The following is from the Stoughton Public Schools:
As has been tradition for many years now, Stoughton High School students took part in prestigious national language exams in Spanish, Latin, and French earning high marks in all three languages.
The exams are a time-tested method for assessing proficiency in the language and they represent one way to gauge a student’s fluency level based on reading, listening, speaking, vocabulary, and grammar.
Because the exams are rigorous, they have long been used to prepare students for other national exams such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Exam, the SAT, and Advanced Placement (AP) exams.
National Spanish Exam
The National Spanish Exam, whose mission is to recognize Spanish language achievement and promote the learning of Spanish, is the most widely used test of language acquisition in the United States.
This year, over 180,000 students took this exam and 18 Stoughton High students received national recognition for their high scores on the exam.
9th grader, Adam Potter, scored highest with a Premio de Plata or Silver Award on the Spanish 2 exam, followed by Christina Solem, who received a Premio Bronce or Bronze Award on the level 5 exam.
Additionally awarded Premios de Bronce were Kaitlin Elwood and John-Paul Noé on the level 3 exam, Darya Musatova for level 2, and David Mallock for level 1.
A Premio de Excelencia for success on the exam went to the following students: Taylor Ewing, Niamh Fennessy for level 5; Shannon Hickey, Brian Kavanagh, Ashley Merola, Ethan Rawl, and Michaela Sullivan for level 3; Mikayla Berteletti, Nicholas Khuu, Brian LeBlanc; Raj Patel for level 2; followed by Maikel Beshara for level 1.
National Latin Exam
The National Latin Exam, jointly sponsored by the American and Junior Classics Leagues, promotes scholarship in the Latin language and the history of Latin-speaking countries.
The exam covers a wide-breadth of history and language acquisition. This year, over 150,000 students took the exam world-wide and 23 Stoughton high students received various honors for their high scores.
For the Latin Prose category, Adam Lurie was awarded Maxima Cum Laude or Silver and Will McGrath was awarded a Cum Laude honor.
In the Latin I category, Darya Musatova, Raj Patel, and Kathleen Walsh were awarded Summa Cum Laude or Gold while Michael Fetherston, John Paul Noe, and Brian Carlson were awarded Maxima Cum Laude.
In this same category, both Lara Deb and Ariana Riske received Magna Cum Laude recognition and Cum Laude winners included: Emily Wilson, Conner Nye, Monika Benson and Shanel Ford.
In the Latin II category, the following students were honored with awards: Samantha Langmead achieved Maxima Cum Laude, Jacqueline Hausman, Rachael Kimball, and Mikaella Dutra received Magna Cum Laude while Manahil Mir earned Cum Laude.
In the Latin III exam category, Peter DaSilva achieved Summa Cum Laude while Daniel Fountain was awarded Maxima Cum Laude. Additionally, Niccolo Fiandaca was awarded Magna Cum Laude in the Latin III category and Jonathan Clerveaux was awarded Cum Laude status for their outstanding performance on this exam.
National French Exam
Stoughton High School students also performed admirably on the National French Exam (Le Grand Concours). This exam, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French, seeks to promote French language and cultural literacy in the United States.
In 2013, over 95,000 students took the exam nationwide. Fifteen Stoughton High students scored impressively, highlighted by Destiny Delarosa who received a Certificate de Mérite on the level 5 exam.
Marie Maillet and Lancy Desir also placed well on the level 5 exam with a Certificate de Réussite.
On the level 3 exam, Katherine Jolley received the Certificate de Honneurs, while Shannon Barkey, Sierra Watson, Evan Schulze, Jennifer Nye, and Joseph Souto received the Certificate de Réussite.
Mackenzie Finnerty was awarded a Certificate de Honneurs for her performance on the level 2 exam.
These students were awarded chapter winner status for their high marks well above the median percentile on this rigorous exam. The Lauréat National or National Winner status is awarded to students who rank exceptionally within the top ten percent of test takers nationwide.
This award was received by Rochnard Raymond who placed third in the national ranking for the level 5 exam. On the level 2 exam Amanda Mellyn received the Lauréat National. Danielle Tessler and Alyssa Ferrandiz also achieved the Lauréat National for their performance on the level 1 exam.
The students’ high scores on these exams can be attributed to both their hard work and their parents’ guidance and support. However, one can also trace these same students’ success to the hard work, determination, and skill of their world language teachers in grades 7-12.
Stoughton High School students continue to perform well because of the districts’ focus on a global-21st century education which at its core fosters international understanding through language acquisition and cultural proficiency.
Congratulations to all of the award winners and to their families, as well as the Stoughton Public Schools’ faculty that guided them to victory!