Wyoming Students Compete in UW’s Annual World Languages Day

Nearly 350 visiting secondary students and 33 teachers representing 13 junior high and high schools from across the state participated in the University of Wyoming's annual World Languages Day (WLD) competition Friday-Saturday, March 7-8.

WLD is Wyoming's state championship of foreign language study, hosted by UW's Department of Modern and Classical Languages. This year's theme was "Folklore."

Director Bénédicte Sohier, a senior lecturer in UW's Department of Modern and Classical Languages, led this year's event alongside 52 volunteers, including 11 UW interns, 12 UW student volunteers and 29 UW faculty and staff members.

"World Languages Day is not just about competition -- it's about connection," Sohier says. "It's about coming together as a community to celebrate our shared love for language and culture. And what better place to do so than at Wyoming's only four-year university, a place that embodies the spirit of exploration and discovery."

More than 250 students competed in linguistic competitions in five languages, featuring live competitions; and pre-event writing -- poems, short stories, essays as well as edited video; while 96 shared their artistic talents in a people's choice award art competition.

On Friday, UW interns led students on campus tours and facilitated six evening activities: tango, a visit to UW's Geological Museum, Chinese martial arts, karaoke, a planetarium show and Linguistic Olympiads.

For the main event Saturday, students participated in a poetry and drama contest, in which students competed in multiple categories depending on level and language. Additionally, there were 15 resource tables and 13 workshops offered, with students rotating through five of these. These opportunities generated excitement and engagement in a diverse array of languages, cultures and countries.

"I loved watching my students express their enthusiasm for language learning and culture through art, competitions, workshops, tours, crafts, shows and the list goes on," says Renee Fritzen, a Spanish teacher at Campbell County High School. "WLD is fantástico!"

WLD was supported, in large part, by grants from UW's College of Arts and Sciences as well as donations from UW's Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Arabic and Middle East Studies Program, Honors Program, Global Engagement Office and Department of Plant Sciences.

Listed are this year's winners, organized by languages and level:

Buffalo High School

Como Ayva y Ruthie Nos Vamos a la Cama, Spanish Group Edited Video Level 4, second place.

Campbell County High School, Gillette

Kamryn Gladson, Spanish Intermediate Poetry, first place; Melanie Melendez, Spanish Advanced Poetry, third place; Brian Campana Sanchez, Spanish Advanced Poetry, third place; Vivian Lee, Spanish Advanced Poetry, second place; Hector Flores Martinez, Spanish Advanced Poetry, first place; José Flores Luna, Spanish Advanced Poetry, first place; Gavin Steele, Spanish Intermediate Short Story, second place; Hayden McHugh, Spanish Novice Essay, first place; Janvir Shah, Spanish Advanced Essay, first place; Los Niños Malos, Spanish Group Edited Video Level 4, third place; Las Chicas, Spanish Group Edited Video Level 4, second place; Los Corredores, Spanish Group Edited Video Level 4, first place; and Adriana Cervantes Rodriguez, Brenda Valdez and Katie Cervantes, Spanish Small Group Level 3, first place.

Also, Brandon Mortagón, Danna Vilchiz, Esmeralda Araujo Martinez and Hector Flores Martinez, Spanish Small Group Level 5, first place; El Baile de los Viejitos, Spanish Large Group Level 3, first place; Audrey Tibbs, People's Choice Award Drawing, first place; Kathryn Holden, People's Choice Award Painting, third place; Addison Zabel, People's Choice Award Sculpture, third place; Madison Phelps, People's Choice Award Sculpture, first place; Cristal Lozano Marquez, People's Choice Award Mixed Media, third place; Bryanna Rios, People's Choice Award Mixed Media, second place; and Adriana Cervantes Rodriguez, People's Choice Award Mixed Media, first place.

Centennial Junior High School, Casper

Emma Sherman, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1 Individual, third place; Callie Lovelace, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1 Individual, second place; Saygen Ward, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1 Individual, first place; Harlan Gransbury, Julia Pomroy and Brayleigh Wilhelm, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1 Small Groups, third place; and Sienna Brahaney, Lainee Haack, Lauralie Hicken and Khloe Williams, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1 Small Groups, second place.

Also, Anika Brown, Emmerson Wilson and Emma Sherman, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 2 Small Groups, second place; Harper Brooks, Olivia Chadderdon, Callie Lovelace and Saygen Ward, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 2 Small Groups, first place; Harlan Gransbury, People's Choice Award Drawing, third place; and Sofia Milne, People's Choice Award Painting, second place.

