This semester, French 5 was added back as a class for students to take after a three-semester hiatus.
The class was added back due to enough students signing up. The course focuses on French literature and culture, in addition to more subjects of the language.
“French 5 is here to stay,” junior French 4 student Addison Vary said. “It broadens your language more, and French 5 is less pressure because you don’t have [AP] exams. It’s important because you learn more words, and it broadens [the culture].”
The class is combined with French 4, which is designed to prepare students for the AP French test at the end of the year. Camille Jackson, who teaches both courses, said some challenges come with teaching two classes in the same room.
“There are always challenges to having mixed and stacked classes versus [separate classes], but we make it work,” Jackson said. “That’s how we’ve been able to do French 5. If the students want to take the higher level French, it will help them in college if they [want to] move [further].”
Senior Noelle Anders, who is in the French club in addition to French 5, said she advocated for the class, and it came with some challenges.
“Mrs. Jackson informed me that there would be a chance that we might be able to have French 5 [this] year, [and asked] if anyone would like to take it,” Anders said. “So, I immediately raised my hand [with] a few others. [Mrs. Jackson] said that it will be hard because you have to have enough people to make a class.”
French 1 and 2 are taught by Ericka Castleberg, who sponsors the French club. French is one of three language curriculums at the school that have two or more teachers dedicated to teaching language.
“Mrs. Castleberg and [I have] worked hard to keep French going as much as possible in recruiting and getting the word out there, and it’s awesome,” Jackson said. “It’s great to have two full-time French teachers, and we want to keep that going for sure.”
With class registration for the 2024-2025 school opening on Skyward on Jan. 24, students can sign up for French 5 if they have taken all the required classes. Because classes depend on how many sign up for them, it’s not certain that French 5 will return for the next school year.
“It’s very important to keep those upper levels [of languages] as high as possible so that the students can be successful later,” Anders said. “[We] just want to continue French and keep [the classes] so that [students] don’t lose [the opportunity].”
