Each year, Arcadia High School (AHS) students taking French compete in the Le Grand Concours National French Contest, and this year, 191 students from Madame Vaughn and Madame Krikorian’s classes competed, with 106 students earning a medal. AHS earned the most medals of any other school in Los Angeles. Le Grand Concours is a nationwide competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French, where students from K-12 compete by taking audio, grammar, and or vocabulary tests. 

The 106 students earned one of four awards: Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Platinum medal recipients earned a perfect score on the test, Gold medal recipients ranked top 5% in the country, Silver medal recipients ranked top 10-15% in the country, and Bronze winners ranked top 20-25% in the country. 

From French 1, 45 students earned a medal: 12 gold, 18 silver, and 15 bronze. From French 2, 34 students earned a medal: five platinum, five gold, 21 silver, and three bronze. From French 3, 21 students earned a medal: two platinum, four gold, seven silver, and eight bronze. Lastly, from AP French Language and Culture, six students earned a medal: three silver and three bronze. 

French 1 student, freshman Hannah Hokanson, said, “I was proud of myself for getting a [silver] medal as when [Madame Krikorian] announced the contest, I wasn’t planning on even doing it, but she ended up signing up almost everyone in the class. It wasn’t a lot of work at all to prepare for the competition. I didn’t really have many expectations, so I didn’t do any outside studying to prepare, but I felt ready after the practice tests we did and the activities we did in class.”

“Overall, my experience was good, and I’m glad I ended up participating in the contest. It felt really good to get a medal because French wasn’t something I felt I did very well. It’s super great that our school offers this opportunity,” said Hokanson.

The AHS French Department did a spectacular job doing so well, and congratulations to everyone who participated and everyone who earned a medal! We’re all very proud of you!

Photos courtesy of Ms. Christina Vaughan