Nova Scotia Students Participate in National French Public Speaking Contest

Grade 11 Student at Halifax West High School Wins Scholarship to University of Ottawa

Canadian Parents for French, Nova Scotia would like to congratulate the Nova Scotian students at the 15th edition of the Canadian Parents for French National Concours d’art oratoire, which was held in Gatineau on June 3, 2017.

Anna Gaudet won second place in late French immersion category. Anna is a student at Halifax West High School.  Anna attended Atlantic Memorial Elementary and Brookside Junior High.  She presently works at a local Farmers Market and plans to study Political Science after graduation.

“The Concours has given me the opportunity to achieve this goal with their generous bursary for the University of Ottawa. Thank you to CPF for giving youth who are passionate about French a chance to expand their talents and encourage the language” Anna explained, “This year was my first year participating in the Concours d’Art Oratoire, and I would like to thank all of the French teachers for helping me prepare.”

Her fellow participants from Nova Scotia were Annie Xu, a student at Sacred Heart School of Halifax and Makayla Foster, a student from West Kings District High School. This was Annie’s second time at the National Concours.  Makayla is from the Annapolis Valley and it was her first time competing at this level. Makayla participated in the Nova Scotia-Quebec Exchange last year. “I have been in French Immersion since grade primary and have seen firsthand the advantages and opportunities my second language has offered me.”

The National Concours d’Art Oratoire has been one of the best experiences of my life.” Anna said, “I enjoyed interacting with the country’s best young public speakers in such an accommodating and fun environment. I made lifetime friends and was so impressed with the amazing organization of CPF. I cannot wait to call the beautiful city of Ottawa home!”

This year’s competition welcomed 38 finalists from across Canada to the Nation’s capital for the competition and some sightseeing.   As the top 38 contestants from a total of 62,000 participants nationwide, the students competed in five categories ranging from core French to Francophone. They spoke on topics such as the preservation of Indigenous languages, the qualities that make a good leader as well as the importance of French as a second language in Canada and abroad.

The event, which offers over $500,000 in scholarships from the University of Ottawa, Université de Moncton, Université Sainte-Anne and Université de Saint-Boniface, is a reminder that year after year Canadian youth want to be bilingual and that access to quality French second language programs is an important means to attaining this goal.

Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is the national network of volunteers that values French as an integral part of Canada and is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French second language opportunities for young Canadians