Woodlands Academy Spanish Students Score Well Nationally

Eleven Spanish students from Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart achieved national recognition for excellent performance on the 2016 National Spanish Examinations.

Students from the all-girls college-prep high school in Lake Forest earned a total of two gold, three silver and three bronze medals along with three honorable mentions. "Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is prestigious," said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, national director of the exams. "More than 160,000 students participated in this year's exams, which are the largest of their kind in the United States."

Gold medals were won by sophomore Genevieve Kerns of Wilmette (Spanish 2) and freshman Genevieve Makowski of Arlington Heights (Spanish 3). Silver medals went to junior Mari Brady of Grayslake (Spanish 4), junior Keely Dickes of Winnetka (Spanish 4) and freshman Mary Clare Scalise of Glencoe (Spanish 1). Scalise also won a chapter award and will be recognized during a May 14 ceremony at Niles North High School.

Bronze medal winners were sophomore Ola Bartolik of Waukegan (Spanish 2), freshman Hailey Rojas-Schueneman of Waukegan (Spanish 1) and junior Shaina Royer of Libertyville (Spanish 4). Honorable mention recipients were junior Jerusalem Adams-Shepard (Spanish 3), sophomore Rachel Enad of Lake Bluff (Spanish 2) and junior Meaghan Lanctot of Lake Forest (Spanish 4).

Students from Woodlands Academy have a long history of high achievement on these exams and were taught this year by Spanish teachers Teal McCartney and Katherine Stewart.

The National Spanish Examinations are administered each year in grades 6 through 12 and are sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It's part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy's identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat's desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org