The Connell Student Center was home to the second-annual French Bowl on Thursday, March 20, where students from local high schools, Wesleyan College and Mercer met for a competition testing their pedigree with the French language and culture.
The competition was borne from Alexis Chauchois' observation that his colleagues in the Department of World Languages and Cultures worked closely with Middle Georgia's Spanish-speaking community and that there was not a similar dialogue happening around Francophone culture. Jose Pino, chair of foreign languages and literatures, helps organize health clinics, among other events, for Macon's Hispanic community. The French Bowl, Chauchois said, is one way to bring a similar level of attention to the other Romance language.
"By fostering connections between students and educators across Middle Georgia, it not only promotes the study of French but also reinforces the idea that language learning is a gateway to new perspectives and opportunities," he said via email.
The tête-à-tête competition pitted groups of around four against each other as they completed puzzles and questions on the French language, separated by levels of proficiency. The written quizzes were then scored by the professors, and awards were handed out.
Prior to the French Bowl, the teams were able to create their own names. Some ventured away from their mascot - "Norma et les duex poissons" and "Princesses des bulles" - while other groups riffed on their school's talisman. Contestants from Wesleyan College were "Les louves" in honor of the Macon school's Wolfpack mascot. One group of Mercer students went by the name "The Bearettes," according to a seating chart for the event.
The competition was possible because of the help Chauchois received from his colleagues in the language departments of the participating local high schools, he said, and the ultimate goal for the event is that it becomes "a lasting tradition" which "inspires students year after year to embrace French, pursue it at Mercer, and carry their passion for languages into the world."
With the student feedback that they received, Chauchois said, the event may be able to further its goal of "fostering connections between students and educators across Middle Georgia." Working within the community, he said, "not only promotes the study of French but also reinforces the idea that language learning is a gateway to new perspectives and opportunities."
Gabriel Kopp '26 is majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as co-Editor-in-Chief. When he isn't studying, he enjoys going for runs and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
