Concours de français: Lo-Ellen Park and Lockerby capture top honours

Deepika Sriram, left, a Core French student at Lockerby Composite School, and Sarah Lavallee, a French Immersion student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, won tuition to Laurentian University for one year for capturing top honours at the 2009 Concours de français.

French Immersion and Core French students from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School and Lockerby Composite School captured top honours at the 2009 Concours de français. Sarah Lavallee, a French Immersion student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, and Deepika Sriram, a Core French student at Lockerby Composite School, won tuition to Laurentian University for one year.

Students from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School captured a number of awards at the competition. In French Immersion, Marina Romani placed first, receiving $500; Jessica DeSanti placed second, receiving $300; and Sarah Lavallee placed third, receiving tuition to Laurentian University valued at $5,000. In Core French, Marja Salminen placed second, receiving $500 and Zohra Charaniya placed third, receiving $200.

Jean Hanson, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board, congratulated students for their outstanding achievement. "The impressive results from Rainbow Schools are a tribute to the effectiveness of our French Immersion and Core French programs," she said. "We are proud of our students’ fluency in French and commend teachers for their efforts."

Approximately 42 Grade 12 French Immersion and Core French students from Rainbow District School Board and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board participated in the Concours de français on Friday, May 1st. The event, organized by the Modern Language Teachers’ Association, was held at the Alphonse Raymond Auditorium.

The Concours de français serves to promote and value French programs and to encourage students to continue studying French at the post-secondary level. The Concours assesses written and oral French as well as listening and reading skills.

Students produce a structured story after looking at a series of images. They also take part in “dictée” which tests spelling and grammar. For the oral component, students are required to speak in front of a panel of judges. A team of teachers administers the tests.

“The Concours de français, in existence for nearly 30 years, seeks to validate and reward the mastery of French language skills among French second language learners from across the region,” says Rainbow District School Board teacher Gary McKinny, President of the Modern Language Teachers’ Association. “Many students go on to university to study language thanks to the bursaries that are generously offered.”

The Concours de français benefits from tremendous community support, including the following sponsors – Laurentian University, Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury Catholic District School Board, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association, the Sudbury and District Modern Language Teachers’ Association, Centre FORA, and Collège Boréal.

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Media Contact:
Gary McKinny, Teacher, Lockerby Composite School,
Rainbow District School Board, 522-1750.