The first ever Spanish Convention hosted by University High School (UHS) Spanish Club was un éxito. On the morning of Saturday, April 26, over 150 Woodbridge and UHS Spanish students of all levels participated.
“I’m so excited to be here!” said Keira Monuki (Jr.), the publicity officer of the UHS Spanish Club. “Convention is a great way to expand your Spanish knowledge outside the classroom. Because it provides cultural context for the topics taught at school, participants are able to learn more about Spanish in an interactive and fun way.“
The day started off with academic testing in Spanish geography, culture, pop culture, literature, grammar and vocabulary. Afterward, attendees participated in various activities such as craft workshops hosted by UHS Spanish Club members Grace Xu (Jr.) and David Chen (So.). Workshop hosts taught convention attendees how to make crafts such as giant pom-poms, garlands and rainsticks. Other activities included a zumba workshop, ping-pong, salsa and guacamole making and a burrito-eating contest.
Tacos and Co. catered a delicious Spanish lunch including tacos, beans, rice, churros, salsa and horchata, a traditional Spanish dessert made of rice milk, cinnamon and other spices. After lunch, members participated in more craft workshops as well as a dodgeball tournament. UHS also competed against Woodbridge High School in Spanish Convention’s first ever Quiz Bowl. Topics included spelling, definitions, literature and culture. Though the race was neck and neck, Woodbridge High School won by correctly answering the final question: “What is Dwayne Johnson’s nickname?”
Spanish Convention closed with an award ceremony. The highest scorers from each Spanish level (1, 2, 3 and 4) for each academic test subject were recognized and rewarded for their outstanding performance.
Gopal Vashishtha (Jr.), the president of the Spanish Club, said, “I felt that this year’s Spanish Convention did what it was meant to do; it showed staff and students that a successful Spanish Convention is possible. With the word of mouth and the feedback generated, we have ensured that Convention will only get better. Next year, we’ll have a lot more schools for sure.”
If you would like to join Spanish Club and attend the Convention next year, please email [email protected]. Congratulations to the UHS Spanish Club for hosting a successful Spanish Convention!
 
By BIYONKA LIANG
Staff Writer