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By Holly Blair

Dobyns-Bennett High School students have been excelling on the National Spanish Examination and aim to continue the tradition. Awards were granted to 40 students from the high school for the exam in 2008, acknowledging their excellence in academic achievement for learning Spanish as a second language.

The National Spanish Examination, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, is a standardized assessment given by teachers to measure the proficiency and achievement of students studying Spanish as a second language. In addition to receiving national recognition, students who excelled on this exam are eligible to apply for junior travel awards and senior scholarships. This impressive show by the D-B students has inspired teachers and students to continue their academic pursuits into applied living and community activities.

“These awards are good for students to put on their resumes and good for their future if they decide to pursue a career in this field,” said Elena Allen, a Spanish teacher at the school.

Classroom instruction focuses on exam preparation and activities that build Spanish language skills. To help students and keep them engaged in a 90-minutes “block” class, teachers use games, songs, visual aids and hands-on tactics.

“Silencio, por favor,” said Allen, quieting her class at 9:26 a.m., during the second block of the day.

The lesson begins with a song. Students in the class sing along to the music in Spanish, working on their pronunciation. There are two level-one classes in session at the same time, both covering the same material.

Next door is Elizabeth Wilkins’ class, where students are singing in Spanish about a frog that has over-eaten. “Mimicking the song is a great way to learn how to pronounce the words, not like you’re from East Tennessee,” said Wilkins.

Different tactics are used so that each student can find the learning strategy that works best for them.

“We use learning games and songs,” said Cheryl Rice, Spanish teacher. “Each game has a specific purpose.”

Judging from the students and their scores on the national exam, the games and songs are working. Melissa Myers and Megan Brooker, juniors at Dobyns-Bennett, agree that the games are their favorite part of the class.

“I like the competitive game where we stand in two parallel lines and compete with vocabulary,” said Myers.

Myers placed in the top 85 percentile in the nation on the level-one exam in 2008. She says she felt prepared because of the games and activities in class.

Brooker took it upon herself to prepare by using a Web site where practice tests from prior years and practice exercises are available to students. Brooker scored among the top 95 percentile in the nation on the exam.

“I chose to take Spanish because I thought I would use it more than any of the other foreign languages. I would like to minor in it,” she said.

Dobyns-Bennett requires that students take levels one and two of the same foreign language to graduate. This complies with state requirements for students who attend a four-year college. There is no foreign-language requirement for junior colleges.

With a growing number of Spanish-speaking people in the nation and the community, learning Spanish will be beneficial to students, said Allen.

“Our nation has the second-largest population of Hispanics and Spanish is the second-most common language spoken in America,” she said.

According to the 2000 U.S. census, 1 percent of Kingsport’s 44,905 residents were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to the Census Bureau, an estimated 1,755 Hispanics are projected to live in Sullivan County by 2010, compared to the 1,090 reported in the 2000 census.

The increased number of Hispanics in Tennessee has led to a growing interest in learning the language.

“The whole process in learning different cultures and how to communicate with others is invaluable,” said Rice.

Matt Floyd, a senior at D-B, earned the bronze achievement award at the level-one exam in 2008. He said his education in the Spanish language will benefit him and prepare him for the future.

“I was a substitute for a student who was unable to make the exam,” said Floyd. “I want to minor in Spanish in college because I’m planning on being a doctor,” he said. “You get a wider range of patients because we have more immigrants,” Floyd added. “If you can communicate with them they will come to you.”

Students and teachers began planning early this year for exams and have high hopes to improve their scores. Kathy Carter, levels three and four Spanish instructor, plans to implement advanced vocabulary into the curriculum earlier, in hopes of better preparing her students for the exam.

“Last year I had already been using the practice exams for listening and reading exercises,” said Carter. “My goal is to have their level of vocabulary go up,” she said.

“Many times they don’t know as much of that vocabulary because there is so much involved.”

The Spanish program at D-B is also reaching out into the community. This year the Spanish club took at trip to St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, where Hispanics were filing paperwork for citizenship during a visit from the Mexican consulate’s office. While the students did not translate, they helped by running errands for the volunteers.

The program is of increasing interest to students and an opportunity to expand their knowledge of other cultures and connect with the growing Hispanic community.

“The Spanish club has been invited to festivals held by the Hispanic community,” said Rice. “[Students] are looking for community activities to be involved in.”

Last year, as Spanish students prepared to take and retake the exam, they were excited to see how their competitive program will compare to the others in the nation.

“I hope to take it again this year,” said Floyd. “I’d like to see how D-B, and I personally, will compare nationally.”