Upper French Classes Play Pétanque

Upper level French classes found a great excuse to get outside in the sunny spring weather: pétanque! Pétanque is a game of boules, or balls, similar in nature to Italy’s bocce. Pétanque became popular in the early 1900s in Provence, France. Typically, it is played on hard dirt or gravel, but the lawns in front of Old Main and Lodge were perfectly adequate for Madame Pope’s classes. The object is to toss one’s ball closest to the small wooden marker ball, called a “jack,” scoring points that accumulate to a win. The classes strengthened their language skills by communicating only in French as they played this game, often with humorous outcomes for the unpracticed players.