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Students at the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart turned in textbooks for magic Thursday morning, as the school welcomed a world-famous magician for not only some sleight-of-hand, but a French lesson.

The school played host to Olmac, a French magician, who played with both the students' youthful enthusiasm and their burgeoning academic minds.

"Do you know what this is in francais," the magician said, pointing to a spoon.

"A spoon," yelled one young girl, missing the magician's attempt at a French lesson.

The event—coordinated through the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.—was an opportunity to bring the language to life outside the classroom, school officials said. The school recently introduced French to students in grades pre-kindergarten through four, and the magician's appearance was a chance for the students to show off their new skills.

"They have such a desire to learn," said Stone Ridge French teacher Chantal DeMerlis. "This helps keep things fun, when they can learn from someone else."

In between tricks where he turned foam balls into a rabbit, and a wet tissue into show, Olmac asked the students to repeat French words with him. It started off simply with a "bonjour," and later evolved into sentences and colors, the young girls responding each time.

Allison Ruff, a 10-year-old fifth-grader from Bethesda, said she likes to travel, and hopes her French language skills will help her when she goes to Europe. On Thursday, it was nice to combine a French lesson with some fun.

"It was awesome," Ruff said. "And when he spoke French he spoke slowly and that can help us."

Stone Ridge is home to 650 students, and has a long French language tradition, said Head of School Catherine Ronan Karrels. The first Sacred Heart school was founded in Amiens, France, and the Society of the Sacred heart was established by Frenchwoman Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800.

Ronan Karrels said the decision to introduce the language to the lower school students this year was a no-brainer.

"Introduction to language at the earliest possible age is such an advantage," she said. "And they love it. You can see how excited they are."

The excitement wore off into Thursday's assembly, with dozens of hands shooting into the air whenever Olmac asked for a volunteer — except for once.

"Can I have a little girl? Or maybe a little boy," he jokingly said to the all-girls school. Nearly all hands shot back down.