MADISON – Students of the Spanish language at Bob Jones High School carried forward their tradition of impressive accomplishments during the Alabama Federation of Spanish Clubs Convention.

This year, 40 students from Bob Jones attended the Spanish convention at the University of Alabama on April 21. Several Bob Jones students earned first-place honors.

Meenu Bhooshanan topped the contestants in literary recitation for level 1. Cristina Bolton and Kiera Risher both received first place for her scrapbook designs.

Francisco Padilla earned top honors for literary recitation (native). Elisa Castaneda claimed first ranking for both T-shirt and poster design.

In the literary recitation category, Kaitlyn Gallaspy and Jazi Atassi captured second and third places, respectively.

In the Culture Bowl competition, the team of Laura Lewis, Arnav Mathur, Dani McDowell and Cassie Rehage ranked in third place. Josh Marion took fourth place in the vocabulary contest for level 3. Keona Banks was the third-place winner in literary recitation at level 4. Laura Pugh earned fourth place in poster design.

Lesa Clough, Spanish teacher at Bob Jones told “Patriot Pages” student newspaper and online site that the Spanish convention “is a great opportunity for students to meet and compete with other students studying Spanish from across the state and to display all of the things they have been learning in class. It is also an opportunity to celebrate all of the richness of Hispanic culture and language.”

The convention represents more than just a competition, Clough said. “After competing, students can attend Latin dance lessons and watch talent demonstrations and entertainment.” (bjhspatriotpages.com)

“It’s really cool to see a big celebration of cultures,” Spanish Club President Jazi Atassi said. “The emphasis is more on learning and appreciating than it is on the competition. We say we go to win, but we also really value the fun experiences.”

For Bob Jones junior Cristina Bolton, the Spanish convention has taught her “tons about different cultures around the world. Students have the same passions as you do. They are striving to be the very best and represent their school in the best way possible. It’s also a great bonding experience with other students who are learning to speak another language.”