Top honours for students

Photo: Contributed

Grade 6 students Rowan Broadhead and Ava Lee-Gock from Vernon have proven their French Immersion skills at the provincial level.

Both were awarded top honours at the recent Concours d’art oratorie, a provincial French public speaking competition recently held at Simon Fraser University.

Broadhead, from Beairsto, won second place with his presentation called 'Les pesticides,' while Lee-Gock a late immersion student from Harwood took home third place presenting 'La crême glâcée.'

“We are very proud of all our students in the French program,” said Superintendent Joe Rogers. “Studies have shown that learning a second language increases overall cognitive development, and our teachers, at Harwood for the late immersion program, Beairsto and Seaton, are doing a tremendous job teaching over 1000 students in the program."

"The results from Concours speak to that.”

Students participating in Concours are required to prepare and present a 3 to 5 minute speech all in French on a subject chosen by themselves.

The competition progresses through a series of stages starting with a competition in the students’ classroom, moving to a school district competition, and ending with the provincial competition.

Other Vernon finalists in the weekend competition include Beairsto’s Ulyana Doerksen in the Grade 6 Francophone category with, 'Les cafés des chats' and Harwood’s Grade 7 late immersion, J’Lee Howitt, with 'Gord Downie.'

Photo: Monica Lee

Ava Lee-Gock received the bronze medal