Cheyenne Central High School

Henry McGuire, Spanish Intermediate Short Story, third place; La Leyenda del Chupacabra, Spanish Group Edited Video Level 5, first place; Iris Beadles and Joey O'Hara, In Person Competition French Level 2 Small Group, first place; Susanna Scranton and Eliza Scranton, In Person Competition French Level 3 Small Group, first place; Ryan McNees, In Person Competition French Level 4 individual, third place; Andrew Lance, In Person Competition French Level 4 individual, third place; Jacob Vann, In Person Competition French Level 4 individual, first place; and Danielle Castro, Sara Cordova and Tea Frausto, Spanish Level 3 Small Groups, third place.

Cheyenne East High School

Tova Karlsson, Spanish Intermediate Poetry, first place; Kaylee Fisbeck, Spanish Individual Edited Video Level 4, second place; Lillian Strang, Spanish Level 3 Individual, second place; Miah Alonso, Spanish Level 4 Individual, first place; Kaylee Fisbeck, People's Choice Award Photography, second place; Addison Fairweather, People's Choice Award Photography, first place; and Annisyn Roland, People's Choice Award Sculpture, first place.

Cody High School

Saralyn Hunt and Rose Bernard, In Person Competition French Level 3 Small Groups, second place; and Temperance Hansen, People's Choice Award Drawing, second place.

Cody Middle School

Colby Beardall, In Person Competition Spanish Level 1 Individual, second place.

CY Middle School, Casper

Talon Theilbar, In Person Competitions Chinese, second place; Kari Helm, In Person Competitions Chinese, first place; Brecken Rohrer and Lucian Briggs, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 3 Small Groups, second place; Julian Anderson, Jack Buelt and Levi Timbers, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 3 Small Groups, first place; Mackenzie Cage, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 4 individual, third place; and Kelson Murray, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 4 individual, second place.

Also, Scarlett Collier, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 4 individual, first place; Carter Hartl, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 4 individual, first place; Kaia Scott and Malinka Wasilik, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 5 Small Groups, second place; Addison Graham and Kada Crispell, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 5 Small Groups, first place; and Presley Keith, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1, first place.

Johnson Junior High School, Cheyenne

Folkloric Dance, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1 Large Group, first place.

Kelly Walsh High School, Casper

Haoning Li, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 5 individual, first place.

Laramie High School

Melissa Bingham, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 3 Individual, third place; and Nahomie Sanchez, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 3 Individual, first place.

McCormick Junior High School, Cheyenne

Maddie McMillan, Jaymi Deibert and Eli Solis, In Person Competitions French Small Groups, first place; Avi Nemeth, Bensley Box, Natalie Carson and Taylor Trautwein, In Person Competitions Spanish Level 1 Small Groups, first place; and Meah Gallardo, People's Choice Award Painting, first place.

Natrona County High School, Casper

Madison Zeller, In Person Competitions Chinese Level 5 individual, first place.

Twin Spruce Junior High School, Gillette

Lilian Mcillnay, Spanish Novice Poetry, third place; Miayah Lopez, Spanish Novice Poetry, second place; Egan Lambert, Spanish Novice Poetry, first place; Madilyn Duimstra, Spanish Intermediate Poetry, third place; Effie Maycock, Spanish Intermediate Poetry, second place; Brody Mollman, Spanish Intermediate Short Story, second place; Russella Mendoza, Spanish Intermediate Short Story, first place; Lesly Martinez Flores, Spanish Advanced Short Story, second place; Maria F. Gutierrez, Spanish Advanced Short Story, first place; and Olivia Gilbertson, Spanish Novice Essay, first place.

Also, Samantha Ontiveros, Spanish Intermediate Essay, third place; Liliana Ramos, Spanish Intermediate Essay, second place; Bailey Aileen Santoyo, Spanish Individual Edited Video Level 3, first place; Alexa Dominguez Enrique, Spanish Individual Edited Video Level 4, first place; Amanda Bodenstein Cherro, Katelina Mendoza, Hayley Geffre and Lily Wilson, Spanish Level 3 Small Groups, second place; Primer Día de Clase, Spanish Level 2 Large Groups, second place; Los San Fermines, Spanish Level 2 Large Groups, first place; and Matachines, Spanish Level 2 Large Groups, first place.