Sienna Su, a Grade 8 student at W.H. Morden Public School in Oakville, is still basking in the glow of placing second in a recent national French-speaking competition.
Sienna learned in late summer she came second in the virtual-only
O’Poésie French as a Second Language competition, in the 10 to 13-year-old category. She is thrilled with the result.
“I think placing second is a motivation for me to continue studying and improving at French,” she says. “I’m proud of myself for accepting the challenge and above all, I’m happy to be able to represent HDSB in this national competition. One of the reasons I succeeded was that I had lots of help from my French teacher and my family. They provided lots of feedback, which helped me improve my poem. ”
Sienna’s poem addresses the concept of ‘hope’. She says the inspiration behind the poem was the impact of COVID-19 and its impact on vulnerable populations like her grandparents.
“I think hope is a big topic, that everyone is constantly encouraged to have hope when approaching difficulties in their lives,” she explains. “Having hope is a good mindset to possess. However, we also have to understand that hope is more than a power everyone can have that will guarantee success. I’ve always wanted to motivate people around me to do something and create change. Writing about hope seemed like a good choice.”
Su says being able to speak French is beneficial and hopes to continue learning it through her school years.
“French is culturally important to many countries today, which I find to be really meaningful,” she says, noting that taking part in these kinds of grand competitions “are a great motivation for you to do better at something.”
Teacher Shelli Fisico says Sienna’s accomplishment is indicative of her hard work.
“Sienna took the initiative to submit a video and her selected topic about hope is very fitting as Sienna is always positive and full of hope no matter what obstacles are presented to her,” Fisico says. “She takes risks, supports her peers, and consistently sets goals to improve her fluency in French.”
