Each spring, MICDS French students participate in Le Grand Concours (the National French Contest), a demanding competition in which they test their French language skills and see how they measure up against their peers’ French skills in other schools all over the country. The competition is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). Now in its 87th year, more than 30 MICDS Upper School students participated in the contest alongside nearly 43,000 other students nationwide. “Our students again did very well, earning certificates of honor and merit across all levels,” said Dr. Steven Crumb, Upper School World Language Teacher – French. “Mr. George, Dr. Poucel, and I are so pleased that such a large number of our Upper School students chose to take on this challenge, particularly after more than two years of disruption to their learning. We want our students to gain real-world, applicable language skills, and we applaud them for seizing the opportunity to test their mettle by participating in this challenging competition.”
Upper School Awardees:
Five Upper School students earned medals of special distinction for ranking highly both regionally and nationally. The silver medalists scored in the 85th percentile or above and placed in the top 10 nationally while the bronze medalists scored in the 75th percentile or above and placed in the top 20 nationally. Eleven others earned certificats d’honneur.
- Amisha Poojari ’25 – Silver
- Revathi Warrier ’25 – Silver
- Amara Autry ’23 – Bronze
- Devon Catsavis ’24 – Bronze
- Madison Sineff ’24 – Bronze
- Evelyn Lui ’23 – Certificat d’honneur
- Erin Wong ’23 – Certificat d’honneur
- Ella Brauer ’24 – Certificat d’honneur
- Alana Doherty ’24 – Certificat d’honneur
- Maggie Gonzalez-Navarrine ’24 – Certificat d’honneur
- Sonia Oulamine ’24 – Certificat d’honneur
- Sophie Reed ’24 – Certificat d’honneur
- Natalie Benoist ’25 – Certificat d’honneur
- Sophia Huddleston ’25 – Certificat d’honneur
- Zach Krivonak ’25 – Certificat d’honneur
- Carli Salazar ’25 – Certificat d’honneur
Meanwhile, Middle School French Teachers Zuowei Chang and Jean-Jacques Poucel also had great news to report on behalf of their seventh and eighth-grade French students. Four students earned awards after taking the exam.
Middle School Awardees:
- Jonathan Weiss ’27 – Bronze (Level 01, Division A)
- Eleonora Slabun ’27 – Certificat d’honneur (Level 01, Division A)
- Maddie Karr ’27 – Certificat d’honneur (Level 01, Division A)
- Daniel Kuhlman ’27 – Certificat d’honneur (Level 01, Division B)
*Division A – Beginner
*Division B – Students who have had previous instruction in French
AATF President Eileen Walvoord said, “These students have demonstrated excellence in their study of French and are to be highly commended.” For more information about the National French Contest, please visit www.frenchteachers.org/concours.
Félicitations et bravo!