2014-06-12



Brothers Julian, left, and Daniel Alegre were two Rye Middle School students who received high scores on Level 3 of Le Grand Concours. Photo courtesy Arlene Alegre

Eleven Rye eighth grade students received high marks on the 2014 National French Exam known as Le Grand Concours.

The students placed in the top 10 nationally on the Level 1 exam and earned superior scores on the more challenging Level 3 exam, according to Rye City School District officials.

“The Level 3 exam is much more difficult and is for students who have attended a French school in previous years of study,” said Rye Middle School foreign language teacher Sophie Kent, who has served as coordinator for Westchester County’s National French Exam for 15 years.

The hour-long voluntary exam is usually given in the beginning of March during an after-school session and includes listening comprehension, reading and vocabulary sections, Kent said.

This year, the test was administered to more than 93,000 elementary, middle and high school students across the U.S. In Westchester County, 993 students took the test.

The test is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French.

In addition to students from Kent’s classes, students from Rye Middle School French teacher Marion Considine’s class also received honors in this year’s annual competition.

“I am very proud of these students,” Rye Middle School Principal Ann Edwards said. “They and their teachers are to be credited with an excellent achievement.”



Eleven eighth grade students from Rye received superior marks on the 2014 National French Exam, known as Le Grand Concours. Photo courtesy Rye City School District

Seven of the eighth grade students who took this year’s Level 1 exam were recognized for their scores at a ceremony in early May, and, on May 28, four students were honored for their Level 3 exam results.

-Reporting by Liz Button

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