| AATF Region VIII Southwest Newsletter |
| June 22, 2009 |
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Report of Region VIII to the Executive Council. In my capacity as Regional Representative, I visited the Arkansas Chapter in April to represent the AATF when a scholarship was named in honor of Barbara Ransford, former president of the chapter and former vice-president of AATF. I also attended the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers meeting at which another scholarship was named in honor of Barbara. Her husband attended this second meeting and was given a plaque to memorialize Barbara's numerous contributions to AATF and French teaching in Arkansas. If anyone would like to send a memorial in Barbara's honor, please direct it to the chapter treasurer, Heather Tarpley, at heathertarpley@sbcglobal.net. Sue Mistric, president of the Arkansas Chapter, received a small grant in the amount of $500 for her Immersion Weekend, which involved French teachers from around the state. Georgia Geerlings, North Texas Chapter, was selected to receive a Summer Scholarship to Québec. The Hautes Plaines Chapter almost disappeared after their president died. But Joe Price, professor at Texas Tech, has stepped in as president to revive it. He has established a web site with help from the Region VIII webmaster, Joel Mayer. The El Paso Chapter is having a struggle, but María Ramírez conducted the Grand Concours, submitted a constitution, and is determined that the chapter will survive and thrive. The other chapters continue to organize annual or biannual meetings, immersion weekends, and French contests, and to invite musicians and actors to perform for their students. National French Contest There were 97 national winners among FLES contestants in the Grand Concours, from the following chapters: Central Texas, El Paso, Houston(who produced a first place winner), North Texas (with 2 national winners), and Oklahoma. There were 237 national winners from North Texas, including 3 first places, 234 national winners from Houston with 2 first places, 107 national winners from Central Texas with 2 first places, 69 national winners from Utah, 62 national winners from Oklahoma with 1 first place, 34 national winners from Colorado-Wyoming, 15 national winners from El Paso, 10 national winners from Arkansas, 9 national winners from South Texas with 1 first place, 7 national winners from New Mexico, and 4 national winners from Hautes Plaines. Overall, our Grand Concours enrollments were up by 5.4%, with an impressive 40.06% increase in Utah. Of particular note is the news that a student from the South Texas Chapter was selected to receive the Grand Prize from Rotary International. Esau Landa of Sharyland High School, a student of Linda Freligh, was 3rd in 2008, 1st in 2007 and 1st again this year. Esau will receive round-trip airfare from Washington to Paris, a two-week stay with a Rotary host family, two weeks tuition with the Alliance française de Paris International School of French, plus a complimentary tour of Sciences Po Paris, Center for the Americas. Congratulations to Esau and his French teacher. The new French attachée culturelle in Houston, Marie Maurannes, will be at our meeting in San José and wants to meet as many of our members from Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas as possible.
Respectfully submitted by |