Eighty Homewood students visited the 74th Annual French Convention hosted at the University of Alabama Student Center on Feb. 25. The 20 member schools of the Alabama Federation of French Clubs convened for a day full of activities celebrating French islands.
Learners from all levels of French competed in 21 events designed to celebrate the impact of Francophone contributions to music, culture and food.
French and English teacher Melissa Dameron-Vines is in her 27th year of bringing students to Convention and even experienced it when she was in high school. Along with French teacher Meredith Shuttlesworth, the two make attendance a priority to aid their students’ language acquisition.
“We see the benefits of giving students something to do with their academic skills,” Dameron-Vines said. “It’s great for their resumes, and the awards you get are good. You also get to have fun with like-minded people.”
Months of planning and emails are needed to make this event a success. This year the French department volunteered to take the vice president role and help Altamont plan the schedule.
“We want to have overlapping things that are meaningful,” Dameron-Vines said. “This year’s event had the ‘Homewood touch’, you could say.”
In light of feedback from Convention 2024, Homewood’s main priority was to shorten the program and streamline its operation to accommodate students’ extracurricular activities. New adjustments included digitizing the scavenger hunt and breakout rooms as well as shifting the Scholar’s Bowl tournament to a Jeopardy! format.
Homewood won first place in the video submission contest and the Scholar’s Bowl tournament. Due to the shortened program duration, more awards will be sent in the mail to participants in the coming weeks.
Students were able to enjoy several other events without the element of competition. A presentation delivered by Dr. Catherine F. Daniélou of UAB focused on the environmental dangers facing Francophone islands. Two French films were screened throughout the course of the day, and study abroad information was provided for incoming college students.
Junior Kimberly Martinez Quijada participated in six events including the Immersion Oath, a pledge to speak only French the entire day. The unique challenge of speaking in a foreign language and quality time with friends make up her favorite parts of the day.
“I would recommend the Immersion Oath to anyone who wants to take a challenge and speak French all day,” Martinez Quijada said. “If you break it, you’re not going to get penalized, you know? It’s low pressure.”
Despite having initial disappointment with the abbreviated schedule, she still plans to attend Convention next year.
“It can improve your understanding of a language and you don’t have to worry about the pressure of any grade,” Martinez Quijada said. “You literally just get to practice…It also helps with the National French Exam.”
Junior Laila Mohamed recently moved to Homewood after previously studying French for two years. She initially expected a rigid, academic environment and was relieved at the relaxed atmosphere of the event.
“I didn’t expect to have that much fun,” Mohamed said. “It was a bit competitive but there were so many other activities to do and I enjoyed my time with my friends.”
She believes that attending Convention is beneficial to French learners because it decreases the stress around learning a new language.
“It makes students enjoy French—it’s not just so you can get a good grade or win something,” Mohamed said. “But you can also use your knowledge of French so that you can have fun.”
For Convention 2025 the Homewood French department is stepping up to completely run the 75th Annual event. The theme, Music, presents an ideal opportunity for the recognition of French-speaking artists from around the world.
