Three Gold Medals on
National Spanish Exams
A group of exceptional world language students at J. Taylor Finley Middle School scored impressive results in the 2009 National Spanish Examinations, a set of tests designed to measure knowledge levels for those in grades 6-12. Each year, tens of thousands of students take the multi-level exams.
Finley Principal John Amato said students Todd Colvin, Peter Hernandez and Bella Rubinton landed in the 95th percentile on the NSE, earning gold medals for their respective performances. The teenagers were honored at a dinner earlier this month hosted by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese at Jericho High School.
The gold medal winners are students in teacher Alicia Furman’s classes. Ms. Furman’s students also garnered one silver and three bronze medals, along with ten honorable mention citations. Teacher Michael Gavilán’s students earned two bronze medals and six honorable mentions.
“Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, national director of the exams. The exams were taken by more than 115,000 students this year, making them the largest of their kind in the country.
Carmen Kasper, Huntington’s director of foreign language, ESL and bilingual programs, said she’s “proud to say that Finley students have a long history of high achievement on these exams,” and she saluted Ms. Furman and Mr. Gavilán.
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