La voix des étudiants
Award Towards Excellence News and Updates
Students speak at the Awards Ceremony in May 2012
On May 31, 2012, the Outreach Program students, their teachers and families gathered to celebrate the students' achievements in the Award Towards Excellence program. Eleven students were honored as scholarship recipients, who participated in the summer immersion trips.
Highlights from 2012 Ceremony:
Listen to what the VIPs said (excerpts)
Les VIPs:
- Jack McCord Executive Director, Alliance Française de Chicago
- Jean-Claude Brizard CEO, Chicago Public Schools
- M. Graham Paul Consul Général de France à Chicago
- Hervé de la Vauvre President (AF)
- Francine Saltoun Program Chair
Bonjour ! Meet the scholarship award students:
Q&A with the Students:
Why come to the Alliance after a long day at school?
C'est chouette, l'Alliance !
"At first I thought it was just another French class
every Thursday after school, but as soon as I got here I realized it was
something completely different. The Alliance offers you a chance to become
familiar with the language and culture in a way that is completely unique and
something that you can't find anywhere else here in Chicago."
– Sophomore from Lake View High School
"The Alliance gives me more confidence to speak French, not only at
school, but also at home and with my friends." – Lane Tech Student
What have you learned from the program?
"I love being able to learn about a new language and culture with people from different schools and countries. The students helped me realize that small mistakes didn't matter, the most important thing was to speak." – Hyde Park Academy Student
What is unique about the Alliance?
On découvre le monde francophone… ah oui, on parle
français au Togo !
"One day we interviewed members of the Alliance staff from Algeria,
Belgium, Canada and Switzerland. They are all native French speakers. This
activity opened my mind to the influence that the French language and culture
has in countries all over the world." - Senior from Lane Tech
Why is it important to study a foreign language and culture?
"We live in a global society, and we need to communicate with our peers on a global level. If we do that, we can probably lessen the tensions between nations, which is one of my bigger goals in life." – Hyde Park Student
En avant - What's next?
On continue les études de français à l'université, bien sûr !
"I will not let go of the opportunity of becoming fluent in French. I will
achieve this goal." – King College Prep Student
"Next fall I will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana
Champaign. I am double majoring in Philosophy and French." –
Lane Tech Student
L'Alliance Française excels with youth outreach programs… This program is made possible by the support of our generous donors.
Your donation will ensure that the Educational Outreach Program will continue to give CPS students the chance to study French in a complete immersion environment.
Help us reach more students with your support! To support Educational Outreach, click here
Support Educational Outreach
at the Alliance Française de Chicago!
A gift of…
- $50 provides CDs for listening comprehension.
- $100 provides a cultural guest speaker.
- $250 provides an evening of French culture in Chicago for all students – such as a theater performance or concert.
- $500 provides for one French teacher at the Alliance for one term.
- $1,000 provides enrichment classes for one local high school student for one year.
- $2,500 provides an educational summer trip to Concordia Language Villages for one student.
- $5,000 provides a study trip to France for one student.
- Your generosity will provide Chicago Public Schools students the opportunity to discover a foreign culture and pursue their study of French.