Students from McIntosh High, Starr’s Mill High, and Whitewater Middle attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2022 National Spanish Examinations. The combined medal count earned by the students includes 10 gold, 23 silver, and 23 bronze. McIntosh High won the most medals with 22, followed by Starr’s Mill High with 18, and Whitewater Middle with 16.
Gold medal placement is for students scoring in the 95th percentile or higher, silver medal is for the 85th-94th percentile, and bronze medal is for the 75th-84th percentile. 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 medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Lisa Greenman, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 73,000 students participating in 2022.”
Local students receiving medals in the National Spanish Examinations are:
Level 1 Bronze: Amani Mehta, Starr’s Mill; Paxton Benoit, Whitewater Middle; Lauren Chandler, Whitewater Middle; Chloe Craig, Whitewater Middle; Zion Lee, Whitewater Middle; Alexis Stephenson, Whitewater Middle; Jonathan Sweeney, Whitewater Middle; Cate Whitlock, Whitewater Middle
Level 1 Silver: Adelae Barkley, Starr’s Mill; Ashlee Barranco, Whitewater Middle; Maribelle Grandea, Whitewater Middle; Kayla Hoang, Whitewater Middle; Julian Rhinehardt, Whitewater Middle; Annalise Roetto, Whitewater Middle; David Villanueva, Whitewater Middle
Level 1 Gold: Jonathan Hunter, Whitewater Middle; Elizabeth Jackson, Starr’s Mill; Bryson Olvera, Whitewater Middle; Noemí Servidio, Starr’s Mill; Jacob Sims, Whitewater Middle
Level 2 Bronze: Morgan Arens, Starr’s Mill
Level 2 Silver: Avni Aligeti, Starr’s Mill; Ella Griswold, Starr’s Mill; Brian Hobmann, Starr’s Mill; Mary Hunter, Starr’s Mill; Abby McSpadden, Starr’s Mill
Level 3 Bronze: Katie Rausch, Starr’s Mill
Level 3 Silver: Bianca Reyes, Starr’s Mill
Level 3 Gold: Jonah Hendrickson, Starr’s Mill
Level 4 Bronze: Melany Calderon, McIntosh; Valentina Diaz, Starr’s Mill; Estrella Jones, McIntosh; Santiago Perez Milicua Espinosa De Los Monteros, McIntosh; Juan Torres, McIntosh
Level 4 Silver: Tito Alofe, Starr’s Mill; Katarina Thompson, McIntosh; Camilo Velez, Starr’s Mill; Emily White, McIntosh
Level 5 Bronze: Celene Bennett, McIntosh; Aiden Choat, McIntosh; Heather Hernandez, Starr’s Mill; Matias Jacinto, McIntosh; Ty Kirkland, McIntosh; Cristina Perez Milicua Espinosa De Los Monteros, McIntosh; Emely Suastegui, Starr’s Mill; Sanaa Wright, McIntosh
Level 5 Silver: Braeden Caropresso, McIntosh; Athena Manalo, McIntosh; Nathaniel Miller, McIntosh; Jazmin Naranjo, McIntosh; Neerja Patel, McIntosh; Juan Valle Rosa, McIntosh
Level 5 Gold: Hyeonsu An, McIntosh; Sara Brito, McIntosh; Kevin Naranjo, McIntosh; Hannah Seay, McIntosh
