French club hosts Mardi Gras party, community outreach

  • Thalia Fenton, senior French major and international business minor, reminds students about French club events. Courtney Sullivan, professor in the Modern Languages department, finished her presentation on Mardi Gras.

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  • Kevin Lewis enjoys a piece of King’s Cake, a desert that is typically served at Mardi Gras. The cakes were shipped special for the club from New Orleans.

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  • Courtney Sullivan gives students Mardi Gras necklaces, which are typically thrown at the crowd during the parade. The students wore them for the holiday celebration. 

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  • Kevin Lewis poses in the gold mask given to him by Courtney Sullivan. The gold symbolizes power.

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  • Thalia Fenton talks to the students from Seaman High School’s French club following the presentation by Courtney Sullivan. The students were enthusiastic to learn more about French culture.

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  • Members of Washburn’s French club talk to each other following the presentation by Courtney Sullivan. They enjoyed king cake during the festivities. 

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  • Courtney Sullivan talks with members of the Seaman High School French club about studying French and other things following her presentation over Mardi Gras.

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February 8, 2016

The French club hosted a Mardi Gras party on Feb. 8 as a celebration of the holiday, but also as an outreach event where they invited local high schools and members of the Washburn community to participate. The event took place from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. in Morgan 155.

Thalia Fenton, president of the French club, served King’s Cake, a traditional food at Mardi Gras, to the students and faculty in attendance. Afterward, Courtney Sullivan, professor in the Modern Languages Department, spoke in French and English about Mardi Gras. Sullivan, who attended college in New Orleans, showed many aspects of the celebration, including some lesser-well-known parts of the event.

After the presentation, students began to partake in conversation, mostly in English. Sullivan also handed out some Mardi Gras necklaces and masks and some students ate more cake.

The French club will also be selling Valentine’s Day cards and bracelets on Wed., Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union. The proceeds from the sales will benefit the French club.

The French club meets every other Mon. from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.