Forty-one Delta students from grades 6 to 12 gathered at South Delta Secondary last Wednesday to participate in the district finals of the Concours d'art oratoire, a national French public speaking competition held annually by the non-profit group Canadian Parents for French (CPF) in collaboration with school districts.
The CPF Concours d'art oratoire showcases three-to five-minute speeches prepared and presented by students in Core French, French Immersion and Francophone programs. Teachers and parents have been organizing Concours for over 25 years, and for many students it's now part of the curriculum in both French Immersion and Core French.
For months, students were researching, writing and memorizing speeches on a wide range of topics, including their favourite people and places, feminism and racism, technological innovation and social justice. After presenting the speeches in front of their classmates, students who ranked at the top of their grade and language program categories were chosen to participate in the district finals.
The 12 students who placed first in their categories at the Delta level will participate in the provincial finals on May 6 at Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus. From there, the top Grade 12 students move on to the national finals in Ottawa.
Both provincially and nationally, Concours offers hundreds of prizes to participants: university scholarships, trips to Ottawa, books, medals, merchandise, cash and more.
More than prizes, Concours offers students a unique opportunity to gain public speaking experience and confidence. The skills participating students acquire are invaluable not only in their French studies, but are transferrable to other languages and fields of study that call upon them to research and communicate ideas.
Last year, more than 10,000 students in grades 6 to 12 participated in Concours in communities throughout B.C.
