PROVINCIAL FRENCH PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST 2021
Students’ passion for French shines, despite pandemic
Halifax. May 10, 2021: The Concours d’art oratoire is a national French public speaking competition that takes place each spring across the country. Students present first at their school level, and then move up to compete at the regional, provincial and national levels. Canadian Parents for French, Nova Scotia (CPF Nova Scotia) has been organizing the provincial competition for thirty-seven years.
Last year Concours was cancelled due to COVID 19 and restrictions from Public Health. Although restrictions are still in place, CPF Nova Scotia modified the traditional event so that the Concours could take place. This year, over 1000 students in Grades 1-8 participated in their classrooms. CPF Nova Scotia sent each student a certificate of participation and prizes. Students from Grades 9-12 competed virtually; each participant recorded their speech and submitted the video via email. A panel of volunteer judges reviewed the submissions and determined winners for each category.
The virtual provincial award ceremony for Grades 9-12 was held on Saturday May 8th, 2021. Winning students represented several Regional Centres for Education in the province, such as Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education, Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education, Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education, South Shore Regional Centre for Excellence and the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.
The virtual provincial award ceremony included a special guest speaker, Anna Gaudet. Anna was a provincial and national winner at the 2017 National Concours d’art oratoire. Anna shared her experience at National as well as how participating in the Concours positively influenced her in her employment and life. Anna Gaudet is an Honours student at Dalhousie University, completing a combined degree in Sustainability and History.
The Concours d’art oratoire provides participants with the opportunity to compete against their peers with similar French experience and enrichment. This year, since travel is restricted amongst provinces, the National Concours will also be a virtual format. The grade 11/12 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners’ video speeches will be submitted to the National Concours. The National Concours Awards announcement will take place on June 15.
For the CPF Nova Scotia provincial Concours d’art oratoire, all students from Grade 9-12 will receive a certificate of participation. All 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners will also receive a cash prize. The winners who are in Grade 11 & 12 have also been awarded renewable entrance scholarships to Université Sainte-Anne and Université de Moncton.
Sponsorship for this event was received from: Université Sainte-Anne, NS Education and the Bursaries for Postsecondary Studies in French as a Second Language Program (FSL Bursary Program). The FSL Bursary Program, funded by the Government of Canada and administered by the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC), offers $3,000 non-renewable bursaries to encourage young Canadians whose first official spoken language is English to pursue their postsecondary studies in French. For information on eligibility criteria and participating colleges and universities, visit ACUFC.ca/fslbursaries.
With the continuing support of our sponsors and volunteers, Canadian Parents for French, Nova Scotia is able to organize and present the provincial Concours d’art oratoire. The 2021 awards ceremony can be viewed at bit.ly/2RAEUNb
We hope to see you all at Concours 2022 !