A Grade 10 student from New Westminster came out on top in a Canadian virtual French speaking contest.
Monika Arcadi captured first place in the Grade 10 French immersion category in this year’s Concours virtuel. The online contest was the pandemic replacement for the annual Concours d’art oratoire hosted by Canadian Parents for French B.C. and Yukon, which was cancelled in March when social distancing measures around COVID-19 came into effect.
After that cancellation, Canadian Parents for French B.C. and Yukon joined forces with Conseil jeunesse francophone de la Colombie-Britannique and other Canadian partners to host the Concours virtuel with its theme #EnsembleADistance – together, apart.
They invited video submissions from French students across the country (grouped into francophone, French immersion and Core French categories) on the theme of how they were spending their time during the pandemic – and some 950 students, from St. John’s to Victoria to Iqaluit, responded.
“We weren’t going to let a year go by without giving kids a chance to flex their French, but we were amazed with just how quickly Concours virtuel caught on,” said Glyn Lewis, executive director of Canadian Parents for French B.C. and Yukon, in a press release. “We learned new recipes from young chefs in Alberta, saw what there is to do for fun as a kid in isolation in Iqaluit, and learned from students how a bit of creativity and positive thinking can go a long way to fill a day with fun and learning.”
Monika’s winning submission chronicled her decision to take up running, with a goal of logging 300 kilometres.
She earned herself a $300 cash prize, as well as a $300 charitable donation from Canadian Parents for French B.C. and Yukon to her charity of choice, KidSport Canada.
Check out all the details about the contest online at https://bc-yk.cpf.ca/concoursvirtuel/
You can check out Monika's winning video submission here:
