Pair of Surrey students win at French public speaking competition
Two of the district's French Immersion students took top spots in this year's Concours Virtuel, a French public speaking competition showcasing language skills.
Grade 12 École Kwantlen Park Secondary student Simone Saini placed first in the French Immersion 11/12 category, while Grade 7 École Woodward Hill Elementary student Mireia Cuenca took gold in the Early French Immersion 7b category. (The A/B classification was made to split up large categories and does not reflect a certain level of French).
Hosted by Canadian Parents for French, the 38th-annual competition, and the second in virtual form, saw more than 360 students across Canada compete to the best of their linguistic ability. Instead of providing a theme, the CPF gave students creative freedom to submit videos, en français, about anything, from favourite hobbies to current events.
Saini spoke about her lifelong interest in French - including her participation in Concours Virtuel in previous years - while Cuenca shared her views on habitual use of social media during the pandemic.
Other students' video entries covered everything from the impact of residential schools to family recipes sports, recipes and how they stay connected with family and friends.
Saini received a $400 cash prize while Cuenca received a $200 cash prize, both with matching donations to a registered Canadian non-profit of their choice.
View their winning submissions:
Simone Saini, Grade 12, École Kwantlen Park Secondary - 1st, French Immersion 11/12
Mireia Cuenca, Grade 7, École Woodward Hill Elementary - 1st, Early French Immersion 7b
