Caribou High School Students Win National French Week Media Contest

Caribou High School Wins First Place in National French Week Media Contest

A big congratulations to Caribou High School students who competed in the National French Week Media Contest and won first place for their short film about Acadians in Northern Maine.

Cash Prize

The winners were announced February 28 by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). A big shout-out to Madame Bouré’s AP French class. A big bonus is the award is a cash prize that will be used for a Spring field trip.

Over 90 Videos in Competition

There were over 90 videos submitted in the contest. One of the judges, Catherine Ousselin, was so impressed with the presentation that she said to Madame Bouré, “Vos élèves sont formidables!” which means "Your students are tremendous!".

The Actors, Videographer and Writer

The actors included Michael Cyr, Mikaela Spooner, Chloe Sleeper, and Naomi Cote. The videographer was Alissa Evans while the writing and editing was done by Chloe Sleeper.

Three Minute Film

The short film is three minutes long with the prompt in French, “Venez Au Monde Francophone.” Translated in English means “Come to the French World.” The story is about a “French-Acadian grandmother and granddaughter and the struggle to maintain the language and culture over generations,” said Dr. ValerieAnn Waldemarson, the Public Relations Coordinator-RSU39.

Watch the video here:

Waldemarson also added: 

As part of their French studies at CHS, these students have studied Acadian history, read “Au Revoir, l’Acadie” and toured the Acadian Village in Van Buren to gain a greater understanding of the struggle of the Acadians in Aroostook County following the Grand Dérangement as well as the negative stereotypes associated with ‘Valley French’ following Maine laws that forbid students from speaking their native French in schools in the mid 20th century. The students’ goal is to bring more awareness to the rich culture and history of the Acadians by including cultural elements such as the Catholic faith, ployes, Tintamarre heads, and of course, French.

Congratulations

Thanks to Caribou High School for sharing such a great story in a press release. We are so proud of the students who worked hard on making this video, and wish you all the success in the future.