Since 2015, French teacher Monsieur Olive has encouraged all of his French students to compete in the National French Contest (le Grand Concours), which is an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Students of French in grades 1-12 in all 50 states and abroad take a written test and compete against students with similar educational background for prizes. Grades 1-6 participate in the FLES Contest, and grades 7-12 in the Secondary Contest. Because thousands of students score similarly in the division, students win prizes by their rank.
- Platinum award: Highest score in level/division (National rank 1).
- Gold award: students in 95th percentile and above.
- Silver award: students in 94th through 85th percentile.
- Bronze award: students in 84th through 75th percentile.
- Mention d'honneur award: Students in 74th, through 50th percentile.
9,305 students are eligible for Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in 2022. This year every French student participated and every student won recognition for their achievement on the test with either an honorable mention or higher! This is the first year Wolverines have all placed. The students who medaled this year represent students in levels 1, 2, 3 (Language and Culture), and 4 (Special Topics), plus two seniors who have not taken French in two years!
If you see a French student, congratulate them. Bravo! Félicitations!