Four students from Digby are among six Tri-County Region students who will compete May 9 in a provincial French public speaking competition in Halifax.
The students are regional winners of the Concours d’art oratoire held in Yarmouth on April 10. Tri-County students have has been participating in the French public speaking event for eight years.
The Digby Regional High School students are Christi Joyce and Courtney Doucette in the grades 7-8 early French immersion category, Amanda Joyce in the grades 11-12 early French immersion category, and Samantha Harvey in the grades 11-12 core French category.
The other two students are from Meadowfields Community School in the grades 5-6 early French immersion category.
The provincial concours event is being held at Mount Saint Vincent University.
At the provincial level, gold medal winners in the grades 11-12 category will be invited to compete at the national level. The national competition is being held May 29 in Ottawa, and winners will receive a $20,000 scholarship if they attend the University of Ottawa.
Université Sainte-Anne has also agreed to match the $20,000 scholarship if the competition is won by a Nova Scotia student.
“French teachers are contacted late in the fall with the details of the event and are invited to work with their students in preparing them to compete at the regional level,” said Steven Gaudet, coordinator of French programs with the Tri-County Regional School Board.
Gaudet said the goal of the event is to provide students an opportunity to use their second language in a meaningful way outside of the classroom context.
“The activity is clearly linked to French language arts outcomes,” he says. “The activity provides for critical thinking, authentic language usage and independent learning amongst other advantages.”
