Weston, Florida -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/20/2010 -- Although Sagemont, has many students who are fluent in Spanish, some of them have chosen to challenge themselves and study French for their Foreign Language requirement. Senior Alex Lopez-Cepero said, “I wanted to study something that not many other students on campus would consider studying. I didn’t want to take the easy way out by taking Spanish since I was already fluent when I came to school in 9th grade. I decided to challenge myself and learn a completely new language.”

Guiding the students through this “foreign” territory is Catherine Armand who has been teaching French at Sagemont for 7 years. She is a native Parisian and enjoys instilling her love of the French language and culture among her students. With her help, Sagemont seniors have been recognized the past two years as Outstanding Senior nominated by the American Association of Teachers of French. Last year, Sagemont’s French Club participated for the first time in the state High School French competition called “Le congres de la culture francaise.” Although many schools have been competing for years, Sagemont received seven top ranking awards. Ms. Armand said, “As a teacher it is very gratifying to be prompted by students who are confident and want to compete at the state level, knowing they can succeed. I wanted them to experience what this famous competition entailed. They won many awards last year which encourages them for this year.” Foreign language study is encouraged as part of the college prep curriculum.

At Le Congres, students compete in solo, team and school wide events. Solo events included: discours where a student had to choose a random topic given by the judges and speak about it. Sagemont made it to the quarterfinals in casse-tete, a 3-student team challenge that has students answering trivia questions. In the end, they were eliminated by the winning team.

There were also two school wide events: Album, where students had to create a scrapbook featuring all the events the students participated in during the year. The scrapbook followed the year’s theme of French festivals. The second school wide event, projet, had the students present a project that would illustrate the theme. Sagemont chose to do a collage inspired by the festivals in the French-speaking world.

According to Ms. Armand, Le congres is a cultural field trip. “The students were excited to be able to communicate with others in the language they had been learning for several years. They were impressed to see so many students, approximately 1500 from 54 schools, speaking, reading, singing, and acting in French.”

The students of this accomplished independent school are already busy preparing for this year’s competition which is in Orlando April 7-11. Principal Gayle Iacono said, “The Le Congres de la Culture Francaise provides students with an enriching opportunity to collectively share knowledge related to French Culture and language. It is a rewarding way for students across the state of Florida to compete while showcasing their mastery of the French language.”

The Sagemont School is a private independent school serving preschool through high school graduation. This dynamic college prep school is accessible to the Fort Lauderdale area, including Weston, Davie, Cooper City, Miramar, Plantation and Sunrise. For students in preschool through grade 5, Sagemont provides core concepts in a creative environment combined with weekly specials that include science, art, music, Spanish for non-native & native speakers, swimming, PE and media and technology. From middle school through high school graduation, Sagemont students choose from a variety of regular, honors and AP course work. In addition, students share in a networked wireless laptop environment and participate in a comprehensive guidance program for college entrance. Visit The Sagemont School Web site at http://www.sagemont.com/.

For more information on The Sagemont School contact Dr. Brent Goldman, President at (954) 389-2454 ext, 305, or email to bgoldman@sagemont.com.