Lemont’s Diana Vera Honored for Third Straight Year in National French Competition

For the third straight year, Lemont High School junior Diana Vera has been recognized for her performance on Le Grand Concours, an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). For the third time in as many years, Vera’s score ranked among the top ten in the nation in her category.

Vera’s score on the French III exam tied for the nation’s ninth-highest score and ranked among the top ten percent of all participants. She received a bronze medal and a Lauréat National certificate from the AATF for her effort. She earned the same awards for her performances on the French I and French II exams in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Nine other Lemont students received honors for their efforts, including:

French I
Freshman Michael Cottrell – Certificat de Réussite
Sophomore Tristan Druelinger – Certificat de Réussite

French II
Senior Anne Marie Alwan – Certificat de Réussite
Sophomore Claire Gagen – Certificat d’honneur
Sophomore Sarah O’Donnell – Certificat de Réussite
Sophomore Kristin Ramski – Certificat de Réussite
Sophomore Karol Wlodarczyk – Certificat de Réussite
Junior Rebecca Zagorski – Certificat de Réussite

French III
Senior Alexandra Albrecht – Certificat de Réussite

Recipients of the Certificat de Réussite scored between the 50th-79th percentile among all students 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 93,000 students competed this year.

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