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Ola amigas! Spanish exchange programme works wonders

Friday, 23 May 2008

A unique language exchange programme between a Southside school and another in Spain has translated into solid academic achievements for its enthusiastic bilinguists.
Just a few months ago, two students of Rosemont Secondary School at Temple Road, Blackrock - Aisling Sheerin and her schoolmate Róisín O’Neill - needed a Spanish-English dictionary to get through their reading assignments.
But after participating in an exchange programme in a Spanish school and months of learning side-by-side with native speakers, the girls now have the confidence to drop the dictionary and enjoy speaking, reading and writing in a foreign language.
“I have a passion for it,” said Aisling excitedly, who added two weeks onto the typical five-week stay as she loved it so much.
“I wasn’t particularly good at Spanish,” she added. “I was average. Now I’m good.”
The girls developed their language abilities by participating in their school’s language exchange in March.
Both are in transition year at Rosemont, where the exchange programme sends students from South County Dublin to Spain, and takes in students from their partner school in Madrid, Senara High School.
The girls travel back and forth between Blackrock’s Rosemont and Madrid all year. The program enhances Spanish education at Rosemont, and English at Senara in Spain.
“It’s been a really good experience,” added Róisín.
She can now understand a Spanish conversation with ease, and her vocabulary has grown in leaps and bounds ever since the exchange, she revealed.
Maria Alava is an English teacher in Spain and was also one of Rosemont’s past pupils. She came on her own exchange to the school in Blackrock nearly 30 years ago. The experience was so positive that she wanted to bring her students back to the school with her and she now works with Rosemont to facilitate the exchanges.
“I loved it and we love working with Rosemont because we know the education standards are high, like at Senara,” she said. “We know our students will come back having been challenged academically.”
The programme has made a big difference in the Spanish education at Rosemont.
“Results in Spanish are really high here,” said Spanish teacher Julia O’Malley.
One third of the students taking the Spanish Junior Certification scored an A.
“The subject is also exceptionally popular, and I put that down to the exchange,” added Ms O’Malley.
“Hosting girls from Spain and sending students there raises the profile of the language and the standards.”
Rosemont bid goodbye to two Spanish students on Friday, May 9. Montse Lavandera and Lucia Pinto, who regaled her fellow students with a gymnastics routine for their final farewell.
The exchange has helped their English, and in turn they have helped out in Spanish class with pronunciation coaching and vocabulary.
“I will be coming back,” Lavandera said with an eager smile before she left.
In the meantime Aisling is planning a sequel to her own exchange for June. She said she has a queue of friends in Spain who are awaiting invitation to Ireland, and would be happy to have her back for another visit.
“It won’t end there,” she said. “It’s going to be back and forth.”

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