Donna Danièle Clementi receives the Order of Academic Palms

On February 29, 2008, at the French Consul General’s office in Chicago, Concordia Language Villages very own Donna Danièle Clementi  received the Order of Academic Palms. The honor dates back to 1808 when none other that Napoleon Bonaparte inaugurated the title by decree.  As one of the oldest civil orders, “Les Palmes Académiques” honors individuals with outstanding devotion and accomplishment in the areas of teaching, scholarship and research.  In 1955, the decree was raised to the level of a Ministerial order.

Recipients of this distinction receive an Award Diploma from the French Minister of Education and are entitled to wear the insignia of this order, a medal. For informal occasions, a discreet lapel pin may be worn in lieu of the medal. 

Clearly, something that we have known for years has been recognized by France’s Minster of Education: Donna’s eminence as a significant contributor to the furthering of the teaching and research of French language and culture in particular, and world languages overall.

“This is a wonderful recognition of Donna’s more than 30 years in the field of world language education,” said Christine Schulze, Executive Director of Concordia Language Villages. An expert in language performance assessment, Donna was recently elected to the executive board of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).  Other accomplishments include the prestigious Florence Steiner Award for K-12 Language leadership, the National District Supervisor of Foreign Languages (NADSFL) and Wisconsin’s Distinguished Foreign Language Educator.