Under the guidance of Señor Carlos Blanco, more than 30 La Pietra Spanish Language students took the 2012 National Spanish Examinations (NSE) this year. Despite it being the first year taking the exams for most of the students, they won awards in several categories.
Four National Silver Awards went to Xochitl Cornejo ‘15, Kyrra Lau-Eglinton ‘12, Mika Sebastian ‘15 and Hannah Shor ’15.
Katy Hessenflow ’16 won a National Bronze Award.
Eleven National Honorable Mentions went to Lea Adams ‘14, India Daswani ‘13, Katharina Gassman ‘15, Madison Kotoshirodo ‘13, Azure Naeole ‘14, Isabelle Sawhill ‘15, Carmen Sharkey ‘15, Mehana Smith ‘15, Rachel Taketa ‘14, Siera Tanabe ‘15, and Amanda Trozzi ’14.
This was the first year Señor Blanco administered the exams. “It’s a tough exam, roughly similar to an SAT exam,” Blanco said. He also noted studies have shown that students who have taken the NSE generally perform better on their SAT and other standardized tests.
“We plan on administering the exam again next year. It is our hope that our students will perform better at this exam as they continue to take it each school year,” he added.
The NSE offers scholarships and awards to students who score at or above the 75th percentile. Five La Pietra students met this criterion this year and are eligible for the following scholarships:
Global Citizen Scholarship: Katy Hessenflow, Xochitl Cornejo, Mika Sebastian and Hannah Shor
Scholarship for High School Seniors: Kyrra Lau-Eglinton
The NSE are online, standardized assessment tools for students in grades 6-12, to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language. The exams consist of vocabulary, grammar, listening and reading sections. The NSE are the most widely used tests of Spanish in the United States and the first national world language exam to be administered online. The mission of the National Spanish Examination is to recognize student achievement and to promote language proficiency in the study of the Spanish.
Congratulations to all of the students who participated and a special thank you to Señor Blanco for all your instruction, guidance, and support!