No one can ever rightfully question Fabienne Dubois' love for French.
A few months after beginning a French Club at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, the Foreign Languages Department faculty member created a chapter of La Société Honoraire de Français, which translates to the French National Honor Society.
"It's a way to promote languages, and a way to encourage students to go further with their language," said Mrs. Dubois, explaining her motives. "And also to help them out for college because it's a great accolade for them to have on their resume."
Seven WMA students were accepted into the WMA chapter during a ceremony on campus in mid-February: Shiyin "Sally" Liu '18, Gokul Sivakumar '19, Elizaveta Zalomova '19, Elizaveta Biryukova '19, Liam Garrison '20, Gorana Puzovic '19 and Yupei "Tina" Sun '19.
"I think it's really awesome," Sally said. "I'm glad I have a chance to participate in it as a senior. I think it goes to acknowledge the difficulties and the amount of work we put into studying a foreign language, especially a third language for some of the international students."
"I thought this was the year to do it," added Mrs. Dubois, who began the French Club in the fall. "They were motivated, and when I talked to them about it, they said, 'Of course we want to do it.'"
The French National Honor Society takes into account leadership, academics, citizenship and service to the community. Academically, students must earn a grade of an A or better in French, and no grade lower than a B- in all other subjects.
"It's an honor, and it's a lot of work because you have to keep up with all of your work in all of your classes," Sally said. "I think a student who can excel in learning a different language will definitely excel in many other areas in their academic rigor."
Mrs. Dubois wrote WMA-specific bylaws for its constitution. For the group's community service, students will serve as mentors for two hours in the Middle School.
Students in La Société Honoraire de Français will be honored at Prize Day with membership pins and a certificate.