(Secaucus, NJ––May 11, 2022) Two groups of High Tech High School students participated in, and won two awards at Premiere Scene, the French Theater Festival of New York, announced Ms. Kathy Young, Principal of High Tech High School.
Hosted by Lycee Francais of New York, Premiere Scene is an annual French theater competition that has taken place since 1999. The competition brings together more than 400 students aged 10–18 from schools in the US, Canada and France to showcase their knowledge of French language and culture through the medium of drama. Students in the competition are tasked with interpreting an existing work or creating an original composition, play, sketch, mini-drama or comedy that corresponds with the selected theme. This year’s theme was “Miroirs et Fenêtres” (“Mirrors and Windows”).
Students in the French IV class at HTHS submitted two scenes to the contest. One group, consisting of Lyna Bacha, Jiwoo Juliette Bae, and Chantal Gomes, played a scene from Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. They received The Best Costume Award for their efforts. Another group, consisting of Naima Idrissi, Diana Ortez, Jacob Melendez, Nicole Mendez played a scene from Tout Va Bien, an original piece written by their classmate Jiwoo Bae, who also received The Writing Prize.
Veteran HTHS French instructor Dr. Laje Gashi congratulated her students: “Félicitations à toutes et à tous!”
Lycee Francais of New York is a French cultural center that uses films, plays, public lectures and art to “enrich the curriculum of the students of the Lycée Français de New York” while also building a relationship with and promoting the culture of France in the United States. You can learn more about the organization and their efforts by visiting https://culturalcenter.lfny.org/.
