A total of 72 Spanish language students from McIntosh High, Starr’s Mill High and Whitewater High received gold, silver or bronze placements on the National Spanish Examinations administered by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
The combined medal count earned by the students includes 15 gold, 22 silver, and 35 bronze. Starr’s Mill High won the most medals with 29 total, followed closely by McIntosh High with 27, and Whitewater High with 16.
The National Spanish Examinations are a motivational contest to recognize the achievement in the study of Spanish and to stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish. The examinations are online, standardized assessment tools for grades 6-12, given voluntarily by about 4,000 teachers throughout the United States to measure performance and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language.
Attaining a placement on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious since the examinations are the largest of their kind in the United States. Over 157,000 students participated in the examinations this year.
Fayette County students receiving medals in the National Spanish Examinations are as follows:
(Level I) Bronze: Temilola Aina, Whitewater High; Brady Meyer, Starr’s Mill High; Jamila Vega, Whitewater High.
(Level 2) Gold: Virginia Jackson, Starr’s Mill High; Matthew Moore, Whitewater High; Alexa Reyes, Whitewater High.
(Level 2) Silver: Gigi Christensen, Starr’s Mill High; Joshua Deslaurier, Whitewater High; Abigail Gayda, Starr’s Mill High; Jilliana Rae Magat, Starr’s Mill High; Isabelle Neckel, Whitewater High; Trey Orndorff, Starr’s Mill High; Caleb Warnock, Starr’s Mill High.
(Level 2) Bronze: Saijleen Chawla, Starr’s Mill High; Scott Fennel, Starr’s Mill High; Jocelyn Guerrero, Whitewater High; Hikari Ikeda, Starr’s Mill High; Ashleigh Shriner, Starr’s Mill High; Kendall Via, Starr’s Mill High.
(Level 3) Gold: Jacob Brachey, McIntosh High; Sarah Dorr, Starr’s Mill High; Daniella Hass, McIntosh High; Marissa Hollingsworth, Starr’s Mill High; Blythe Terry, Starr’s Mill High.
(Level 3) Silver: Caroline Andrews, Starr’s Mill High; Michael Bowman Olay, Whitewater High; Perry Cox, McIntosh High; Austin Duncan, Whitewater High; Lilyann Gable, Whitewater High; Alyssa Ginn, McIntosh High; Jacqueline Laureano, Starr’s Mill High; Kennedy Marsh, McIntosh High; Cheryl Marshall, Starr’s Mill High; John Skibiel, Whitewater High.
(Level 3) Bronze: Ore Amosu, Starr’s Mill High; Diana Avina, McIntosh High; Tim Hahn, Starr’s Mill High; Onwuka Kalu, Whitewater High; Joshua Krivanek, McIntosh High; Katherine Mitchell, McIntosh High; Raquel Padilla, Whitewater High; Mallory Plunkett, McIntosh High; Cathryn Quigley, McIntosh High; Alanys Rivera, McIntosh High; Sofia Valdovinos, McIntosh High; Jackson Van Meter, Whitewater High.
(Level 4) Gold: Valeria Benavides, Starr’s Mill High; Erin Rathje, Starr’s Mill High; Marleena Tamminen, Starr’s Mill High; Elena Wernecke, Starr’s Mill High.
(Level 4) Silver: Gabrielle Earl, Whitewater High; Jolie Fouts, McIntosh High; Lauren Fraser, McIntosh High.
(Level 4) Bronze: Fernando Bonilla, McIntosh High; Matthew Corrigan, Starr’s Mill High; Fernanda De La Mora, McIntosh High; Emely Espinosa, McIntosh High; Ryan Hartman, McIntosh High; Natalie Keohane, McIntosh High; Kevin Kerner, McIntosh High; Caitlyn Kinard, McIntosh High; Sophia Thomas, Starr’s Mill High; Daniella Vivas, Starr’s Mill High; Anna West, McIntosh High.
(Level 5) Gold: Silvia Chavarri, Starr’s Mill High; Gabriella Schwingshaki, McIntosh High; Matthew Skibiel, Whitewater High.
(Level 5) Silver: Conner Gayda, Starr’s Mill High; Tiffany Netto, McIntosh High.
(Level 5) Bronze: Kristen Ford, McIntosh High; Jacob Mewborn, McIntosh High; Ervin Reyes-Hernandez, McIntosh High.
