French Speech competition 2017 (Vive la poésie!)

Charles Beaudelaire, Robert Desnos, Philippe Brasseur, Raymond Queneau, Paul Verlaine, Andrée Chedid et Charles d’Orléans were amongst some of the famous poets whose poems our students chose to interpret at this year’s Hong Kong Schools’ French Speech Competition.

Several students in Years 8, 9 and 10 under the tutelage of Mesdames Catherine Dieuletraz,  Stephanie Herd and myself participated in the event in November of this year. They were required to learn a poem in French and to perform it for an audience and in front of native French jury members, undoubtedly a nerve-racking undertaking for them. The strict assessment criteria included credit for their interpretation of the poem, their engagement with the audience and their delivery.

All of our students performed with poise and confidence and a notable mention is extended to Chloe Kong (Y8), Maddy Yates, Soham Chopra (Y9), Michele Liu, Adele Lo and Kevin Yu (all in Y10), who gave commendable performances, with accurate pronunciation and intonation.

We had two winners, one in the Year 9 cohort: Nathaniel Wong who received a Second Runner Up place award, one in the Year 10 cohort: Sarah Shum, who also received a Second Runner Up place award. Extended congratulations to both candidates, knowing that the competition was very tough this year!

The event brought together various Hong Kong schools including tough competitors such as St Paul’s Covent School, Diocesan’s Boys School, King George V and helped to make links with the wider French community. It has allowed our students to showcase their knowledge of the French language and to perform on stage in a foreign language for which they will have received recognition. Ultimately, it has also provided new experiences and unforgettable memories for our students.

Un grand Bravo à tous!

Madame Lo