Newman Team Impresses at French Oratory Contest

On December 2, 2017, a team of Newman students in the Upper School French program competed in the annual city-wide French Oratory Contest. The event was sponsored by the Andry, LeBlanc, and Stafford/Rathle families and hosted by the Council of French Societies, which serves as an umbrella organization for all non-profit organizations devoted to the promotion and preservation of the French language and culture in New Orleans.

 

Students must select a poem, an excerpt of prose, a dramatic monologue, or something similar to recite before a panel of native-speaker judges, focusing on fluidity of expression, pronunciation, and interpretation of the passage. After the recitation, students are interviewed by the judges to test their extemporaneous speaking skills. Competitor schools ranged from Independent Schools like McGehee and Country Day to public or charter schools such as Ben Franklin.

 

Newman brought home three awards – including cash prizes – this year. Olivia Miller, a student of Lisa Mauthe, won first place for the Level 1, “Rookie of the Year” category. Nithya Ramcharan, a student of Dr. Katherine Zell, won first place for the Level IV category. And Laine Nowak, a student of Dr. Katherine Zell, won third place for the Advanced Placement category. Laine also won last year, making her the first Newman student to win an award at this contest in two consecutive years.

 

Students were honored at a reception on Sunday, December 10 at the Degas House, where they received their awards from Monsieur Vincent Sciama, the Consul Général de France. In his speech, M. Sciama expressed his respect for the hard work of these students and to the dedication of French teachers around the city.