Lemont Freshman Honored at National French Competition

freshman Diana Vera was recently honored for her performance on Le Grand Concours, an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). Vera posted a score among the top ten in the nation, and finished among the 95th percentile in her category in just her first time in the competition. Five Lemont students were honored for their efforts in this year’s contest.

Vera’s score on the French I exam tied for the ninth-highest score and ranked among the top five percent of all participants. She received a bronze medal and a Lauréat National certificate from the AATF for her efforts.

Other honorees included:

French I
Sophomore Alexandra Albrecht – Certificat de Réussite
Freshman Alondra Ibarra – Certificat de Réussite

French II
Senior Luke Whittingham – Certificat de Réussite

French III
Junior Wendy Mazur – Certificat de Réussite

Recipients of the Certificat de Réussite honor scored between the 50th-79th percentile among all students who were administered the exam at their level. Students who post one of the top ten scores on their respective exams receive the Lauréat National certificate, while students who score at the 80th percentile or better are awarded the Certificat d’honneur.

Students from all 50 states and abroad take part in Le Grand Concours, which evaluates students on their written, oral and listening skills. Students earn prizes based on their scores. More than 97,000 students competed this year.

All of the honorees are students of French teacher Kelly Ercoli.