National Nods For Local Students In Global French Contest

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Nine students from Downers Grove North High School (DGN) earned medals in the Grand Concours, a national French language competition with more than 47,000 students taking part in 2025.

Medals were given based on the students' scoring percentile in their competing levels. The DGN medalists are as follows:

Gold

Emma Klempir: Level 5

Eloise Palasz: Level 3

Silver

Jamie Whitall: AP French

Ayan Shah: Level 2

Bronze

Michael Novotny: Level 3

Connor Falatko: Level 3

Lillian Zdebski: Level 2

Mary Klausa: Level 2

Audrey Shafer: Level 2

French teacher and French Club Co-Sponsor Kelly Houlihan, shared in a statement, "I'm very proud of the students who chose to challenge themselves and participate in this competition. These are students who have consistently shown that taking risks in language learning is necessary to improving fluency and confidence. I commend them for their efforts and courage."