Congratulations to M. Tilton
Congratulations goes to M. Tilton for receiving the EHS Spanish student award provided by the National Hispanic Honor Society. Her achievements are of many by not only receiving gold with the NSE (National Spanish Exam) but along with her accomplishment throughout her career as a Spanish student at EHS. Did I mention she made a 5 on the Spanish AP Language exam? Way to go M. Tilton and good luck in your Spanish speaking endeavors in the future. We are all proud to have had you as a student and share in your successes.
Z. Sanchez went to Costa Rica in the summer of 2014 and here is what he has to say about it...
So...Costa Rica. Many
may be wondering if the trip is worth the expense, helpful, and even if it is
at all any fun. In my opinion, this trip is all that and much more. There are
hardly any words to describe my experience there. I made many new friends,
experienced things that I could not experience elsewhere, learned to love the
language and its associated culture, and overall I embraced the lifestyle of
Costa Rica. You may not understand what I mean by this which is okay because I
did not either. All I knew was that there is a common saying down there known
as "Pura Vida". I thought nothing of this expression until I actually
arrived. I learned quickly by the personality, habits, and conversations of the
people that "Pura Vida" is not just a saying and more or less a way
of life. If you have ever seen The Lion King, then you know of the
popular song "Hakuna Matata". That song perfectly describes the way
of life that you embrace while down there. Never once was I stressed or nervous
while I was down there because everything seemed to unfold in a relaxed manner.
I never had a bad moment in Costa Rica because everything seemed to go
smoothly.I absolutely loved every part of the trip from zip lining over the
canopy to soaking in the amazing hot springs, but my overall favorite part was
staying with the native family. I was readily adopted into the family with open
arms and was astounded with how nice the entire family was to me. I could not
have asked for anyone better than the family I lived with. I highly recommend
this trip to everyone. You will not be disappointed with this adventure. Pura
Vida! -Z. Sanchez
Premio de Honor
Congratulations goes to Emma Vivlamore for winning the Premio de Honor sponsored by the National Spanish Honor Society as being the top Spanish students at EHS for the year 2013-2014.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NATIONAL EXAM
TEST-TAKERS
WORLD LANGUAGE STUDENTS SCORE WELL IN NATIONAL EXAMS
Congratulations to several world language students from Etowah High School who attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2014 National Spanish Examinations. Near 600 hundred EHS students took the NSE this year.
Students from Etowah High School earned a total of 2 gold, 12 silver and 21 bronze medals, and 105 honorable mention awards. Andrea Quero and Miranda Dominick were our very own gold medalists.
“Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 154,000 students participating in 2014.”
In addition, Devin Kenney ranked 10th place and earned bronze medal on Le Grand Concours, The National French competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French.
The World Language Department at Etowah High School is very proud of their students’ performance and wants to express their gratitude to EHS PTSA for the grant awarded in the last two years to support teachers’ participation in these prestigious competitions.
The National Spanish and French societies will sponsor a breakfast for all 32 medalists on May 16th @ 7:30 in room 3202.
Congratulations to several world language students from Etowah High School who attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2014 National Spanish Examinations. Near 600 hundred EHS students took the NSE this year.
Students from Etowah High School earned a total of 2 gold, 12 silver and 21 bronze medals, and 105 honorable mention awards. Andrea Quero and Miranda Dominick were our very own gold medalists.
“Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 154,000 students participating in 2014.”
In addition, Devin Kenney ranked 10th place and earned bronze medal on Le Grand Concours, The National French competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French.
The World Language Department at Etowah High School is very proud of their students’ performance and wants to express their gratitude to EHS PTSA for the grant awarded in the last two years to support teachers’ participation in these prestigious competitions.
The National Spanish and French societies will sponsor a breakfast for all 32 medalists on May 16th @ 7:30 in room 3202.
Our amazing students
Premio de honor
This honor is reserved for the student who has served in la Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH) and is in good standing and maintains a high average in Spanish class. This nomination is a recommendation from the advisors of the society along with the Spanish teacher of said student. Sadly, this information is not to be released until Honor's Day.
guess who is going to ghp?
Mackenzie Tilton has been selected to go to the Governors Honors Program for Spanish Language. We will be looking forward to the her testament of how GHP went this summer.
Recipient of NSE trip to spain
Katherine Morawa a current junior who I have had the great pleasure and honor to teach for the last two years has been selected as one of the 16 winners of the National Spanish Examination Junior Award.
“The National Spanish Examination (NSE), a program of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), is committed to recognizing student achievement and promoting language proficiency in the study of Spanish. To this end, NSE will offer sixteen (16) travel awards to Spain in July 2014 through a commercial study/travel group. This trip will run concurrently with a trip
offered by the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, NSE's sister organization”
Katherine was in my Spanish 3 class last year and currently she is one of my most outstanding students in the AP Spanish Language and Culture class. Last year, she was recognized at the Honors Day because she got a gold medal in the National Spanish Exam Level III. As part of her application, Katherine gave me the privilege to write a letter of recommendation and we made a 5 minute video in Spanish discussing how the trip will impact her life and what made her a deserving recipient of this
award.
