Chicago Wolves speak French at Stagg High School

Stagg High School French 2 and 3 students had a chance to meet and speak in French with Chicago Wolves players Bryce Gervais (Forward) and Stefan Matteau (Center). The event opened with Gervais and Matteau presenting about themselves in French. Then, students were encouraged to ask questions in French and in English, depending on their level of language proficiency.

The students then played a hockey-themed Kahoot interactive quiz game in French, and Gervais and Matteau joined student teams. When Stagg sophomores Hanna Zeiler, Demi Wojdula and Koralia Kuruklis saw Wolves center Matteau without a team for Kahoot, they invited him to join their team.

“Stefan was an awesome team member for our Kahoot,” shared Kuruklis. “We must have laughed the whole time cracking jokes in French and English! I loved this experience!”

Both players were open about how much hockey influenced their lives as children.

As Gervais shared with the students: “J’ai patiné avant de me promener” (I skated before I walked).

The Wolves runs a program where players who have studied French or are native French speakers can visit French classrooms all over the Chicagoland area. Gervais, a native of Saskatchewan, learned French in a French-immersion school, while Matteau, a native Chicagoan, spent lots of time in his father’s native Montreal, a French-speaking city.

“All language learners need to make an attempt to seek out opportunities to use their respective languages, and this was a fun way to do that” shared Stagg French teacher Nitya Viswanath.

Stagg French students use conversation skills every day in class, and French 2 students in particular have been working all year on asking good questions.

“It’s a language survival skill,” shared Viswanath. “If you don’t have the vocabulary to say exactly what you want to say, you can always learn more by asking questions, then repeating answers that you hear offered.”

Stagg students were happy to hear both players using their French language and were able to understand answers to their questions. Students were able to get autographed player profile cards as well as take photos with the players. There were also five lucky students who won Chicago Wolves caps in a raffle for students who spoke French during the event.

Captions for pictures

1: French 2 and 3 students take a group photo after French Q & A with Wolves players Bryce Gervais and Stefan Matteau

2: Wolves Center Stefan Matteau joins Kahoot game team made up of French 2 students Hanna Zeiler, Demi Wojdula, and Koralia Kuruklis

3: Wolves Forward Bryce Gervais and Center Stefan Matteau answer questions in French during a visit to a French class at Stagg