The French American School of Puget Sound recently submitted and was chosen for a special honor in an international contest.

The “Parlement des infants” contest allowed schools from the United States and Canada to participate in a long-standing French tradition when students sit on Parliament, like their official representative in France. Schools submitted a proposal about why they should be chosen, and a fifth-grade student from FASPS will go to Paris to represent French schools in the U.S. and Canada. It is the first time that a student from outside France has been able to participate; last year was the first time that French citizens outside France elected a representative.

The two fifth-grade classes at the school chose the student.

“It is an immense honor for our school to have been chosen amongst all our peer schools in the U.S. and Canada, and to be able to send one of our students to the French Parliament. At FASPS we are particularly keen on encouraging civic debate and engagement, and this project is a perfect illustration of what we strive to inspire in our young citizens,” said Eric Thuau, head of school at FASPS.