My special thanks to Ms. Cathy Wallner and all the members of our PTSA because with the grant they have given us for the past six years, the World Language Department has been able to provide our students the opportunity to participate in the NSE program.
My sincerest congratulations to Katherine on this wonderful recognition of her hard work in the academics and her genuine love for the Spanish language and culture.
Dr. Claudia Larrotta
“The National Spanish Examination (NSE), a program of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), is committed to recognizing student achievement and promoting language proficiency in the study of Spanish. To this end, NSE will offer sixteen (16) travel awards to Spain in July 2014 through a commercial study/travel group. This trip will run concurrently with a trip
offered by the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, NSE's sister organization”
Katherine was in my Spanish 3 class last year and currently she is one of my most outstanding students in the AP Spanish Language and Culture class. Last year, she was recognized at the Honors Day because she got a gold medal in the National Spanish Exam Level III. As part of her application, Katherine gave me the privilege to write a letter of recommendation and we made a 5 minute video in Spanish discussing how the trip will impact her life and what made her a deserving recipient of this
award.
My special thanks to Ms. Cathy Wallner and all the members of our PTSA because with the grant they have given us for the past six years, the World Language Department has been able to provide our students the opportunity to participate in the NSE program.
My sincerest congratulations to Katherine on this wonderful recognition of her hard work in the academics and her genuine love for the Spanish language and culture.
Dr. Claudia Larrotta
GHP (Governors Honors Program)
EHS has had 3 students who had made it to state for the GHP selection process. Congratulations to M. Tilton, C. Abicca, and E. Lucier. Way to go ladies!!! Dr. Larrotta also was asked to help judge students from all over Georgia to participate in this program. What an honor indeed. ¡Bravo Dra. Larrotta!
Hi!
My name is M. Marktanner. While I shared my story with my Spanish class as part of an assignment grade earlier this year, I’m here to share it with you because of what I have learned from my experiences.
I was born in Germany and lived there until I was six years old. Having a half-German, half-Hungarian dad and a Ukrainian mom, I have always been bilingual in German and Russian. When I was seven years old, my family and I moved to Denton, Texas where I began learning English for the first time. I remember my first day of school, and how I could not speak to anyone (not the teachers, nor the students) on account of my language barrier. Gradually, I began learning the language, and after half a year, I became just as fluent as my peers. Not only in speech, but also in reading and writing.
The following year, my family and I moved again. This time, we moved to Beirut, Lebanon. As I entered second grade, I continued learning English, as I also began learning Arabic and was immersed into learning French by third grade.
I continued learning English, Arabic, and French at the American Community School in Beirut until my freshman year, when my family and I moved back to the United States.The transition from the Middle East to the United States did not come easily to me, however. While I did not struggle academically, I struggled to find friends and fit in socially. But after moving from Woodstock to Etowah HS, prior to my junior year, I even overcame those obstacles.
Entering sophomore year, I made the best possible decision I could ever have made in high school, on advice from my best friend. Instead of taking the easy way out and continuing to learn French in order to satisfy my foreign language graduation requirement, I chose to take Spanish.
This was the best decision I have made in my high school career, for several reasons. For one, it allowed me to communicate and find my way around Spain when I travelled there over the summer of 2012. Likewise, further knowledge of a foreign language helped me decide what major I would like to
pursue in college.
As a senior, I can tell you from firsthand experience that the knowledge of foreign languages is a crucial skill needed in order to become successful in the future. Not only does the knowledge of foreign languages give you an advantage when applying to colleges, it also opens numerous doors in terms of potential job opportunities.
Having been exposed to different languages since I was born, I must add that it is far easier to learn a foreign language when one is surrounded by native speakers. Not only does the obligation to know how to speak the language become further motivation to a certain language, but it becomes a necessary task which one must continuously work at in order to acquire.
My name is M. Marktanner. While I shared my story with my Spanish class as part of an assignment grade earlier this year, I’m here to share it with you because of what I have learned from my experiences.
I was born in Germany and lived there until I was six years old. Having a half-German, half-Hungarian dad and a Ukrainian mom, I have always been bilingual in German and Russian. When I was seven years old, my family and I moved to Denton, Texas where I began learning English for the first time. I remember my first day of school, and how I could not speak to anyone (not the teachers, nor the students) on account of my language barrier. Gradually, I began learning the language, and after half a year, I became just as fluent as my peers. Not only in speech, but also in reading and writing.
The following year, my family and I moved again. This time, we moved to Beirut, Lebanon. As I entered second grade, I continued learning English, as I also began learning Arabic and was immersed into learning French by third grade.
I continued learning English, Arabic, and French at the American Community School in Beirut until my freshman year, when my family and I moved back to the United States.The transition from the Middle East to the United States did not come easily to me, however. While I did not struggle academically, I struggled to find friends and fit in socially. But after moving from Woodstock to Etowah HS, prior to my junior year, I even overcame those obstacles.
Entering sophomore year, I made the best possible decision I could ever have made in high school, on advice from my best friend. Instead of taking the easy way out and continuing to learn French in order to satisfy my foreign language graduation requirement, I chose to take Spanish.
