Four of the twelve Spanish spelling bee finalists watch with interest and support as Rubin Sherwood, in the middle, attempts to spell a word in Spanish.
Schlegel and Gosser win foreign language spell off
Jake Schlegel finally won the Spanish spelling bee after placing second the previous two years, and Amanda Gosser won the French division.
At 2:50 on September 26, the six French spelling bee finalists and 12 Spanish finalists were released from class to go to the school auditorium, at which time the French spelling bee began. The six French spellers were eliminated one by one, until just Gosser and Tabithia Smart remained. Both the girls failed several words repeatedly, until 3:15, when foreign language instructor, Gina Halksworth called the spell off to a halt, so that the Spanish spelling bee could get started. The following day in class, Gosser defeated Smart, to win the first-place medal in the French division.
In the first round of the Spanish spell off, only one student was eliminated, but once words started to get more difficult, students were picked off one by one, until just Jake Schlegel and Dona Diec were left standing. The two got through the entire Spanish list that was given to each speller, so Halksworth elected to pick her last name for Schlegel and Diec to spell. Diec spelled Halksworth nearly perfectly, but accidently miss pronounced the “w” in her name, which gave Schlegel a chance for ultimate glory, if he could spell Halksworth correctly. Fortunately for Schlegel, he pronounced the “w” and all the other letters correctly to win his first spelling bee ever.
After the spell off, Schlegel commented about his victory.
“It was a glorious moment for me. People may not know this, but each of the last two years I lost to Dona Diec’s older sister, Anna. Coming into the spell off, I thought that this could be my year since Anna had graduated, but then I found out that her sister Dona would be competing. I knew victory would not be easy, which it wasn’t, but hey, after all, I am a champion.”
ABOVE RIGHT: Down to the final three in the Spanish spelling bee, Dona Diec confidently and quickly spells the word given to her by a Moderator Gina Halksworth. The Spanish winner was Jake Schlegel, while Amanda Gosser earned the top prize in the French division. LEFT: Taking her time to think about a French word, Cassie Herskowitz concentrates as she spells the word during the first round of the spelling bee on September 26.
Spanish students attend concert
By Stephanie Griffith
Teaching aspects of the Spanish language and promoting a positive way of life, Justo Lama performed for area foreign language students at Hays High on November 16.
Local Foreign Language Club students, accompanied by Ms. Gina Halksworth, listened as the performer from Argentina entertained with Spanish songs that promoted the idea that life is a gift.
To make the experience more fun, TCHS students made T-shirts with glow-in-the-dark images of the music artist to wear to the concert and learned songs from the singer’s latest CD prior to the performance.
Hays High hosted the event, to which 12 schools were invited.
Spanish students who attended the concert were Aaron Workman, Rachael Newcomer, Kelsey H., Cassie Herskowitz, Kirsten Locke, Jessica S., Julia Myers, Victoria Gano, Catie Riedel, Tasha Welch, Jessie Worthington, Kelly Ebbert, Kelsie Bliss and Chantel W.
Foreign language students shake maracas to the beat as they listen to Justo Lama, an Spanish entertainer from Argentina. The concert, sponsored by Hays High, took place on November 16. (Photo by Kelly Ebbert)
Pres. Cameron Locke
V-Pres. S. Pfannenstiel
Sec. Olivia Fabrizius
Treas. Sara Cunningham
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By Jake Schlegel
Spanish II and III students’ added new dance moves to their repertoire of already existing dance maneuvers, when Foreign Language Teacher Gina Halksworth took her students salsa dancing at Hays High on February 12.
The students, most of whom have never Salsa Danced, were introduced to this new cultural dance by Sara Moraille Jacques. Jacques, who is from Lawrence, travels to different schools to teach students how to salsa dance.
Halksworth explained how salsa dancing got its name. She said that just like the food salsa is like a mixture of veggies and sauces, salsa dancing is a mixture of different dances from Colombia, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
Students made it sound as if they had a great time—well, at least Aubrey Riedel did.
“It was exciting to meet new people and to shake my groove-thang.” Riedel who is a senior this year also said, “I wish I could do it next year, again.”
The salsa dancing lasted from 10:00 a.m. until 11:15 a.m., at which time the TCHS group went to eat at Jaliscos, a popular Mexican restaurant.
Halksworth described the meal in one word.
Spanish students learn how to salsa
"Fabulous."
Spanish students, who aren’t seniors like Riedel, will be able repeat the festivities again next year, because according to Halksworth, she is “absolutely” going to do it again.
Spanish students celebrate Mexican holiday
TCHS’s Spanish classes celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a special “food” day.
Part of the curriculum for the Spanish classes focuses on Latin America’s history and cuisine. The holiday provided students with the opportunity to practice their culinary talents as they learned about Mexican history.
Cinco de Mayo, May 5, marks a victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. In this battle, Mexico proved its willingness to defend against “foreign intervention,” according to www.ucla.edu.
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale here in the United States than it is in Mexico. People of Mexican descent in the United States celebrate this significant day by having parades, mariachi music, folklorico dancing and other types of festive activities.
To commemorate the Mexican holiday, students prepared and feasted on foods such as enchiladas, chile verde, guacamole dip, and quesadillas, to name a few ethnic dishes.
LEFT: Julia Myers and Chantel W. savor dessert after finishing off a meal of Mexican cuisine. The girls participated in a Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 5, 2008. ABOVE: Enjoying chicken enchiladas and quesadillas, Spanish students Brandon Katt, Morgan Dietz, Kirsten Locke and Jessie S. socialize during “food day” on May 5.
