Students Excel on National Language Exams

Forty-one MHS French, Latin, and Spanish students were recently recognized for their performances in this year’s national language exams.

Twenty-six MHS students earned honors in this year’s National Spanish Exam, an annual evaluation that aims to recognize student achievement in the study of Spanish and to promote interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish.

Miss Hall’s students recognized this year are:

Premio de Oro (Gold), recognizing students scoring at or above the 95th percentile —

Mae Bergstresser ’26, Spanish I
Iva Knezevic ’24, Hallmark Spanish

Premio de Plata (Silver), recognizing students scoring from the 85th through the 94th percentiles —

Phuong Huynh ’25, Spanish I
Katja Gentleman ’25, Spanish II
Noya Samara ’26, Spanish II
Diana Calle ’24, Spanish III
EA Peña ’25, Spanish III
Naomi Hopkins ’24, Spanish III
Sophie Gentleman ’24, Hallmark Spanish

Premio de Bronce (Bronze), recognizing students scoring from the 75th through the 84th percentiles —

Hannah Flach ’25, Spanish I
Mea Richardson ’26, Spanish I
Lauren Watson ’25, Spanish I
Idia Enoma ’26, Spanish II
Kyla Gore ’24, Spanish III
Ella Tawes ’24, Spanish III
Malena Carraro ’24, Hallmark Spanish

Mención Honorífica (Honorable Mention), recognizing students scoring from the 50th through the 74th percentiles —

Jessica Zhu ’24, Spanish I
Nina Hansmann ’25, Spanish I
Leah Watson ’25, Spanish I
Jaslene Garcia ’26, Spanish II
Isabella Hennessey ’24, Spanish II
Emilie Coziol-Desy ’25, Spanish II
Emily Keiper ’25, Spanish II
Cora Meng ’24, Spanish II
Idalis De Jesus ’25, Spanish III
Amaya Fifield ’24, Hallmark Spanish

Sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, the National Spanish Exam is administered annually to students in grades 6 through 12. Nearly 85,000 students participated in the 2023 exam.

Eleven students were honored for their achievements in the 2023 National French Contest, or Le Grand Concours, with six of those students also ranking at the national level.

The 60-minute test, now in its 87th year, is administered in March and sponsored by the members of the American Association of Teachers of French. The test aims to stimulate interest in the teaching and learning of French, and more than 43,000 students enrolled in this year’s contest, in which they are evaluated for their writing, reading, and listening-comprehension skills.

Six Miss Hall’s students achieved scores this year that qualified them for top-ten rankings at the national level, while five ranked in the top-ten in the contest’s Western Massachusetts/Vermont Division. Those students are:

Hanna Heaton Wellenstein ’24, 3rd Place, Silver Medal, and 1st Place at the Regional Level
Assia Rassulkyzy ’25, 4th Place, French II, Gold Medal, and 1st Place at the Regional Level
Yoyo Chen ’26, 4th Place, French I, Gold Medal
Kenja Harley ’23, 5th Place, French III, Gold Medal
Fiona Cleary ’26, 10th Place, French I, Silver Medal
Hannah Flach ’25, 10th Place, French II, Silver Medal

MHS students receiving recognition for top-ten finishes in the contest’s Western Massachusetts/Vermont Division are:

Ollie Walter ’23, 5th Place, Hallmark French, Bronze Medal
L Nurhadityo ’24, 7th Place, French II, Silver Medal
Bee Gilb ’26, 7th Place, French I
Sara Rahiman ’26, 8th Place, French I
Simma Krantz ’26, 9th Place, French I

Four MHS students achieved recognition in the 2023 National Latin Exam. Offered annually, the 45-minute exam tests students’ ability to translate and to comprehend translations. It also tests their knowledge of Roman history, culture, mythology, writers, geography, vocabulary, and derivatives. The exam is co-sponsored by the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League, and about 150,000 students take the exam each year. This year’s MHS award recipients are:

Hallmark Latin
Lucy Garrison ’23, Silver Medal, Maxima Cum Laude (With the Greatest Distinction)

Latin II
Alice Kwiatkowski ’25, Silver Medal, Maxima Cum Laude (With the Greatest Distinction)
Paige Barton ’23, Silver Medal, Maxima Cum Laude (With the Greatest Distinction)
Cora Ma ’24, Cum Laude, (With Distinction)