An annual provincial French speaking competition shows the strength of the Morden French immersion program, judging by how local students perform in it each year.
Western School Division (WSD) in collaboration with the Canadian Parents for French Morden chapter hosted Concours d’arts oratoire March 17, with French Immersion students from Grades 4-10 competing for a chance to present their speeches at the provincial Concours d’art oratoire hosted by CPF Manitoba.
The provincial event was held at the Université de Saint Boniface May 1-2, and WSD sent a number of kids to compete, including Georgia MacAulay in Grade 3-4, Amber Barnuevo in Grade 5-6, Chloe Ha in Grade 7-8, and Addison Wiens in Grade 9-10.
Ha came in first place with her speech “Differénte Mais Pas Moins Importante” (different but no less important) while Barnuevo finished in third for her speech “Ma Vie Come un Chat” (my life as a cat).
“I joined the competition with no expectations of winning but rather with the goal of enjoying the experience and learning along the way,” said Barnuevo. “I felt nervous at first, but I kept reminding myself that I had prepared and all I could do was give my best.”
Ha had participated in the event previously but battled some serious nerves while doing so. While she admitted to still being nervous this time around, she powered through to earn a podium finish.
“It really got me motivated to do well this year. I did my best, and I ended up winning first in Manitoba,” Ha said. “I felt really proud of myself, especially because I feel it was a more sensitive topic, but I’m proud to share about it.
“The years before were more happy, joyful speeches, however this year it was a little more emotional and sensitive for me,” said Ha, who speaks Korean and English as well as French. “Having that gift and ability to speak three languages I think will impact my career throughout my life.”
Sara Convery, a representative of the Morden chapter of the Canadian Parents for French, said the growth of the competition locally is a reflection of having a strong and well-supported French program.
“The French Immersion program in Morden for the last number of years has continued to grow, and for the last number of years, we have hosted this public speaking competition locally,” she said.
“We’ve expanded from essentially only doing the middle school students when we first started to including Grade 4 all the way to Grade 10,” she said. “So we’re seeing a lot more kids participate in the competition, which is awesome.”
Convery observed how it is a good thing to see that there is the desire for kids to learn the language and how it will be a benefit to them in their lives.
“Just in general, I think most people don’t like speaking in front of an audience, so if the kids can have a chance to practice when they’re younger and especially in a second language, I think that will just give them more confidence that they can use their French going forward,” she said.
“We’ve definitely got good support from all levels in the school division and the parents as well who are putting their kids in French Immersion and they’re seeing the value of it,” said Convery. “We’re seeing kids staying in French Immersion, so it’s all just very positive.”
