If you can identify that a 2CV is a classic French car known as a Deux Chevaux or name a French-speaking African country that does not touch the Sahara (Burkina Faso), then félicitations! You are on a path to success in the AATF’s Francophone Trivia Contest 2018. Junior Mia Fares was one of 15 finalists to win $50 in the contest, administered via Kahoot! last month.

Fares was the top scorer of the 28 students at SJS who played the Kahoot!, and she then went on to compete against more than 250 students nationwide in the final round on Nov. 13. The top scorer, from Pennsylvania, won the $250 grand prize.

Fares successfully answered questions on a variety of topics, including the culture and traditions of French speaking countries in Africa and around the world.

“I was not expecting to do well because we did one practice Kahoot! as a class, and I did not do well on it,” Fares said. “I was shocked and excited.”

Fares, whose family is Lebanese, has studied French since her Lower School days at Duchesne Academy. She said she was drawn to French because it is a prominent language in her family’s country of origin.

“When I go and visit Lebanon, all my family and friends speak Arabic and French,” Fares said. “I don’t spend enough time to pick it up there, so I want to learn it here.”

The competition, organized by the American Association of Teachers of French, is only in its second year, according to French teacher Shelley Stein. The teachers who organized last year’s contest released it to only a few schools in Connecticut and Wyoming as a trial.

When Stein heard the contest would be open to students in other states this year, she seized the opportunity.

“I thought it would be fun to try it out on my students since they tend to love Kahoot!s, and I figured one of my Quiz-bowl types might actually win some money,” Stein said.

Stein also wanted to provide students with an opportunity to test their Francophone knowledge and possibly learn some new facts. Students in Stein’s French II and AP French Language and Culture classes participated in the contest.   

“It was cool just to participate in this event and put my French to use, even though I didn’t ultimately end up winning,” sophomore Charlotte Gillard said.