Superintendent Cyndy S. Taymore
360 Lynn Fells Parkway
Melrose , MA 02176
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Melrose High School Recognizes Student Participants in National Language Exams
MELROSE — High School Principal Marianne Farrell is pleased to announce that 190 students competed in five national language exams (French, German, Latin, Italian and Spanish) this year and received top recognition for their achievements.
Within each of the five national exams, students are presented with gold, silver, bronze and honorable mention awards based on their scores. Additionally, MHS recognized top scorers for each level of the exams.
Participation in the national language exams is voluntary among high school students. Grade eight students are also eligible to take the tests, competing against their MHS peers and students around the world.
“We are overjoyed with the results. Our students excelled in this year’s national language exams,” Principal Farrell said. “We believe all students can learn a second language, and this is a testament to that.”
The National French Contest (Le Grand Concours) is an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. This year alone, there were 85,832 student participants worldwide.
Six MHS students received Mention d’Honneur (honorable mention): Brielle Bolduc, Luc Carbonneau, Simon Stringer, Calvin White, Lydia Gyurina and Marinska Marcellus.
Top scorers among MHS include:
- Level 1: Brielle Bolduc
- Level 3: Simon Stringer
- Level 5: Marinska Marcellus
The National German Exam is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German and administered annually to nearly 22,000 high school students.
- Silberurkunde (Silver): Tara O’Shea.
- Bronzeurkunde (Bronze): Aidan Brenner-Slagle, Elizabeth Zelten
- Achievement (Honorable Mention): Lucy Fleming, Lauren Reilly, Sophia Gukelberger and David Sharrick
Top scorers among MHS and eighth grade students include:
- Grade 8: Elizabeth Zelten
- Level 2: Aidan Brenner-Slagle
- Level 3: Tara O’Shea
- Level 4: Chloe Melville
The National Latin Exam is sponsored by the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League and include questions on grammar, comprehension, history and oral Latin.
- Gold medal and Summa Cum Laude (first place winners): Elizabeth Zelten
- Silver medal and Maxima Cum Laude (second place winners): George Taranowski
- Magna cum laude (third place winners): John Summersby, Lydia Mroz, Liam Talbot, Isabella Carroll and Molly Corr
- Cum Laude (fourth place winners): Emma Munro, Fiona Murphy and Connor Anderson
Top scorers among MHS include:
- Level 1: Elizabeth Zelton
- Level 2: George Taranowski
- Level 3: Connor Anderson
- Latin Poetry: Nancy Otaluka
The National Italian Exam is sponsored by The American Association of Teachers of Italian and contain questions on comprehension, grammar, history and culture.
Top scorers among MHS include:
- Level 3: Christy Ilia
- Level 4: Connor Anderson
The National Spanish Exam is the most widely used Spanish test in the United States. It recognizes student achievement and promotes language study.
Top scorers among MHS include:
- Spanish 3: Jack Whitley
- Spanish 4: Jeannie Phan
“To have 190 students compete is outstanding,” said Kimberly Talbot, chair of the Melrose Public Schools Global Language Department and a board member of the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association. “We are very proud of their hard work and determination, and are thrilled with their accomplishments.”
Congratulations to all of the participants!
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