Commack Students Show Off Spanish Skills at Hofstra

Commack High School students earned gold, silver, and bronze medals at the annual Hofstra Spanish Poetry Contest for Secondary Schools.  

The Long Island event is organized by Hofstra University’s Romance Language Department. The students competed against approximately 40 other students in each category ranging from level one to five, junior high school to high school. Students were judged on pronunciation, intonation, memorization and expression, as they recited poems by famous Spanish authors.

Matthew O'Connell took first place in the level three category Jesse Woltal took first place in level four, Jae Yoon Bae and Christina Cabana took second place in level four, and Julian Faranda and Samantha Lampert took third place in level four. In Level five, Jeffery Ball took third place, as did Carmen Vieytez, in the Native Category.

The students memorized and practiced their poems after school. Mrs. Silva coordinates and assists the students in this endeavor. 

*Article contributed by Brenda Lentsch/Commack Schools.