Huntington Celebrates Francophonie Month with Unforgettable Event

Huntington High School recently hosted a spectacular Fête de la Francophonie on March 31, welcoming approximately 300 French teachers and students from eight Suffolk County schools: Babylon Jr/Sr High School, Baldwin High School, Holy Child Academy Old Westbury, Huntington High School, J. Taylor Finley Middle School, St. Anthony's High School, Plainview Old Bethpage JFK High School and Walt Whitman High School.

Organized through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Gina Trigian-Molvaut with Ms. Élise Bégin from the Center for Francophonie of the Americas, and with the sponsorship of l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, the event brought the vibrant spirit of Francophone communities throughout the Americas directly into our school community.

Over the span of 90 minutes, attendees experienced an engaging francophone performance featuring live improvised rap and interactive exchanges with renowned Quebec artist Emmanuel

Cormier-Cotnoir (KJT) and his DJ K-Tournaz. Students gained authentic insight into Francophone music traditions and contemporary cultural expression while engaging directly with the performers. The dynamic cultural dialogue created a meaningful learning experience for all participants.

The event successfully integrated stimulating cultural content into our French curriculum, highlighted the French language through authentic interactive performance, and built meaningful connections between Huntington's French program and other Suffolk County districts. It affirmed Huntington's identity as a francophone community in New York and celebrated the presence of 11 million French speakers and Francophiles across the United States.

Dr. Trigian-Molvaut offered “special thanks to our partners” Le Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques, (Ms Élise Bégin), L'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (Ms. Juliette Anne and Ms. Bleona Rexhepi), the American Association of Teachers of French Suffolk NY Chapter (Dr. Gina Trigian-Molvaut and Mme Marleine Guiose Chiofalo), La Société Honoraire de Français HHS, and Villa Albertine.

“We gratefully acknowledge Superintendent Beth McCoy, Principal Rochelle C. Brown, Assistant Principals Gamal Smith and Dr. Amy Cobelo, Assistant Superintendent for Finance Dr. Rubie Harris, Director of World Languages Judy Moroff, Director of Safety and Security Jarrett Stein and the security team, the buildings and grounds and clerical staffs, and stage manager Michael Zigon for their essential contributions to this memorable celebration,” Dr. Trigian-Molvaut said.