Language excellence for student and teacher

POSTED December 18 2025 , News, Academic, Junior School

We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Year 5 student Sophie and her Japanese teacher, Mrs Natalie Pearce, in the field of language education.

Sophie recently earned a Distinction Award in the Speaking My Language contest, hosted by the Language Teachers’ Association of WA.

What makes this accomplishment even more remarkable is that Sophie competed at a Year 6 level, challenging herself beyond her current year group.

Sophie’s passion for Japanese has grown significantly through her studies at St Mary’s. Although her mother is Japanese, the family primarily speaks English at home. Inspired by her learning, Sophie and her mum have been speaking more Japanese at home and exploring Japanese culture and traditions, together with her younger sister, Amy. The speech competition provided Sophie with an opportunity to showcase her skills and dedication, and her success is a testament to her hard work and enthusiasm for language learning.

In this video, Sophie speaks in Japanese about earning a Distinction Award in the recent Speaking My Language contest, run by the Language Teachers’ Association of WA. Click through to see the translation in the description.

Adding to the celebration, our Junior School Japanese Teacher Mrs Natalie Pearce was also honoured by the Language Teachers’ Association of WA, receiving the prestigious Hilde Dixon Award. This award recognises excellence in language teaching and Mrs Pearce’s commitment to fostering a love of languages among her students.

Congratulations to Sophie and Mrs Pearce for their incredible achievements. Their success highlights the vibrant language learning community at St Mary’s and the opportunities it creates for students to thrive.