Kamiakin Junior High 9th grader Elena Plenefisch, a Spanish 2 student, has received a full tuition scholarship to attend a two-week Spanish immersion program this summer at the Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota. Only 10 in the country received the scholarship.

Applicants for the scholarship had to be in grades 8, 9 or 10 this year and have received medal placement in last year’s National Spanish Exam sponsored by the AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese). The exam last year for secondary students drew more than 120,000 total participants nationwide. Elena scored in the 96th percentile earning a gold medal for her performance.

To apply for the scholarship, Elena had to submit a DVD with an interview conducted by her teacher Rona Chumbook in Spanish. She also had to write an essay to address what it means to be a global citizen, why studying Spanish is important, submit a transcript, and include two letters of recommendation.

Elena also chose as her culminating CAPstone project to teach Spanish to John Muir 6th grade students after school.