Two student groups at the Massapequa High School Ames Campus were recognized in the annual video contest hosted by the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers. The ninth graders are in Yoshana Silver’s Spanish Level 2 Accelerated course.
The group of Brady B., James B., Casey G., Owen L., Nate L. and Austin V. won first place in the authentic speaking task category in the upper division. They created a video, “Pueden Decrinos Como Llegamos?” about two people who were lost and looking for the mall on a quest to buy a gift. They asked others for directions, with all the conversations spoken in Spanish.
They filmed the minute-and-a-half video outside of Ames. The students planned the scenario, which had to reflect an authentic situation, and wrote the script.
“We dedicated a lot of time to this,” said Austin, explaining that he and his partners worked on the optional project for about two weeks during their lunch periods. “It was a cool video.”
“It helped us expand our Spanish,” Casey added. “It was educational and fun.”
Rachel K. and Jaiya A. earned second place in the song category in the upper division. They recorded a cover of “Habañera,” a famous aria from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.” For their orchestra duet, Rachel played the cello and Jaiya was on the violin. They said they chose the piece because it originated from Cuba, a Spanish-speaking country.
Ms. Silver commended the students from both groups for their hard work and dedication to their projects. She added that it was exceptional for ninth graders to place first and second in their respective categories in a statewide competition open to students in grades 9-12.