Students from Wellwood International Elementary and Sudbrook Magnet Middle schools converse in French as they eat lunch together.

As he crept around on stage at Wellwood International Elementary School, a sly fox named Renart shared short French fables and provided Baltimore County Public Schools students the opportunity to see a performance in both French and English. The audience for this special December 19th performance by the Vagabonde Players included students from Wellwood and from the French magnet program at Sudbrook Magnet Middle School.

Wellwood International features the only elementary world languages program in Baltimore County. While some students participate in a kindergarten through fifth grade partial immersion magnet program (in which they spend part of the day learning various subjects in French), all students in the school receive French instruction three days per week. Many of the Sudbrook students were students at Wellwood.

Before the show, Sudbrook and Wellwood students ate lunch together. “The Wellwood students enjoyed having the chance to ask questions about middle school, what to expect in terms of work and social life,” says Jennie Cox, French content leader at Wellwood. “With their bilingual education, they could do all their conversing in French.”

The Vagabonde Players perform in French and English for students from Wellwood International Elementary and Sudbrook Magnet Middle schools.

“During the December assembly,” Cox notes, “one of the highlights for the Wellwood students was when a bear character decided to come looking for honey throughout the audience. They squealed and cheered as the bear moved in closer and closer.”

Wellwood students are now gearing up for the Grand Concours (or National French Contest) to be held in early spring. Last year, more than 100,000 students in grades 1-12 from all 50 states and abroad competed for prizes and recognition. Eleven Wellwood students ranked in the top ten nationally.

Based in Arlington, Virginia, the Vagabonde Players is a three person troupe that frequently performs in schools, offering both large assemblies and smaller theater workshops.

Story by Jennie Cox, French content leader, Wellwood International Elementary School, Danea A. Farley, specialist, Office of World Languages, and Diana L. Spencer, communications officer. Photos courtesy Wellwood International.