CMS French students shine in the National French Contest

Congratulations to the Colonial Middle School students who earned awards in the National French Contest, Le Grand Concours. This annual international competition, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French, tests students on their listening and reading comprehension skills.

In seventh grade, two students, Zoe Aquilino and Anna-Mathilde Kelly, each won a Lauréat National Médaille D'Argent (National Laureate Silver Medal) for scoring in the top 15% of all test takers. Archer Horne received a Lauréat National Médaille De Bronze (National Laureate Bronze Medal) for scoring in the top 25% nationally. Anna-Mathilde tied for third in the Philadelphia Chapter and fifth nationally. Zoe tied for sixth and eighth, and Archer tied for eighth and tenth.

Zoe was surprised that she did so well on the exam. “I didn’t study,” said the eighth grader, relying on her dedication to the class to bring home a medal. “French is fun,” she added.

Seventh grade honorable mention winners include: Kai Foster, Florence Gross, Mila Lichtenstein, Shay Deveney, Anna Szperka, Cece Sabins, Evie Shenck, and Melody Tice. 

For eighth grade, Chirayu Thakali tied for 12th in the Philadelphia Chapter and 13th nationally, which gave him a Lauréat National Médaille De Bronze. Three students—Arden Dooner, Avi Anand, and Xian Magnaye—earned honorable mentions.

CMS French Teacher Erin Dooley remembered taking the test in high school and was excited to bring it to Colonial. “In French Class, we do a lot of reading activities, listening activities, and speaking activities that get the students to think and use French in different ways. So when the students see something new, they’re able to access that information and use it to do well on something like this,” said Ms. Dooley. “They did amazing. I’m really excited for our first year, and I’m looking forward to seeing how we do next year.”