We would like to congratulate the following members of the Neuqua chapter of National Spanish Honor Society who competed in this year’s National Spanish Exam. 18 of the 22 students who tested earned recognition for performing better than most of their peers who took the NSE across the nation, with nine students becoming medalists. Students tested according to their Spanish class level: 3, 4, or 5 (AP Spanish).

This year Neuqua has one gold medalist, Sophomore Harini Venkatachalam, who earned the Premio de Oro. These medals are awarded to students who score at or above the 95th percentile.

The Premio de Plata, or silver medals, are awarded to students who score at or above the 85th percentile: this year, Sophomores Charvi Chanamolu and Emersen McManis, Junior Dyuti Abhilash, and Senior Varsha Nair are Neuqua’s silver medalists.

The following students earned the Premio de Bronce, or bronze medals, for scoring from the 75th to 85th percentiles: Freshman Aleeza Fawad, Sophomores Aanya Agarwal, Sristi Barnwal, Arnav Godambe, Apoorva Jonnalagadda, Van Melaniphy, and Ariana Namvar, and Junior Fatima Islam.

Five additional members earned a Mención Honorífica, or Honorable Mention, awarded to those who score better than most of their peers from the same NSE test level and category: Sophomores Luna Han and Vismaya Yogesh, Junior Norah Di Benedetto, and Seniors Avyn Harris and Lauren Varak.

We extend our warmest felicidades or congratulations to all our SHS members who participated in this year’s competition and commend them for their hard work, determination, and commitment to mastering the Spanish language!

Dating back to 1957 and administered annually, over 80,000 students participated in this year’s National Spanish Exam. The NSE is a program of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese: founded in 1917, the AATSP is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive language-specific professional association in the United States. It promotes the study and teaching of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and their corresponding Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian and other related literatures and cultures at all levels of education. Through extensive collaboration with educators, professionals, and institutions in other countries, the AATSP contributes to a better and deeper understanding between the United States and the Spanish-and Portuguese-speaking nations of the world.

 Additional information about the NSE can be found at nationalspanishexam.org.