St. Petersburg High School Spanish team has once again proven its linguistic ability by securing a remarkable second-place finish in the highly competitive regional Florida State Spanish Conference (FSSC), an academic competition for high school students across the state of Florida. The team, consisting of dedicated students passionate about the Spanish language and Hispanic culture, put in months of hard work and preparation to showcase their language skills and cultural knowledge, ultimately earning a well-deserved spot on the winners’ podium.

The annual regional Spanish competition, best known as Conferencia, is a competition for high school Spanish students to give them an opportunity to compete among themselves in the fields of declamation, impromptu speech, and dramatic presentations.

Under the guidance of their enthusiastic Spanish teachers, Señora Gonzalez, Señor Cano, and Señora Santiago, St. Pete High’s Spanish team dedicated countless hours to honing their language skills and expanding their cultural knowledge in preparation for the competition. The team participated in weekly practice sessions, engaged in intensive vocabulary and grammar drills, and delved into in-depth discussions about Hispanic culture, literature, and history.

The competition, which took place over two days, included both individual and team events. In the individual events, students had to demonstrate their language skills through tasks such as translating passages from English to Spanish, interpreting spoken dialogues, and composing essays in Spanish. In the team events, students had to work collaboratively to solve problems related to Hispanic culture, geography, and history, as well as engage in debates and discussions in Spanish.

St. Pete High’s Spanish team shone in every event, but particularly in the team event where Han Nguyen, Lara Tyranski, Kensley Green, and Gavin Gershon secured a perfect score in their play, “El hombre que se convertio en perro.” “St. Pete High’s performance in the regional competition was nothing short of outstanding,” said Ms. Gonzalez, one of the team’s coaches, “I am incredibly proud of their achievements and the hard work they put into preparing for the competition. Their success is a reflection of their dedication to learning and mastering the Spanish language, as well as their appreciation for Hispanic culture.”

For the members of St. Pete High’s Spanish team, the experience was not only about winning but also about the joy of learning and immersing themselves in the rich tapestry of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. They expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the competition and their excitement for future language-learning endeavors and are excited to return next year.