The Gunston School is pleased to announce, and congratulate several Spanish students who attained national recognition for their excellent performance on the 2020 National Spanish Examinations. Students earned a total of seven gold, seven silver and 13 bronze medals along with 18 honorable mentions.

“Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 140,000 students registered in 2020.”

Students from Gunston have a long history of high achievement on these exams and were taught by Spanish teachers, Avis Wheatley and Juan Angarita.  

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.

National Spanish Award recipients 2020

Honorable mention

Level 1: John Brady’22, Kallena Kemp’22, Aidan Lafferty’23, Aaron Sanderson ’23, Alec Sanderson ’22, Matthew Sharpless ’22, James Fraser ’22, Evie Hagan’23, Paget Kellog ’23, Brooke Mcadory ’22. 

Level 2: Nick Scribner ’22, Andrew Baughman ’23, Lily Berntsen ’21, Lydia Davis ’21, Isabella de Leon ’22, Lynsey Hildebrand ’20, Damian Rene ’23. 

Level 3: Charles Shifrin ’21

Level 4: Avy Aubin ’21, Payton Lord ’20, Sydney Nittle ’21, Campbell Parkhurst ’21. 

Bronce

Level 1: Olivia Amygdalos ’23, Gracie Callahan’22, Madilyn Algier ’23, Lucy Bamford ’22, Robert Crow ’22, Ben Cuningham ’22, Paige Holmes ’22, Neva Lawrance ’22, Julia McClary ’23, Brielle Tyler ’23.

Level 2: Yuntian Bai ’20, Henry Shifrin ’21, Danielle Simmons ’22. 

Silver 

Level 1: Torian Copper ’23, Georgia Gillespie ’22, Lane Parkhurst ’23, Julia Reed ’23, Summer Salos ’22. 

Level 2: Annie Bamford ’20

Level 4: Lydia Periconi ’21

Oro

Level 1: Nicholas Abell ’23 and Zacharia Mozher ’23
 

Level 2: Abbey Miller ’22 and Magdalena Miller ’22
 

Level 3: Ashley Escobar ’22
 

Level 4: Andrew Amygdalos ’20 and Sofia Angarita ’22