The Concours d’art oratoire, organized by the Canadians Parents for French, is a French-speaking competition in which students can showcase their communication skills by doing a short presentation on a subject dear to them.
This year, more than 10,000 students from across B.C. and Yukon participated in the competition’s 40th edition.
Of these 10,000 contestants, 160 finalists made it to the provincial competition held last weekend (May 6) at Simon Fraser University in Surrey. Comox Valley student Alexandra, 12, was one of them.
“It was fun using my voice, and I really like speaking in front of a lot of people,” said Alexandra, who is in Grade 6 at École Puntledge Park. “I was really nervous at first, but when I started, I went on auto-pilot. Honestly, I’m kind of disappointed that it’s over.”
The soft-spoken Alexandra picked a challenging subject to defend on the provincial stage: the humanitarian action in Afghanistan.
“I chose this subject because I wanted to bring awareness to what is going on in Afghanistan,” said Alexandra. “When the Taliban came back to power, they issued a ban preventing women to go to university. Preventing someone to go to school is a violation of their human rights. Education is a universal human right that deserves to be respected.”
Vice-principal of Robb Road Elementary Michelle Mowbray was in charge of organizing the contest in the Comox Valley school district and witnessed Alexandra’s performance.
“When Alexandra presented her topic at the regional stage, she was really poised,” said Mowbray. “She displayed a lot of confidence.”
Alexandra stated that she spent a considerable amount of time on websites like the United Nations and Women to Women International to build her argumentative presentation. Yet, it was a personal connection to this issue that ignited her passion to defend such a consequential topic.
“My dad was deployed twice in Afghanistan when I was young so that subject was important to me,” said Alexandra.
Mobray noted that more than 380 students of the Comox Valley school district participated in this event.
“We are proud to honour and participate in this long-standing tradition,” said Mowbray. “We believe it’s important to promote the importance of having a second language and develop public speaking skills.”
Having participated in this contest years ago as a student, Mowbray highlights how this kind of event can really impact a young person’s life.
“This contest really is a formative experience,” said Mowbray. “It is also a fantastic opportunity for the kids to meet new people, exchange, and learn more about possible French programs around the country.”
As for Alexandra, she strongly encourages other students to participate in next year’s edition.
“Do it if you can. It is a great opportunity to be creative, improve your French, and speak in front of a crowd,” said Alexandra.
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olivier.laurin@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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