16 Aug 2024
We have all, no doubt, heard of Jessica Fox in the last couple of weeks. She won two gold medals at the Paris Olympics. She studied French Continuers with us at NSL (receiving a Band 6), as did her sister, Noémie (also Band 6), who also won gold in Paris.
Jess has won medals in four successive Olympics and was nominated and accepted to the International Olympic Committee's Athlete's Commission on 7 August.
One of the criteria that secured her membership in this important international committee is her multilingualism. Part of the citation put forward by the Australian Olympic Committee includes the following statement:
“She is an exceptionally strong candidate. Not only does she have a deep understanding of the issues affecting athletes, but she is also multi-lingual which helps her to effectively communicate across the globe."
This is a story that supports the importance of language learning and that, in an increasingly inter-connected world, the study of at least one additional language is vital.
- Mme Lomis, Head Teacher of French and Latin