French Classes for Children and their Parents on Saturday Mornings

Our Staff

MEET THE BOARD

Co-Directors:
Jacques Whettnall - Operations/Publicity
Denise Ciobanu - Operations/Treasurer

Volunteer Parent Board: Marketing, Social Chairmen, and IT/Tech Support

 

Our faculty includes seasoned teachers educated in France, the U.S. and Francophone countries.

MEET L' ÉCOLE DU SAMEDI'S TEACHERS

  •  Denise Steluta Ciobanu   (EDS Director)

Madame Ciobanu was born in Bucharest, Romania and went to the University of Bucharest, Faculté de Lettres, where she received her Bachelor in Philology. She taught French, Romanian and Latin languages in middle school for 4 years prior to moving to USA. Mrs. Ciobanu has 23 years of experience in teaching. Currently she teaches French and IB French, at Northwestern High School, in Rock Hill. She enjoys reading, traveling and cooking. She shares her passions with her students and enjoys teaching language, civilization and cuisine.

 

  • Jacques M. Whettnall (EDS director)

 Born and Raised in Paris, Mr. Jacques Whettnall has been educated at Hattemer Academy, Lycée Janson de Sailly, University of Paris (Licence de Philo), and Recherche et Application Pedagogic School.He has been a teacher for  L’Alliance Française in the US for 16 years.

In this class level cycle 3, CM2, He proposes a consolidation of the grammar and most used verbs with prepared dictations.

Role playing and theater sketches, kinesthetic activities and songs to practice fluidity in the speech, reading and writing in that order. Study of some of the classics as Molière, Lafontaine , G.Sand etc...and will revisit the syllabic method and the “ analyse logique “ of the sentences....

 

  • Pamela Shembo

Madame Shembo teaches fifth grade French Immersion at Waddell Academy of International Languages and has been teaching in CMS for 20 years.

She has a Bachelor of Philology from the University of Louvain.

Mrs. Shembo believes strongly in communication in learning a language and encourage the children to feel free to discuss, ask questions, make mistakes, respect each other and have fun, Grammar should be learned at a later Stage. Her students learn songs and she creates a very strong group dynamic.

 

 

  • Gaëll Hervé

Madame Hervé comes from the beautiful Bretagne (Brittany), on Northwestern part of France. She was born in Nantes and has been educated in France and United States. She is French by place of birth, and American by choice. She adores animals, and she is the proud mom of 4 fur babies.

She lives close to Aiken and teaches all level of French in high school. Avid reader, world traveler, animal activist, always learning and enriching herself, madame Hervé was born to teach, and has a wealth of knowledge to share with her students.

See below an open letter addressed to her future students:

Bonjour à toutes et à tous

 

    Je m’appelle Gaëll et je suis originaire de Nantes, en France.

 

    Nantes est une très belle ville située au nord-ouest de la France, à environ une heure de l’océan atlantique. Si un jour vous avez l’occasion de visiter Nantes, vous remarquerez que beaucoup de choses sont écrites à la fois en français et en breton. Après tout, Nantes fait culturellement partie de la Bretagne!

 

    Moi-même, j’ai poursuivi une License d’anglais à l’Université de Nantes avant d’étudier à Northwestern State University en Louisiane puis à Converse College en Caroline du Sud. J’ai ensuite poursuivi une Maîtrise de français à USC Columbia en Caroline du Sud.

 

    J’enseigne le français au niveau secondaire depuis environ vingt ans. J’aime beaucoup travailler avec les lycéens et partager ma culture en cours de français et dans le Club de français de mon lycée.

 

    J’adore les animaux … J’ai deux chiens, Pompon et Scarlett, et deux chats, Peanut et Fleurette. Prénoms français et américains obligent!    

    J’aime beaucoup la Caroline du Sud et le Sud en général. Ma ville préférée aux États-Unis est Charleston mais j’apprécie aussi les petites villes comme Aiken et la région où je réside.            

 

 

  • Viviane Emil Gerges

Issued from two cultures, Egyptian and French, Madame Gerges made of United States her second home.

She teaches high School French, advanced levels, in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is endorsed in AP, IB and DELF. Madam Gerges loves to travel, cook, and read.

Fluent in French, English, and Arabic, Mme. Gerges has enriched generations of students for more than 20 years.

 

  • Marie Muller

Madame Muller was born in Paris, France. An avid traveler, and humanitarian she traveled the world. She speaks fluently several languages. One day she decided to make Charlotte, NC her home, and she lived in Charlotte for more than 20 years. She is one of the founding mothers of Ecole du Samedi, as in 2006, Madame Muller and two of her French friends created the “Ecole du Samedi de Charlotte.”

Now, she is back to France, in beautiful Antibes, on the French Riviera, from where she teaches remotely our littlest students. She adores them, and they adore her.