Boise State hosts first French Immersion Day for Idaho high schoolers

More than 250 high school students from across Idaho attended the inaugural French Immersion Day at Boise State University on Oct. 15.

The event took place at the Westmark Student Union Building and required participants to speak only French for the duration of the day. Students and volunteers recited a pledge at the start of the event to commit to using the language exclusively. The program targeted advanced learners, including those enrolled in French III, French IV, and AP courses.

Participants rotated through 13 activity stations located in rooms themed after France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Louisiana. Activities included a waiter’s race, Pétanque, Basque dance, Francophone trivia, a spelling bee, and a tongue-twister challenge. Other stations featured a French-language game show, theater and improv, a scavenger hunt, and French-language karaoke.

Additional offerings included a Congolese dress exhibit, giant Scrabble, and a virtual reality station. The virtual reality setup allowed students to explore Notre Dame and other French destinations. Alain-Philippe Durand, a French scholar and Dean of Humanities at the University of Arizona, delivered a keynote address on the value of languages and humanities studies for career opportunities.

Students competed for prizes that recognized individual achievements, school performance, and French-language use. The day ended with an afternoon awards ceremony. Carley Calovich, a Boise State French major and the event’s primary intern, noted that the experience strengthens cultural competency and language skills. "I would have loved to have this opportunity in high school," Calovich said.

Brittney Gehrig, a Boise State French instructor, served on the planning team alongside high school teachers Juliette Buxton from Boise High School, and Matthew Fraley and Danyelle Davis from Sage International School. The team reported high levels of engagement from both students and teachers.

The Villa Albertine Foundation provided a grant to support the event. Partners included the Department of World Languages, Boise State Concurrent Credit, University of Idaho Dual Credit, the Idaho Association of Teachers of Language and Culture, the State Department of Education, Lactalis, the Alliance Française, and more than thirty French-speaking community volunteers. French Immersion Day is now designated as an annual tradition.