From left, Noël Nelson Messone, the Gabonese Republic’s ambassador to the United States, Martial Ndoubou, the Central African Republic’s ambassador, and Laurent Bili, France’s ambassador, speak to students at Deering High School on Friday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

English was a minority language Friday morning in the Deering High School auditorium. Casual chatter, introductions and speeches were mostly conducted in French as students, teachers, state education officials, district staff, state legislators and French language advocates greeted foreign dignitaries for a celebration of Maine’s multilingualism, and a discussion about the availability of foreign language education in the state.

French Ambassador to the U.S. Laurent Bili, Gabonese Ambassador Noël Nelson Messone and Central African Republic Ambassador Martial Ndoubou took the stage at Deering, the most diverse high school in Maine with a strong Francophone community.

French is an official language of more than 25 nations, is widely spoken in over a dozen African countries and was the eighth most spoken language in Portland schools last year, according to the school district. It is also the heritage language of more than 800 students in Maine.

Deering High French teacher Alexis Kanamugire helped organize Friday’s event and told the audience about his background as a French-speaking refugee, his delight at finding so many French speakers among Deering students and his efforts to bring more French heritage events to the school. But he also worries that there aren’t enough opportunities for French education in Maine, especially at younger ages.

“All of us immigrants, when we get here, we immediately feel the pressure of mastering English, finding a job or two, to the extent that we are ready to sacrifice a lot of things, including the French language,” Kanamugire said.

Nathalie Gorey, president of the Maine chapter of the Alliance Française, said the French language is a part of Maine’s past, and its future. She described the state’s Acadian French-speaking roots and the arrival of those from French-speaking nations in Africa to the greater Portland region.

“These newly arrived refugees have joined the Franco community and the Acadian community to revitalize French, and thus created a renaissance of the language in our state,” she said.

French is evolving on a global level too, she said, pointing out, to raucous applause, that Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is now the largest French-speaking city in the world.

Gorey, who brought with her 25 French teachers from throughout Maine, also made the case for expanded French education, especially for younger students, who have a greater capacity for language learning.

She advocated for more French educators while acknowledging the budget constraints on teachers. She also called out the state’s lack of a foreign language requirement for high school graduation.

“Unfortunately, this policy tends to send a message to students that world languages – French, for example – are not valued, or that you don’t need to study a language to be successful in life,” Gorey said. “On the contrary, au contraire, French remains an important language globally.”

Noël Nelson Messone, Gabonese Republic’s ambassador to the United States, speaks to students at Deering High School on Friday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

This was the same message the ambassadors had for students and school officials: French is an economically valuable language that can help with careers in finance, engineering and international relations.

“Chances are that when you graduate from college, if you make certain choices, you may find yourself with a global company that has operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that has operations in Belgium, that has operations in Luxembourg, that may have operations in Gabon,” said Messone, the Gabonese ambassador.

The state Department of Education’s multilingual and bilingual specialist, Melanie Junkins, ended the event with a commitment to nurturing language learning. One method she said the state uses is its Seal of Biliteracy, an award celebrating students who are proficient in English and another language.

Junkins said 17% of students who earned the seal last year were from Portland, and thanked foreign language educators across the state.

“It is through your dedication that we are able to cultivate a new generation of students who see language as a bridge and not a barrier,” she said. “The French language, in particular, connects our roots with our Canadian neighbors to our African nations and to Europe.”