STUDENTS GET BIG WINS IN NATIONAL LANGUAGE EXAMINATION

Share this article with a friend.

May 23, 2023

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Notre Dame Prep middle school students score high in national Spanish language examination with 19 receiving medals, nearly doubling last year's medal total.

Five gold and eight silver medals highlighted a strong showing by students at Notre Dame Prep's middle school in the most recent edition of the National Spanish Examinations.

"These medal winners are great examples of students from our middle school who consistently demonstrate dedication and discipline when it comes to learning a second language," said Marisol Aguilar, who is a Spanish teacher in the middle school. "I am so proud of these students and I look forward to supporting them as well as any other student who wants to become bilingual and learn Spanish at Notre Dame Prep."

Gabrielle Brook, Ellis Chukwu, Bailey Robinson, Madlin Rose Samaan and Juan Pablo Turrubiartes Tapia earned gold medals, and Emily Bassett, Anthony DiGrande, Lucia Jolokai, Chloe Kersuzan, Daria Lovin, Preston Schlachter, Brett Skonieczny and Lily Buero each won silver medals in the annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. A complete list of awardees is below.

“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 nearly 85,000 students participating in 2023.”

A total of six middle school students won bronze medals and 17 middle school students earned honorable mentions this year and they are listed below with all the medal winners. 

Oro/Gold:

Gabrielle Brook
Ellis Chukwu
Bailey Robinson
Madlin Rose Samaan
Juan Pablo Turrubiartes-Tapia

Plata/Silver:

Emily Bassett
Anthony DiGrande
Lucia Jolokai
Chloe Kersuzan
Daria Lovin
Preston Schlachter 
Brett Skonieczny
Lily Buero

Bonce/Bronze:

Rodrigo Encinas
Sofia Arinez
Christopher Artinian
Adriana Dedvukaj
Pablo De Nigris
Anaya Patel 

Honorable Mention:

Coplin Serota
Vanessa Artinian
Marissa Lawson
Dante Nowinski
Lucca Ferreira
Vivian Swick
Stella Dressman
Karsten Martin
Max Mermell
Brielle Gendreau
Jaelynn Gonzales-Page
Josie Simon
Saniya Tucker
Alexis Bigelow
Hakim El-Amin
Addison Kushuba
Laureli Uso

About the National Spanish Examinations
The National Spanish Examinations, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, are a motivational contest to recognize student achievement in the study of Spanish and to stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish. They are online, standardized assessment tools given voluntarily by about 4,000 teachers throughout the United States to measure performance (interpretive communication) and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language. The National Spanish Examinations are the most widely used tests of Spanish in the United States. The National Spanish Examinations are recognized by many administrative and teaching associations and organizations at the local, state and national levels. For more information, visit www.aatsp.org.

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.