Congratulations to Steward’s chapter of the Hispanic Honor Society (Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica), which won Chapter of the Year out of 3,500 chapters in the United States! The mission of the Hispanic Honor Society is to recognize achievement in Spanish and to promote an interest in Hispanic studies. Led by Upper School World Languages Teacher Marina Escámez Ballesta, Steward’s chapter includes 18 Upper Schoolers; Jackson Rhamy ’24 serves as president. The Chapter of the Year award is based on the quality and quantity of a chapter’s activities and the number of contributions its members have made to Albricias (the Hispanic Honors Society’s student journal). The award includes a plaque and a monetary prize. 

Ms. Escámez Ballesta said, “This was our first year as a chapter, and my hopes were modest: setting a foundation and discovering what our students could do within the Society. However, the students surpassed all my expectations!” She added, “Members of Steward’s chapter are now published authors in Spanish; they have won awards for their publications; member Bella Topich ’23 was awarded a college scholarship; students won gold, bronze, and honorable mentions in the National Spanish Exam; and now we’ve won Chapter of the Year!” 

Participation in organizations such as the Hispanic Honor Society offers students opportunities to apply their knowledge to beyond-the-classroom endeavors.  

“While Spanish classes are fun, being a member of the Hispanic Honor Society challenges me to use my Spanish-language skills in a variety of contexts, from chatting casually to writing formal applications,” said Jackson. 

Next year, said Ms. Escámez Ballesta, the group hopes to keep its momentum going. 

“We plan to focus on service learning, plus have our members apply to all the grants and opportunities that the Hispanic Honor Society offers,” she shared. 

The Hispanic Honor Society is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are currently taking a Spanish class beyond Spanish Honors III, have a 3.5 GPA average in Spanish, and have taken at least three semesters of Spanish. Members commit to participating in at least 10 hours of Spanish-related service learning throughout the academic year and must take the highest level of Spanish offered at Steward (AP Spanish Language & Culture, or Honors V).