By Andrea Patehviri

Brampton - Friday, May 26^th marked the 6^th annual Fun avec French celebration, the French Idol Charity Event.Bilingual students from Peel and Halton Region participated, singing songs, reciting poems, and telling stories all in French.The competition started with a speech from Lisa Gallant.Standing in front of the students she asked them what they were all there to do, and they didn't have to think twice before yelling: "Have fun! "Were they ever right.

First up was the category for first grade singers with twelve participating students.Although the whole evening was full of incredible talent, only one person from each category would become the winner.After a round of voting, the winner for this category was Shemar, a student from Corsair Public School.Shemar wowed the audience with his version of "Bonjour mes amis."The second category was for poetry, with four contestants.The winner was Farah, a second grade student from Oscar Peterson Public School, who recited the poem "Le trésor".The third category was that of songs for those in grades two to four.Eleven singers participated in this category, but the winner was Gabriella, a fourth grade student from Eagle Plains Public School, with her beautiful version of "Une grande famille."Lastly (but definitely not least) was the category for French monologue, and out of four contestants the winner was Syedah, a second grade student from Oscar Peterson Public School, who entertained the audience with her performance of "Le petit chaperon rouge."

The voting was a tough decision for members of the audience to make because all of the contestants were spectacular; it is not easy to get up on stage in front of a crowd of 140 people.Because all of the participants were so good, they all got awarded a medal at the end of the night, so everybody came out a winner.

It is safe to say that the evening was a success, even as the voting was being tallied the audience was entertained thanks to the help of Mark, the emcee of the evening.Mark kept the audience busy with fun facts about French culture, hula hooping competitions, and even a game of Simon Says.

Although the night was fun for all who participated, it is important to remember the real reason why this yearly event takes place.French Idol is a charity event which this year helped raise money for the Mississauga Food Bank.By the end of the evening the competition had raised a whopping $893.73 and 161 pounds of food; quite a generous amount in a time of such economic turmoil.Turns out the audience were a bunch of winners as well!

All in all, the evening was a pleasure for all who participated; the contestants, the audience, and even the volunteers who helped out.There were plenty of laughs and smiles even as the crowd made its way out of the auditorium, and what better way to end the evening than by knowing that through all of the fun and games, you've raised enough donations to help those who are less fortunate sleep a little sounder at night.