From the French Desk: Celebrating Language and Cultural Diversity

Last week, our students had the exciting opportunity to take part in two prestigious language competitions. Despite the challenge of a short turnaround due to our half-term break, we were incredibly proud to receive some fantastic submissions, all of which have now been entered into global competitions.

British Council Festival of Languages

Each February, the British Council hosts its annual Festival of Languages, a celebration of linguistic diversity where students showcase their language skills—whether it's a language they are learning in school or one spoken in their community. This event is about embracing the beauty of languages and celebrating the diverse voices within UK and international schools.

Participants were invited to prepare a short poem, presentation, sketch, or dialogue in their favorite language, with a 90-second creative performance. We are thrilled to share that Dhara (Year 10) took part in this competition and received a special mention! Congratulations to her for her enthusiasm and dedication—an inspiring example of the power of language in connecting cultures.

International Mother Language Day Competition

On February 21st, the world comes together to celebrate International Mother Language Day, a UNESCO initiative promoting linguistic and cultural diversity. This year marked its 25th anniversary, reinforcing the significance of language preservation in shaping cultural identity, enhancing education, and fostering global harmony.

In recognition of this milestone, the Global School Alliance invited students worldwide to create calligrams—artistic word-based designs—using words and phrases that represent their mother tongue or languages spoken within their school community. Participants could choose themes such as animals, countries, nature, sports, buildings, or food, blending art and language to express their unique cultural heritage.

We are incredibly proud of our students who took on these challenges with creativity and passion. These competitions are not just about winning, but about embracing multilingualism, celebrating diversity, and sharing the rich tapestry of languages that make up our global community.

We were delighted to receive three fantastic applications from our students:
✨ Ipsa (Year 9), who created a calligram celebrating Punjabi.
✨ Dhara (Year 10), who represented multiple languages together through the word ‘LION’.
✨ Ian (Year 13), who designed a fruit bowl calligram using Swahili names for different fruits.

In addition to these entries, we had a special submission from Wambugu (Year 13), who created a PowerPoint presentation about his language, Kikuyu. While it was not a performance or a calligram, it was a fascinating and insightful contribution, and we wanted to recognise his effort in this newsletter. After all, we love celebrating every language!

A huge well done to these students for their enthusiasm and dedication to promoting their languages. We hope to receive even more submissions in the future as we continue to embrace and celebrate the rich linguistic diversity within our school community!

Bravo et félicitations à tous! 👏🌍🎉

Miss Leah Painvin

French Teacher