For most people, Mardi Gras means beads and booze, and is strictly New Orleans. However, French teacher, Peggy Bejarano, is sharing the New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras with her students.

Mardi Gras, meaning ‘fat tuesday’ in French, and also called Carnival, is the celebration before the Catholic religious observance Lent.

Interested in bringing the culture of Mardi Gras to the students, Bejarano invited her French classes to take part in a Mardi Gras parade on the 12th and 13th of February.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, French students saddled up in parade floats and gear, tossing beads and candy into participating classrooms. The C, D, and F buildings were bombarded with 75 French students parading 17 floats, each displaying a different taste of Mardi Gras.

“[I liked] that we could express ourselves and get out of class and throw candy at people,” sophomore French student Belle Lyon shares.

The students prepared their floats for a month prior to the celebration. Bejarano explains, “students used large cardboard boxes, papier maché, balloons, glitter, paint, spray paint, aluminum paper, butcher paper, feathers, PVC pipes, wood, moss, sand, dirt, etc… My class has turned into an art studio!”

Also a sophomore, French student Conrad Hill says, “I painted our float the color of the sea and we made some seafoam out of cotton balls. The rest of my group did papier maché for the head.”

The parade has been an excellent chance for the students to challenge their creativity. Floats ranged from peacocks to pumas to giant medusa heads, all staying true to the Mardi Gras colors: purple, green and gold.

“I wanted students to be fully responsible for the creation and ideas of their float designs,” Bejarano says.

“I really [wanted] my students to have fun. We can’t go to New Orleans so we’ll bring New Orleans to Perry!” she adds.

So, as they say in New Orleans, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” (Let the good times roll).