World Language Students Earn Top Honors at State Showcase and National Exams
Archmere Academy’s World Languages students recently celebrated outstanding success at both the Delaware state World Language Showcase and the National Spanish and French Exams, earning numerous awards that highlight their linguistic proficiency and cultural knowledge.
On March 28, 2026, 18 Archmere French and Spanish students competed at the Delaware World Language Showcase at the University of Delaware, sponsored by the Delaware Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (DECTFL). Students participated in five rounds of competition and spent time between events exploring Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish-speaking cultures through dance, art, sports, and media activities.
Spanish teachers Sandra Vieyra and Janna Scheflen, who also serves on the DECTFL Board, and French teacher Therese Horning accompanied the students and served as facilitators and judges throughout the event.
Archmere students earned five first-place plaques—awarded to the top teams in their categories—and achieved 17 total placements across a variety of competitions, earning gold, silver, and bronze honors.
French Competition Results
In French Intermediate competition:
- Zinah Avendano Flores ’27, Bella Fazio ’27, and Siena Rappucci ’27 earned 1st Place in Storytelling and 3rd Place in Escape Room.
- Sonia Bala ’28 and Riley Horsey ’28 earned 2nd Place in Escape Room and 3rd Place in Storytelling.
- Zinah Avendano Flores ’27 also earned 2nd Place in the Culture Photo Trivia Challenge and 3rd Place in Culture Presentation.
- Sophia Silverman ’27 won 1st Place in the Cultural Poster Competition.
In French Advanced competition:
- Celeste Vail ’26 and Chloe Li ’26 earned 1st Place in Storytelling and 2nd Place in Escape Room.
- Chloe Li ’26 earned 2nd Place in Culture Presentation and 2nd Place in the Culture Photo Trivia Challenge.
- Celeste Vail ’26 earned 3rd Place in the Culture Photo Trivia Challenge.
Spanish Competition Results
Archmere students also excelled in Spanish events:
- Tanisha Khandelwal, Ninaad Vidwans, and Colleen Burke earned 1st Place in Intermediate Storytelling and 1st Place in Intermediate Escape Room.
- Tania Khandelwal, Ella Stemerman, and Elizabeth Guo earned 3rd Place in Novice Storytelling and 1st Place in Novice Escape Room.
- Paige Dealy and Olivia Beatty earned 2nd Place in Intermediate Escape Room.
- Tanisha Khandelwal also earned 3rd Place in Intermediate Cultural Presentation.
National Spanish Exam Honors
Archmere students also demonstrated exceptional achievement on the 2026 National Spanish Exam, a nationwide online assessment that measures students’ proficiency in vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening comprehension. More than 80,000 students participated across the country this year, including 40 students from Archmere.
Gold Medalists
- Edward Caterson
- Caroline Jiao
Silver Medalists
- Kevin Gu
- Dylan Ferro
- Colleen Burke
- Tsion Mideksa
- Kellyn Williams
- Kabir Goyal
Bronze Medalists
- Joseph Zhang
- Grace Shenal
- Kathrine Wang
- Daniel Qi
Honorable Mention
- Aiden Brown-Martinez
- Ery’ka Andre
- He Zhang
- Audrey Curtis
- Christian Collins
- Krish Patel
- Tanisha Khandelwal
- Olivia Beatty
- Ninaad Vidwans
- Audrey Zou
- Sarah Dahms
- Rebecca Wang
National French Exam Honors
Archmere students also earned national recognition on the 2026 National French Contest, Le Grand Concours, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. The exam assesses students’ proficiency in grammar, vocabulary, listening, and reading comprehension. Nearly 47,000 high school students from across the United States participated this year, including 24 students from Archmere.
Level II-A
Gold Medal
Athena Dong
Level III-A
Gold Medal
Zinah Avendano Flores
Silver Medal
Genevieve Lunger
Bronze Medal
Benjamin Yi
Honorable Mention
Sara Boyer
Siena Rappucci
Certificat de Mérite
Jessica Li
Lilian Fedale
Riley Horsey
Level IV-A
Honorable Mention
Susanna Connolly
Sophie Wang
Certificat de Mérite
Emily Shipley
Susie Shipley
Gretchen Tonn
Level V
Bronze Medal
Michael Liu
Honorable Mention
Ethan Flores
Andres Ramos
Certificat de Mérite
Madelyn Benson
Chloe Li
Sarah Eastment
Caroline Scholl
Celeste Vail
Lucy Weinig
Level V-C
Certificat de Mérite
Anne-Cécile Kittila
Congratulations to all of the students who represented Archmere with excellence at the state and national levels through their achievements at the Delaware State World Language Showcase, the National Spanish Exam, and the National French Contest, Le Grand Concours!
Archmere Academy is a private, Catholic, college preparatory co-educational academy,
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.
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