French language a favorite of Christy Finley

Christy Finley learned how to speak French when she was in fourth grade. And, during this past year, she taught her mother’s fourth-grade students at Trent Elementary School to speak some French, too.

Finley volunteered in her mother’s classroom for half an hour every Thursday, and the kids, who hadn’t spoken the language at the beginning of the year, recently staged “Cinderella” and the “Emperor’s New Clothes” entirely in French, for their family and friends.

But, Finley didn’t just teach the fourth-graders a foreign language. “Christy helped build the kids’ self-esteem,” said her mom, Lori. “These kids have issues. She gave them a gift, special beyond academics.”

Going into her senior year at Central Valley High School, Finley, 17, does more than speak French. In school, she sings in the a cappella choir, takes drama and traveled to England with her class. Last year, she was in “Beauty and the Beast,” and has been in a total of six plays.

Outside of school, Finley is a dancer and has danced for 14 years.

“Knowing French helped my dancing,” she said.

She said dancing is just for fun, but it’s helped her to successfully audition for a lot of shows. She is the lead singer in the band Stargazing on Saturdays. Just after the end of the school year, Finley left for Clearwater Lodge to volunteer in her church youth group leadership camp as a camp counselor. She joked that she has to “pencil in sleeping.”

Finley plans to attend North Idaho College, or someplace with theater, dance and French programs. She said she would also like to take a trip to France after her senior year.

“To visit or even live in France would be a dream come true,” she said. “It would be wonderful.”

Finley is the daughter of Craig and Lori Finley of Spokane Valley, and she has one sister.