Fifth-grader Lily Streiff, a student in Oak Hollow Elementary’s French dual language immersion program, had just finished making a lavender sachet and was on her way to prepare a take-home sample of herbes de Provence.

“I like all the activities in DLI and it’s fun doing some of these I learned about in class,” she said, adding she planned to sample French cheeses yet. “I wanted to speak another language, learn about the culture and traditions. Turns out, I really like French; it’s fun.”

Lily was among the hundreds of students and family members who gathered at Oak Hollow Elementary for the school’s second annual French Night. The event offered a wide array of hands-on cultural experiences, from drawing the Eiffel Tower and exploring Francophone countries, to creating mini candy skewers and enjoying traditional French music. Participants even took part in a language fair and French competition.

“As a French dual immersion school, we want to share the French culture with our whole community,” said Principal Julie Mootz. “Only two classes in each grade are learning French, but we wanted the whole community to learn about France. Madame Babin and the French teachers at Oak Hollow were responsible for organizing this interactive night. You could try French cheese, enjoy a crepe at the food trucks or learn to draw like Monet. It was fun for the whole family. We even had a former student, Maya Urungaray, organize a French contest for our students. For the month before the event, Maya organized students into different competition categories such as French speaking, French art and French skits.”

Fourth-grade teacher Shauna Jensen said the event was designed for all students and their families to enjoy and learn together.

“We are doing French night to introduce the school to French culture. Students and their families are learning about the food they eat, famous landmarks and having different opportunities to learn about the culture. The best part of it all is getting to see the families all together and having that interaction so they get to know each other and build a community.”

Nearby, third-grade teacher Blandine Choux explained the use of herbes de Provence while sharing samples with families.

“We use it a lot in soups and to season meats and vegetables in our cooking; we use it instead of salt in France,” she explained. “It’s important to give something different or new a try.”

While many favorite activities returned from the previous year, new additions helped keep the celebration fresh.

“It’s important that others who aren’t in the French program learn our culture,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of volunteers — parents, former students, other teachers — come and help create this community event.”

Parent Brittany Thorsen volunteered.

“My kids are part of the French program, and I saw how hard these teachers work to get the night pulled together so I thought it would be fun to help with it,” she said. “It’s a unique opportunity for families to come to this free event.”

Thorsen added her children are enjoying the DLI program and she hopes they continue through high school so they can not only speak French, but they also can earn college credit. The family wants to visit France so the kids can use the language and explore the culture firsthand.

Fifth-grader Eli Vasquez was excited to learn about the French culture.

“I like to try new things and learn about cultures and traditions,” said the non-dual language immersion student. “It’s fun doing different activities, like learning with VR (virtual reality).”

His mother, Lana, was with 2-year-old Dre.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn about the French culture and he can see what his friends are studying,” she said. “It’s a way to unite our community and to celebrate learning and acceptance.”