Record-tying five Surrey students win medals at BC French-speaking competition
École Panorama Ridge Secondary student Mireia Cuenca was among this year's winners from Surrey Schools at the Concours d'art oratoire, placing second in the Immersion 10 category. (Photo submitted)
For the first time in a decade, five Surrey students were winners at the 2024 B.C. and Yukon Concours d’art oratoire, a provincial French-speaking competition for Grade 6-12 students.
In the Core and Intensive French 11/12 category, Grade 12 Semiahmoo Secondary student Dhruv Mehta placed first while Grade 11 Johnston Heights Secondary student Aashita Goyal came third. Mireia Cuenca of École Panorama Ridge Secondary took home silver in the Immersion 10 category, and Frost Road Elementary students Jathu Nanthakumar and Chaarvi Sivasankar placed second and third, respectively, in the Core and Intensive French 6/7 category. This year marked the first time since 2014 that five Surrey students won medals at the Concours d’art oratoire.
Hosted by Canadian Parents for French (CPF), the 41st annual competition took place May 4 at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus and saw more than 175 students from across B.C. and the Yukon participate. The Concours d’art oratoire was created to encourage and support bilingualism in Canada while providing French-speaking students with an event and a community of active French language learners. The competition also aims to demonstrate the relevance of French language instruction in the real world.
Mehta and Cuenca were no strangers to the podium, having medalled in last year’s competition, with Mehta also winning the 2023 national Concours d’art oratoire and Cuenca taking gold at the 2021 Concours Virtuel in the Early French Immersion 7b category.
Surrey Schools has an extensive history of Concours winners:
- 2023 – Concours d’art oratoire (provincial): Mireia Cuenca and Dhruv Mehta
- 2021 – Concours Virtuel (national): Mireia Cuenca and Simone Sinai
- 2020 – Concours Virtuel (national): Luka Roberts
- 2019 – Concours d’art oratoire (provincial): Kaitlyn Lu and Ben Tyler
- 2018 – Concours d’art oratoire (provincial): Olivia Podhajska, Paige Metcalf, Ben Tyler and Coralie Tcheune
- 2017 – Concours d’art oratoire (national): Coralie Tcheune
- 2015 – Concours d’art oratoire (provincial): Julia Albert and Kyle Boutilier
- 2014 – Concours d’art oratoire (provincial): Julia Albert, Haley Biggin, Jazlyn Melnychuk, Shailee Shah and Coralie Tcheune
Prizes for this year's provincial competition range from $25 to $150, based on grade level and placement in the top three of categories.
To see the other winners and learn more about the CPF and the Concours d'art oratoire, click here.
