Two local middle school students received national rankings after competing in the National French Contest. Seventh grader Leonardo Proano placed second in the nation and ranked first in Virginia. Jessica Edwards, also in seventh grade, placed seventh in the nation and fifth in Virginia. Both are students at The Congressional Schools of Virginia in Falls Church. The pair will be honored at a ceremony for national winners to be held at the end of May.

The National French Contest is an annual competition organized by the American Association of Teachers of French. The competition is open to French students in grades 1-12, in all 50 states and abroad, and involves a written test in which students compete against other students with a similar educational background.