French classroom. Teachers from both schools including Lizundia and the other French teacher Kim Bergkamp cooperated to create a relaxed atmosphere conducive to mingling and inter-school bonding.

The evening began with an Eiffel Tower competition, where students were put into mixed groups and told to create the monument out of just licorice and the gummy candy, dots. The evening progressed with another competition—the Bouche De Noel competition. The teams were asked to decorate the traditional French desert to the best of their ability.

Children of the various teachers served as judges for the event.

The French club is in good shape financially because sales from previous years have raised enough money to sustain it. So far this year, the club has raised at least $150, according to Huang