Twenty-one Wauwatosa students in middle and high school received recognition for their academic performance in the 89th Annual Le Grand Concours competition. This year, eighth grade students at Longfellow Middle School and students from Wauwatosa East joined nearly 44,000 students who took the test nationwide.
Four Wauwatosa East High School students received medals, including Elena Cooper and Josh Eash-Scott who earned gold medals and were ranked first in the state of Wisconsin in their level. Nationwide, Cooper ranked fourth and Eash-Scott ranked tenth. Charlotte Thielke and Henry Dizard earned bronze medals and were ranked 8th and second in their level groups, respectively. Anna Stefanich and Jenna Wood, who tied for 12th place in the nation, received Honor Certificates for their performance. Honor Certificates were also awarded to Claire Foley, Kimberly Steiner, and Elaris Holmes, and Emily Nicol, Franklin Cook, Bryce Dispennette, Emerson LaWall-Shane, June Straka, and Maya Jacques earned Merit Certificates.
Eighth grade students at Longfellow Middle School also received awards including Georgia Luke, who earned a gold medal and was ranked fourth in the nation. Vivian Hardman (ranked 13th), Penny Copple (ranked 7th), Evelyn Etter (ranked 8th), and Izzy Beaudoin (ranked 13th) earned silver, and Robert Pakulski, earned a bronze medal and was ranked 16th in the nation.
Due to the number of students who participate in the test, the ranking of students is not a literal ranking, but based on the student’s raw score. Students answer a total of 70 questions, and each student with the same raw score receives the same rank, between 1-70.
Each year the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) sponsors Le Grand Concours, a National French exam open to students in French 1-AP. The test measures students’ written, oral and listening comprehension skills in French. Le Grand Concours provides students the opportunity to measure their progress in French against other students in the country and it serves as an excellent opportunity for students to receive recognition for their knowledge and performance.
“The Wauwatosa School District’s robust world language program has helped these students build a strong foundation for their future,” stated Wauwatosa School District Superintendent Dr. Demond Means. “I want to recognize our world language staff for continuing to foster a love of language in our students, and for their constant willingness to go the extra mile to ensure our students have access to opportunities like Le Grand Concours each year.”
French is taught at Wauwatosa East by Ms. Susan Ramsey, and at Longfellow by Ms. Cynthia Anderson.
More information about the National French Contest can be found here.