Media Press Releases Summerland Student Wins Top Prize at Provincial French Public Speaking Competition
| Summerland Student Wins Top Prize at Provincial French Public Speaking Competition |
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Released: May 14, 2008 Summerland Secondary graduating student Roman Blomme 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? ‚Ready for the real world. I wanted to talk about something that is clearly on my mind these days,‛ Roman stated. ‚With graduation just a few weeks away – am I ready to be an adult and take on all the important and possibly life-changing decisions that will face me? The straight A student confesses he is ‘vocationally challenged’ (‚I haven’t been able to keep a job yet!) and acknowledges that his speech took a humorous approach to a rather serious topic. This was the first time Roman has ever participated in the Concours but he is no stranger to public speaking. I am very involved in theatre so the thought of getting up in front of an audience no longer intimidates me. Roman won in the Francophone category at the May 3 event held at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey Campus. Prizes included a $2000 scholarship to the University of Ottawa; the Prix Trudeau cash award of $100 from the Canadian Club of Vancouver; a subscription to the French language newspaper L’Express du Pacifique, and an all expenses paid trip to Ottawa to compete in the national finals on May 31. In Ottawa Roman will be up against competitors from every province and territory in the country. Should he win there, a full scholarship worth $20,000 to the University of Ottawa will be awarded to him. When asked who he acknowledges for providing encouragement in preparing for the event, Roman is quick to point to his parents who are both teachers. He also credits his friend Andreas who helped keep him focused, and his acting teachers who instilled a love of performing in front of an audience. This year, over 10,000 students participated in the French public speaking competition across the province, out of which 290 competitors were chosen to enter this year’s Provincial Concours d’art oratoire. Students in grade six to twelve competed in four categories: early French immersion, late French immersion, core (basic) French and Francophone. Their speeches lasted from three to five minutes. CPF-BC & Yukon thanks all the teachers and parents who worked tirelessly to host classroom, school and district events across BC. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Concours d’art oratoire. 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; 248,000 in core French; and over 4,000 in francophone programs. For more information, please contact: Nancy Taylor
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