This was the best decision I have made in my high school career, for several reasons. For one, it allowed me to communicate and find my way around Spain when I travelled there over the summer of 2012. Likewise, further knowledge of a foreign language helped me decide what major I would like to
pursue in college.
As a senior, I can tell you from firsthand experience that the knowledge of foreign languages is a crucial skill needed in order to become successful in the future. Not only does the knowledge of foreign languages give you an advantage when applying to colleges, it also opens numerous doors in terms of potential job opportunities.
Having been exposed to different languages since I was born, I must add that it is far easier to learn a foreign language when one is surrounded by native speakers. Not only does the obligation to know how to speak the language become further motivation to a certain language, but it becomes a necessary task which one must continuously work at in order to acquire.
Faetón learns Russian?
I remember many days before we took our seats in the cattle class of our trans-atlantic 747 that our coordinators had us perform an activity predicting what Russia would be all about. Responses included but were not limited to: bears, Putin, snow, and communism. I can say now that my
perspective of Russia -and this being my first time leaving the country, the world as well- was remarkably incorrect. The heralding experiences of
eating my first meal, cheese and bread, on the raggedy bus from Moscow,arriving at my host family's doorstep exhausted and anxious at 3AM, and ordering extra tomatoes on my sandwich at a Russian subway led me to have the new outlook I have today.
We studied. A lot. About 4 hours of university studies a day on language and history followed by tantamount quantity of homework filled the days. Although this sounds like any student's summer
school nightmare, I loved every minute. There's something very different about listening to Etowah's Spanish department an hour a day and then returning to the familiar English world for the next 23 hours in comparison to 24 hours of an over-concentrated and prescribed dosage of русский for six weeks
straight.
Weekends were fantastic; walks were walked, cafes were dined, and countless volleyball games were played. This was the true Russian experience, and it also happened to be where I discovered why I was there. Trying to explain a basketball play to a Russian proved extremely trying considering I couldn't name anything within a 20-foot radius, and ordering tea at a restaurant always draw stares,
laughter, and the occasional derisive "foolish American" comment.
This sojourn has given me the insight, horizons, and mindset to be able to handle myself in the future,
even in the most volatile situations. Not only my Russian skill advanced, but also my ability to connect with people who haven't grown up in the same fenced lifestyle of TLP. You see, it's not just the prestige of the state department seal or the characters I'll be able to put on a college app, it truly was one of those "life experiences" that your 40-something parents always tell you to collect before you get to the point where you can't collect them anymore.
To somehow wrap up 6 weeks of my life in a concluding paragraph I'll end with this: Don't simply lounge around in northern Georgia for the rest of your life hoping for life to come to you. It's much
more exhilarating, and in my case, cheaper, to seek it yourself. Russia was something I won't soon forget; it's a part of me now, and it's a part of me I plan to revisit later in life. So was it difficult? Yes. Frustrating? Certainly. However, worth it? Without a doubt.
-Alex C.J.
I remember many days before we took our seats in the cattle class of our trans-atlantic 747 that our coordinators had us perform an activity predicting what Russia would be all about. Responses included but were not limited to: bears, Putin, snow, and communism. I can say now that my
perspective of Russia -and this being my first time leaving the country, the world as well- was remarkably incorrect. The heralding experiences of
eating my first meal, cheese and bread, on the raggedy bus from Moscow,arriving at my host family's doorstep exhausted and anxious at 3AM, and ordering extra tomatoes on my sandwich at a Russian subway led me to have the new outlook I have today.
We studied. A lot. About 4 hours of university studies a day on language and history followed by tantamount quantity of homework filled the days. Although this sounds like any student's summer
school nightmare, I loved every minute. There's something very different about listening to Etowah's Spanish department an hour a day and then returning to the familiar English world for the next 23 hours in comparison to 24 hours of an over-concentrated and prescribed dosage of русский for six weeks
straight.
Weekends were fantastic; walks were walked, cafes were dined, and countless volleyball games were played. This was the true Russian experience, and it also happened to be where I discovered why I was there. Trying to explain a basketball play to a Russian proved extremely trying considering I couldn't name anything within a 20-foot radius, and ordering tea at a restaurant always draw stares,
laughter, and the occasional derisive "foolish American" comment.
This sojourn has given me the insight, horizons, and mindset to be able to handle myself in the future,
even in the most volatile situations. Not only my Russian skill advanced, but also my ability to connect with people who haven't grown up in the same fenced lifestyle of TLP. You see, it's not just the prestige of the state department seal or the characters I'll be able to put on a college app, it truly was one of those "life experiences" that your 40-something parents always tell you to collect before you get to the point where you can't collect them anymore.
To somehow wrap up 6 weeks of my life in a concluding paragraph I'll end with this: Don't simply lounge around in northern Georgia for the rest of your life hoping for life to come to you. It's much
more exhilarating, and in my case, cheaper, to seek it yourself. Russia was something I won't soon forget; it's a part of me now, and it's a part of me I plan to revisit later in life. So was it difficult? Yes. Frustrating? Certainly. However, worth it? Without a doubt.
-Alex C.J.