Semiahmoo Secondary student takes first place – again – in national French-speaking competition

For the second year in a row, Semiahmoo Secondary student Dhruv Mehta has placed first in the national finals of the Concours d’art oratoire, a French public speaking competition hosted by Canadian Parents for French (CPF) for Grade 6 to 12 students across Canada.

Semiahmoo Secondary graduate Dhruv Mehta is a two-time winner of the national Concours d'art oratoire, a French public speaking competition hosted by Canadian Parents for French.

Mehta, a recent graduate, took the top spot in the Core French category, repeating his victory from last year in the national contest. The win also follows an impressive showing at the provincial Concours d’art oratoire where he finished first in the Core and Intensive French 11/12 category.

Additionally, SAIL (Surrey Academy of Innovative Learning) student Sophia Killawee placed second in the Late French Immersion category. Mehta and Killawee competed against students from seven provinces and territories, and were among 13 medallists across five categories: Core French, Core Extended/Enriched/Advanced French, Early French Immersion, Late French Immersion and Francophone. The competition was held virtually, with students submitting single-take videos showcasing their public speaking skills en français.

Mehta’s speech was titled Vers l'infini et au-delà avec la technologie (To infinity and beyond with technology) while Killawee’s speech was titled L’autisme. Other speech topics included sports, marketing, colonialism and racism, among other subjects.

Winning submissions were selected by a jury of 12 expert judges from such partner organizations as the Embassy of France in Canada, the City of Ottawa and the Association of Colleges and Universities of the Canadian Francophonie (ACUFC).

Surrey Schools has an extensive history of Concours winners:

• 2024 – Concours d’art oratoire (provincial): Mireia Cuenca, Aashita Goyal, Dhruv Mehta, Jathu Nanthakumar, Chaarvi Sivansankar
• 2023 – Concours d’art oratoire (national): Dhruv Mehta
• 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

This year’s winners will receive a cash prize and are eligible for a scholarship from CPF’s partner post-secondary institutions: University of Ottawa, Université Saint-Boniface, Université de Moncton, Université Sainte-Anne, Campus Saint-Jean – University of Alberta, and Glendon Campus of York University.

To see the other winners and learn more about the CPF and the Concours d'art oratoire, click here.