JHS Students Nationally Ranked in French Contest
Johnston High School students John Leimer and Akshaya Kumar recently completed Le Grand Concours, a rigorous French exam, and have been ranked nationally in the 83rd annual event, receiving national medals.
Le Grand Concours is a national competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Students were evaluated on their reading and listening comprehension skills in French in addition to their understanding of the grammar and culture. More than 75,000 students in all 50 states competed in the 2018 event. Fourteen Johnston High School students, including the two national medalists, received state honors and received a certificate and a check. Johnston offers French from eighth grade through AP; French teachers include Daphne Petersen (JMS), Tamara Andrews(JHS), and Kari Gray (JHS).
AATF President Catherine Danièlou said, “French students who rank nationally in Le Grand Concours demonstrate a superior level of global responsibility, integrative cultural competence, language skills, and commitment to excellence and dedication. They significantly increase their community’s international profile. Their French teachers, whom they honor, work hard to produce responsible world citizens with multilingual capabilities. Le Grand Concours participants and winners all embrace an appreciation for other cultures, strive to continually learn and improve, and value the study of French. We are very proud of them and admire their commitment to both contributing to a better world and serving as exceptional ambassadors for their schools.”
For more information about the National French Contest, please visit: www.frenchteachers.org/concours.
Pictured from left to right, top row: Matthew Ding, Chase O’Connell, Anna Janni, Stella Zeng, Angelina Cordova, Grace Doan, John Leimer, Orville Kabamba; bottom row: Emma Renaud, Akshaya Kumar, Ella Knott, Kathryn Ikeda, Katelyn Winkler. Not pictured: Arundhati Soni.