El español es muy popular en Rachel Carson ya que es el idioma más tomado en FCPS. (Spanish is very popular in Rachel Carson as it is the most taken language in FCPS.)
In FCPS, students have the opportunity to learn a variety of languages such as: Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Latin, ASL, Arabic, German, Russian and Vietnamese. At RCMS, Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese are offered to students.
Jagruthi Narra, eighth-grader on the Voyagers team, is taking Spanish 1 this year.
“I can have a good conversation on food, family, myself, the weather and days of the week, but not on other topics,” she said.
In RCMS, students have the option of taking Spanish 1 Part A in seventh grade and Spanish Part B in eighth grade, or taking Spanish 1 in eighth grade. Starting from the 2024-2025 school year, seventh-graders will now have the opportunity to take Spanish 1 in seventh grade and Spanish 2 in eighth grade.
RCMS has three Spanish teachers. Ms. Josefina DiazManion has been teaching Spanish for 10 years.
“You have to practice daily,” Ms. Diaz said. “If they really want to learn the language, the students have to get over the fear of speaking.”
During the school year, students have to take multiple tests to show that they are learning Spanish. This can vary from finals, Speaking PALS, Writing PALS, Interpretive, etc.
“The Speaking PALS was more difficult than the Writing PALS because I didn’t have much time to think when doing the speaking PALS,” says Gautham Agilan, an eighth-grader on the Dream team.
Students usually take Spanish for the 3 credits required for the advanced diploma, but Gautham took the World Language Credit Exam, a test that assesses your proficiency in a language that is not offered at your school. He received 3/3 credits, so he will not be taking a language in high school similar to many students, including Jagruthi.
Some students stop taking a language in high school such as Gautham and Jagruthi, but students such as Rithik Samanthula, an eighth-grader on the Explorers team says he will be continuing Spanish next year in high school.
“I will be continuing Spanish at TJHSST. I will definitely recommend this course to rising seventh- and eighth-graders because it’s a really easy class for which you can get high school credit,” he said.
