The Bellevue West French Club has recently become active again after having gone dormant in early last semester. This inactivity came as a result of the passing of the club’s sponsor Deb Richardson, who also served as the school’s French teacher. Since her passing, German teacher Amanda Messerschmitt has taken up the position of the club’s sponsor.
“I want to continue the passion for French culture and language,” Messerschmitt said. “I know that Ms. Richardson, my former colleague and friend, loved to promote that here in our building. So I want to honor that memory and try to do what I can to promote it.”
Messerschmitt said that it has been difficult to get students to attend the club. She stated that since she does not teach French, it is harder to reach students in French classes that may be interested in the club.
Some members of the club, several having been Richardson’s students, continued to show support for the club both during and after its hiatus. One such member is junior Alex Laporte, who has been a member of the club since his freshman year.
“The club was kinda completely canceled for a while,” Laporte said. “Ms. Messerschmitt kind of came into the classroom and shared some words. We kind of wanted to get it back started up again. But it was still a while before anything really happened.”
According to Laporte, since the club went inactive many members of the club stopped attending. Since then the club has been working to revitalize its membership and return to a sense of normalcy.
“I guess you could consider a goal to get it back and start with an actual schedule, because we’re just throwing meetings out right now,” Laporte said. “The most important thing about the club to me is learning the culture and getting to know people who share your interest.
It’s very fun even just talking to the other people there, we’re extremely welcoming and it’s never too late to join.”
Junior Sophia Mahlberg is another member of the French Club that has been involved since her freshman year. Her involvement in the club stemmed from her enjoyment of the French language. But without Richardson, both attending the club and attracting new members has become much more difficult.
“Our energy was really low and nothing has replaced that,” Mahlberg said. “So it felt like we can’t really do anything for a long time. The biggest draw was Ms. Richardson and her huge personality.”
Despite the circumstances that the club has faced this past school year, it is still making strides to maintain its membership and provide a space for people with common interest in French culture to come together.
Students with questions about joining the French Club should contact Messerschmitt. There are no prerequisites for joining and everyone is welcome.
