There were 288 awardees, accompanied by their families, present at the ceremony in honor of the young high school graduates who earned the “Very Good” distinction. All were wearing straw hats featuring the region’s emblem, given at the entrance.
A small group of 7 awardees waits near the platform hosting the authorities. They are the best, the ones who scored 20 and above in this baccalaureate exam. Except for Sébastien Peyrade. This 18-year-old clarifies the situation: “I’m the only one who didn’t score above 20 here; actually, I got 19.8, but I am first in the scientific section of the Nice academy.”
This academy stretches from the Italian border to Toulon and includes 59 general, technological, and vocational high schools. Marc Touzery achieved the incredible score of 21/20, thanks to extra points from optional subjects. He is the top student of the academy and thus precedes the other 21,265 candidates. He is already anticipating, affirming that the “merit scholarship is in force in Cannes.” This scholarship rewards the “Very Good” distinction.
And Christian Estrosi went further in his speech. He wants to restore this award to its true value for the region. Established during Jacques Chirac’s presidency, this scholarship was halved by the current government, reducing it from 1800 to 900 euros.
The regional assembly voted on June 24 to implement this measure to raise the award to 2700 euros for each recipient. Funded by the regional budget, the total amount will reach 2 million euros per year. “By reinstating the merit scholarship, I intend to guarantee excellence for everyone and the democratization of higher education by giving meaning and reality to the principles of the Republic’s school.” 750 young people will benefit from it starting from the 2016 academic year to help them pursue higher education in the PACA region.
Lycée Calmette is the most represented at this ceremony with 70 students having received the “Very Good” distinction. It is followed by Lycée Parc Impérial and Lycée Estienne d’Orves with 43 and 39 awardees, respectively. The record for precocity among young girls belongs to Victoria Assas, who achieved an average of 18.28 at 16 and a half years old, while for the boys, it is Leonardo Avanzi, who scored 18.38 at only 16 years old.
Thibault Bourru
