3 Local 4th-Graders Receive Awards at Spanish Embassy

Three local fourth-grade students visited the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC, on Monday to receive special recognition for essays written in Spanish.

Baxter Brew of Chevy Chase Elementary School took first place in the ninth annual writing contest sponsored by the Centro Español de Washington in cooperation with the Embassy of Spain, according to a news release from Big Learning Foreign Language: FLES, a non-profit program in Montgomery County that teaches affordable, experience-learning-based foreign language, science and engineering classes at county schools, before and after the school day.

Natalie DeSarbo of Wood Acres Elementary School took second place in the contest, and Annie Tang of Chevy Chase Elementary School took third place.

"The contest recognizes achievement in Spanish language among local high school students and FLES elementary school intermediate and advanced students. Each year, students write essays that incorporate aspects of the history and culture of Spain," the statement continued.

In all, 38 essays from seven Montgomery County elementary and middle schools were submitted in the contest.

Baxter, Natalie and Annie all are advanced students in the Big Learning foreign language program. Baxter's and Annie's Big Learning FLES teacher is Gricell Medley, and the coordinator of their program is Laura Bowman. Natalie's Big Learning FLES teacher is Felisa Federman Cogut, and the coordinator of her program is Jennifer Snow. FLES teacher and Spanish program supervisor Dorys Torres Ochoa coordinated the contest for Big Learning students, along with Irene Bascuñana, president of the Centro Español de Washington, according to the news statement.

Learn more about the programs of Big Learning, which has been in operation since 1975, at www.biglearning.org.