On Jan. 29, the Farrington Language Contest took place in Northwest Houston. The competition, hosted by the Houston Area Teachers of Foreign Languages, is specifically designed to evaluate high school students on their achievements in the Spanish language. Bellaire was represented by senior Sarah Khan and freshman Michelle Nguyen; both are enrolled in advanced Spanish courses at school.

“It was an interesting experience,” Khan said. “It was quite competitive, but my Spanish classes prepared me well. I think studying my notes and vocabulary have definitely helped.”

After one round of multiple tests, only five out of the twenty competitors were allowed to advance to the semifinal round, where a judge would interview the students in Spanish.

“I was pretty nervous before the oral round,” Khan said. “I felt the pressure to do well since I’ve already gotten past the first round.”

Despite Khan’s natural stress, she managed to win first place out of the entire competition. In addition, Nguyen also placed second in the finals round. Both claimed that hard work is the most effective method to becoming successful.

“I studied a lot in preparation, “Nguyen said. “But, I also learned so many things from this experience. It made me feel so much more confident about speaking in Spanish, and I’m more inclined to participate more in class now.”