NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
*************************
Seven York Region District School Board students won awards at the 35th provincial French public speaking event, Concours et festival d’art oratoire. The students competed against more than 300 students from 24 school boards and 11 independent schools from across Ontario.
“We are very proud of our students’ performance in the contest. They were able to demonstrate some of their learning in French and showcase the diversity of French programming at YRDSB,” said Heather Sears, Superintendent of Education, Curriculum and Instructional Services.
The event was held on May 4, 2019 at York University’s Glendon Campus in Toronto. Students in Grades 9 to 12 participated in the competition for cash prizes and partial scholarships to York University’s Glendon Campus and the University of Ottawa. Students in Grades 4 to 8 participated in a non-competitive event where they showcased their French and public speaking skills.
The YRDSB winners and their categories are:
- 1st, Galiya Vendrov, Grade 10, Newmarket H.S., Extended, Concours Traditional
- 1st, Nicole Haim, Grade 11, Vaughan S.S., Thornhill, Francophone, Concours Traditional
- 1st, Parsa Entesari, Grade 12, Langstaff S.S., Richmond Hill, Immersion.Concours Traditional
- 2nd, Ronan Gandhi, Grade 11, Bill Hogarth S.S., Markham, Immersion, Concours Impromptu
- 3rd, Max Haim, Grade 9, Vaughan S.S., Thornhill, Francophone, Concours Traditional
- 3rd, Subeka Manokanthan, Grade 10, Pierre Elliott Trudeau H.S., Markham, Core, Concours Traditional
- 3rd, Ben Fillery, Grade 10, Newmarket H.S., Core, Concours Impromptu
First place Grade 11 and 12 finalists Parsa Entesari and Nicole Haim were awarded $4,000 scholarships and were invited to represent YRDSB at the finals in Ottawa on June 1, 2019.
The students presented an original speech or a spontaneous presentation before a panel of officials recruited by the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association (OMLTA). The Concours et festival d’art oratoire French public speaking event is hosted annually by the Ontario branch of Canadian Parents for French (CPF).
York Region District School Board is the third largest school district in Ontario with over 124,000 students in 177 elementary schools and 33 secondary schools.
York Region students consistently perform above average in provincial testing and the Board is one of the top achievers in Ontario. For more information about York Region District School Board, please visit the Board website and follow @YRDSB on Twitter.
*************************
