Students studying French will be attending Congrès at the Double Tree Hotel in Orlando on Thursday through Saturday. 

“Congrès is a competition for French students from all over the state,” French teacher Jennifer Walker said. “It includes kids from French 1 to AP. There are different events, scholarships and awards.”

Each school brings one to two students from each level of experience for each of the events which include a poetry recital, speaking and reading comprehension. Each school also produces two plays: one for French 1 students and another for French 2 and up.

“I have done it [Congrès] in eighth grade and again this year,” sophomore Alyssa Perkins said. “I’ll be doing reading comprehension this time, but I’ve done a poetry recital before. I’ve been preparing for my event by reading up on fairy tales  — that’s the theme for Congrès this year) — studying some grammar books, and a few other little things.”

When the students arrive Thursday, the plays are performed and evaluated. On Friday, the poetry recital, speaking and reading comprehension occurs all day. Throughout the day, schools are facing off in teams of three to four people in a Brain Bowl. At the end of the night, there is a banquet— where the winners of the scholarships are announced — followed by a dance. Finally, the awards are given on Saturday morning.

“Congrès really is a great experience,” Perkins said. “I would definitely recommend participating if you are in French. It might not necessarily sound like something fun, but when you get there it’s great. In preparation, we go over our event with Mme. Walker about every week from January until March. It’s fun to see your hard work pay off.”

By Hannah Kent