Media Press Releases Tri-Cities Student Wins Big at Provincial French Public Speaking Competition
| Tri-Cities Student Wins Big at Provincial French Public Speaking Competition |
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Released: May 8, 2008 Dr. Charles Best Secondary graduating student Hasheem Hakeem dazzled the judges with his oratory prowess at the 25th annual Concours d’art oratoire, a French public speaking competition organized by Canadian Parents for French. His topic? Racial Profiling. “I wanted to talk about something I am passionate about and this theme is very personal for me. I identified how all of us are guilty in our own way of racial profiling and what we can do to become more tolerant,” he stated. Hasheem won in the Early French immersion category at the May 3 event held at SFU Surrey. Now he qualifies for the National Concours to be held in Ottawa on May 31, 2008. Hasheem began competing in the Concours in grade 6 and has won several competitions over the years. This was the last year he was eligible to participate, so victory was sweet. “There was a lot riding on this year’s competition. I really wanted to win so that I could go to Ottawa at the end of May to compete in the Nationals,” he stated. “I was one of the last presenters in my category and really good speeches were presented before I had my chance, so the pressure was intense.” What makes Hasheem’s victory particularly unique is that he didn’t speak English or French as a young child. His family immigrated to Canada from Kuwait when Hasheem was three. His parents enrolled him in early French immersion Kindergarten. He learned English informally in the playground until English classes began in grade three. “Signing me up for french immersion is one of the best things my parents have ever done,” he stated. “Not only am I able to speak Arabic, but also French and English. How cool is that!?” Hasheem won a $2000 scholarship to the University of Ottawa; the Prix Trudeau cash award of $100 from the Canadian Club of Vancouver; a subscription to L’Express du Pacifique, a Vancouver French language newspaper, and an all expenses paid trip to Ottawa to compete in the national finals. Should he win there, a full scholarship worth $20,000 will be awarded to him. He acknowledges his parents and teachers for providing encouragement year after year, but for this year he mostly credits the French teaching assistant/translator at Dr. charles Best Secondary for videotaping him, giving feedback on his speech and presentation skills, and keeping him focused. Out of over 10,000 students participating in the French public speaking competition across the province, 290 competitors entered this year’s Provincial Concours d’art oratoire. There were 36 judges and 34 volunteers. Students in grade six to twelve competed in four categories: early French immersion, late French immersion, core (basic) French and Francophone. CPF-BC & Yukon thanks all the teachers and parents who worked tirelessly to host classroom, school and district events across BC. Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon Branch is a non-profit organization that has worked for more than 30 years to provide French-Second-Language learning opportunities for youth, support for parents, and advocacy for quality French programs in our schools. In BC there are 41,000 students enrolled in French immersion; 239,000 in core French; and over 4,000 in francophone programs. For more information, please contact: Nancy Taylor
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