On December 8, Connie Pierce and her group of students at the Rochester Senior Center are busy drawing Santa Claus.

Or, more technically, Pere Noel, seeing as this is a French class.

"What does Pere Noel wear?" Pierce asks her class in French, quizzing them on their vocabulary.

There's a brief moment of silence, and then the class begins to list off French words—boots, a red costume, a belt. There's some confusion as to whether Pere Noel wears les lunettes (glasses), but it is eventually agreed that he does.

This group of Rochester seniors has been meeting the past several Fridays to learn and practice their French in conversation. Pierce, a former French teacher who studied in France, volunteered to lead the class. Sharon Lally, the director of Rochester's Council on Aging, offered it on a whim. "I wasn't sure how popular it would be, but it exploded!" she said.

The youngest member of the group is around 66, Pierce said, and the oldest members are in their 80s. Several of them are from French-Canadian families, attended French-speaking private schools, and spoke French exclusively while there.

"These days, we don't have anyone to practice with," said Jackie Demers, a longtime kindergarten teacher at Rochester Memorial School.

"It's nice to practice our French, so that we're not embarrassed to speak it," added fellow student Maurice Samson in French.

The students have a little extra help this Friday; a French class from Tabor Academy has arrived to talk with them. Demers, with long teaching experience, is excited. "Does that mean we can sing?" she asks Pierce excitedly in French.

Fifteen minutes later, she's leading the Tabor students in a chorus of "Alouette" and "Frere Jacques."

"It's such a fun class," said fellow student Rene Rivert. "We can't speak anything but French in this room, so we have to learn. We always have a great time together."

The French class meets every Friday at 10 a.m, although there is no class on December 15. The class is free of charge and open to anyone interested in learning (or listening to) French.