Huntington Garners Honors in Le Grand Concours
July 22, 2026
Huntington High School and J. Taylor Finley Middle School students turned in spectacular performances in this year’s National French Exam, formally known as Le Grand Concours and Le Concours Multimédia.
Foreign language teachers Dr. Gina M. Trigian-Molvaut and Kyle Engel encouraged their students to challenge themselves by taking the national test. This year, more than 50 high school Finley students participated.
Le Grand Concours is an annual contest sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French or AATF. Students of French in grades 1-12 take the computerized test and compete against their counterparts with similar educational backgrounds for prizes. Participants come from all 50 states and abroad. Students enter the competition through their respective French teachers. All students of French are eligible.
Dr. Trigian-Molvaut also serves as the Président of the AATF NY-Suffolk Chapter and Coordinatrice du Grand Concours
Highlights for 2025/26 include:
• Fifty-plus students from Finley Middle School and Huntington High School participated in the French National Contest.
• Four students received medals from Nationals in recognition of their high performance in the nation.
• Nine students were recognized at the AATF NY-Suffolk Chapter's Distribution des Prix at Half Hollow Hills East on June 11th for ranking among the Top 10 of the county. This awards assembly brought together students, teachers, and parents of over 15 school districts to celebrate the dedication and accomplishments of those in the francophone community in our area.
• Seven students from Huntington High School were recognized at that same ceremony for their participation in the AATF Multimedia contest; For their recitation of Victor Hugo's Discours de la Misère Jeremy Allen received a Gold medal and Arianna Rubio received a Silver; For their Vidéo Clips OXFAM Cool, Wynne Franscicovich received Gold, Spencer Krull, Silver and Owen Stevens, Bronze; For the original poetry category, Gueniel Élysée received a Gold medal, and when reading his poem about Immigration, Gueniel captivated the full attention of the audience.
• “Finally, as is our tradition at Huntington, the French Honor Society hosted an end-of-the year P'tit Déj Award Ceremony in the Heritage Room to celebrate all of the students that participated in this year in the National French Exam,” Dr. Trigian-Molvaut said. Students from all levels came together to receive their Certificats de Mérite from Madame Molvaut, and then students mingled with each other while listening to a francophone playlist and enjoying croissants, brioches, pains au chocolat, and our SHF délice, madeleines with whip cream and strawberries. Miam Miam!”
Level 01: Yicksely Orellana Pineda; 8th in Suffolk; 13th in Nation; Award: Mention Honorable
Level 2A; Bennett Wagner; 4th in Suffolk; 5th in Nation; Lauréat Silver Medal
Level 2A; Luisa Mackey; 5th in Suffolk; 6th in Nation; Lauréat Silver Medal
Level 2A; Harper Cohn; 7th in Suffolk; 8th in Nation; Lauréat Silver Medal
Level 2A; Abigail Uvena; 10th in Suffolk; 10th in Suffolk; 11th in Nation; Mention Honorable
Level 2B; Raphael Previlon; 1st in Suffolk; 28th in Nation; Mérite
Level 4A: Alison Hahn; 9th in Suffolk; 22nd in Nation Mention Honorable
Level 5AP; egan Walsh; 2nd in Suffolk; 11 in Nation; Lauréat National Silver Medal
Level 5AP; Kaitlyn McCrystal; 8th in Suffolk, 17 in Nation; Mention Honorable
Sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French, the contest provides students with an opportunity to measure their progress, build confidence, and earn recognition for their language skills. Beyond the competition, the exam offers authentic reading and listening experiences that deepen students' appreciation of the French language and Francophone cultures.
Teachers gain valuable insights into student performance, along with resources to support instruction and track growth over time. Together, Le Grand Concours strengthens French programs nationwide while inspiring students and educators to pursue excellence in language learning.
This year's Huntington High School participants:
J. Taylor Finley Middle School; Teacher: Kyle Engel
Level 01: Eva Alfaro, Geissel Reyes Campos, Kate Castro Giron, Kaylyn Sutherland, Lucy Lain, Phoebe Cohn, Stefania Chanes Flores, Stella Butkovich, Taylor Merrell, Thomas Evernham, Yicksely Orellana Pineda
Level 1: Anna Matarese, Charlotte Rizzo, Jefferson Lopez, Jeremy Peraza Diaz, Naomi Halder, Natalie Buchner
Level 2: Kennya Alvarado, Monsterrat Mani-Munoz
Huntington High School; Teacher: Madame Molvaut
Level 2: Abigail Byers, Abigail Uvena, Bennett Wagner, Briana Velis Figueroa, Carmem Gonzalez Robles, Harper Cohn, Luisa Mackey, Nathan Falk, Paige Falk, Raphael Previlon, Victor Zevala, Vadar Remkewitz.
Level 3: Amber Murtaza, Evolet Herrera Moreira, Sophia Curley, Yann Laguerre, Lindsay Gamez, Dayana Cruz
Level 4: Alexandra Boeckmann, Alison Hahn, Angelina Drakos, Claire Dello-Iacono, Eli Levi, Eva Richter, Fernando Villatoro, Katherine Bautista, Luke Lomler, Madelyn Falk, Marilyn Mendoza Virula, Mia Einemann, Reed Cummiskey, Ronan Driscoll
Level 5: Jeremy Allen, Eoin Charles
Advanced Placement: Keysy Diaz, Matthew Jimenez, Maximo Andrade, Mia Kaufman, Owen Stevens, Spencer Krull, Wynne Franciscovich
Guest Participants from Massapequa AP: Meghan Walsh, Kathryn McKystal
AATF-NY Suffolk Concours Multimédia: Coordinatrice Ms. Marleine Giose Chiofalo
Formerly the French Poetry Contest, this academic contest has been reimagined as the French Multimedia Contest, to showcase student creativity through poetry, visual, and oral expression.
The Huntington High School students entered projects in three categories: Recitation, Reportage, et Poésie Originale
This year's participants feature:
Recitation: Adaptations du Discours de Victor Hugo: Level 5/5h
Student participants: Jeremy Allen (Gold), Eoin Charles (Certificat d'honneur), Grace Callery (Certificat de mérite), Arianna Rubio (Silver)
Reportage: Oxfam COOL: French AP
Student participants: Eilleen Villarreal (Certificat de mérite), Gueniel Elysee (Certificat de mérite), Owen Stevens (Bronze), Spencer Krull (Silver), Wynne Franscicovich (Gold)
Poésie Originale: French AP
Student Participant: Gueniel Élysée (Gold)
“These extracurricular academic events bring us together each year to highlight the importance of learning French while celebrating the richness and diversity of francophone cultures,” Dr. Trigian-Molvaut said. “As we honor our students' achievements and our teachers' dedication, we strengthen our shared commitment to something even greater: a global francophone community.”
