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- LEMONT - Many Lemont High School students put forth standout efforts while participating in national language exams in French, German and Spanish this spring.
However, the accomplishments of recent graduates Tristan Druelinger and Jacob Gasienica certainly stood out.
Gasienica became just the second student in school history to earn multiple gold medal honors through the National Spanish Examinations, while Druelinger posted medalist efforts on exams in both French and German.
National Spanish Exam
Students earn Spanish National Exam medalist accolades by scoring in the 75th percentile or better on their respective exams. Students who score at or above the 95th percentile are awarded the "Premio de Oro" (Gold Award); students who score between the 85th-94th percentiles on their exams earn the "Premio de Plata" (Silver Award); and students who score between the 75th-84th percentiles on their respective exams receive a "Premio de Bronce" (Bronze Award).
Lemont had 22 students earn NSE medalist accolades in 2016, with Gasienica being the lone "Premio de Oro" honoree. He not only joined Misbah Chagpar as the only two-time "Premio de Oro" winners in school history, but also became the first Lemont student to earn that honor at the Spanish IV level. Gasienica, who traveled to Puerto Rico last summer thanks to a 2015 NSE Junior Travel Award, won his first "Premio de Oro" award in Spanish III in 2015.
"Premio de Plata" winners included Matt Filar in Spanish IV; and juniors Mira Antonopoulos, Claudia Jazowski, Natasha Joseph and Gabriela Rabianski in Spanish III.
Kristen Malloy became the school's second four-time NSE medalist after earning "Premio de Bronce" accolades in Spanish IV. Malloy was a "Premio de Oro" winner in Spanish III in 2015, and earned "Premio de Bronce" (Spanish II) and "Premio de Plata" (Spanish I) accolades in 2014 and 2013, respectively. Katie Atherton was the first Lemont student to receive four NSE medals.
Other "Premio de Bronce" honorees in 2016 included Matt Anderson, Nick Kowalczyk and Marisa Marseille in Spanish IV; juniors Armand Cantu, Madison Filippini, Kiara Hardy, Jack Lindsay, Heather Miller, Addison Moran and Kevin Tuscher, and freshman Stephanie Valle in Spanish III; and sophomores Laura Hunter, Lauren Pengiel, Emma Potts and Arjun Reddigari in Spanish II.
Lemont has now seen 10 students combine for 12 ?Premio de Oro? honors since it began participating in the National Spanish Examinations in 2011: Atherton (Spanish II, 2013), Chagpar (Spanish II, 2014; Spanish III, 2015), Gasienica (Spanish III, 2015; Spanish IV, 2016), Malloy (Spanish III, 2015), current sophomore Andrew Gonzalez (Spanish I, 2015), Dennis Healy (Spanish III, 2015), Daisy Medina (Spanish II, 2013), Julissa Nuņez (Spanish III, 2015), Kyra Udziela (Spanish 1, 2014) and Victoria Zajec (Spanish II, 2011).
National German Exam
Lemont had three students earn gold medals thanks to their performance on the 2016 National German Exam, which is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German.
Druelinger, junior Chris Paulius and sophomore Alex Paulius all received gold medals from the AATG for their efforts on the Level 4 exam. Students whose scores rank among the nation's top ten percent earn gold medal accolades. All three students took an AP German class online through Oklahoma State University prior to taking the National German Exam earlier this year.
Le Grand Concours
Lemont saw three students earn national medals for their performances on Le Grand Concours, an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). The students all posted scores that ranked among the nation's top quarter of participants.
Junior Sarah Hagen was the school's top finisher, earning a silver medal from the AATF for her effort in French IV. Silver medalists score among the 85th or 90th percentile of all competitors in their respective divisions.
Druelinger and Sarah O'Donnell received bronze medals for their efforts on the French III and French IV exams, respectively. Bronze medalists rank among the 75th or 80th percentile among all competitors. Both Druelinger and O'Donnell earned medals for the second straight year. Druelinger received a bronze medal in French II in 2015, while O'Donnell was a silver medalist in French III that year.
Students from all 50 states and abroad take part in Le Grand Concours, which evaluates students on their written, oral and listening skills. Students earn prizes based on their scores.
My name is Tristan Druelinger. I am studying German Language and Literature and Foreign Language Education at St. Louis University. I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee but grew up in a suburb of Chicago. I moved to the St. Louis area two years ago. I just got back from spending half a year in Heidelberg, Germany. During High School, I also participated in a summer exchange program and lived with a family in Nuremberg, Germany. I have always had a passion for the German language and specifically for teaching it. I am very happy to be your child's German teacher!
I believe that the main goal of learning any foreign language is to be able to communicate effectively in that language. It is because of this, that I try to get students creating and speaking as early as possible. From the beginning, students will be using their German in activities with partners in the classroom (creating dialogues, information gap exercises, etc). The focus of this course is to
I try to bring in a more natural approach to learning grammar as well as learning in the book. I believe it is important not only for students to know what to do on paper, but also to know how to use the grammar they are learning in everyday situations. At the same time though, it is important that they know what they are doing grammatically and why. A big part of the class will be using the vocabulary and grammatical structures learned in class in activities. These activities will be specifically created to use the vocabulary and the grammar the students are learning at that time the most.
I also love the German virtue of organization. That is why I am asking that you purchase a small notebook for your student. This notebook will be where they keep all of their vocabulary words. We will all enter the vocabulary words for each chapter into the book together. The purpose of doing it this way, as opposed to vocabulary lists is that the vocabulary book allows us to keep all of the words in one place. There is no chance of one of the lists going missing. It also allows us to add other words when we encounter them as we go throughout our day. It might even be something your child would choose to use in later courses.
https://www.slu.edu/arts-and-sciences/languages-literatures-cultures/academics/german-profiles/tristan-druelinger.php
Saint Louis University
Tristan Druelinger says that his experiences in the German studies program at SLU and studying abroad in Heidelberg have contributed to his personal and professional growth.
When did you graduate from SLU and with what degree?
I graduated from SLU in May of 2020 with my bachelor's degree. I studied education studies and German (double major).
What was the best part of being a part of the German program at SLU ? or a favorite memory?
There are so many good things about the German program at SLU that it's hard to pick just one, but I've narrowed it down to a couple.
First, the professors are really great. Not only are they incredibly knowledgeable about their field but they also go above and beyond to help students succeed and understand the material.
Another really great thing is the sense of community in the German community. There is the Sprachwochenende retreat which, although I was only able to attend once, was a really great way to get to know everyone in the program. There are many various events offered by the professors throughout the semester, and now there is also the German club which, while separate from the German division, often works closely with the German faculty to create wonderful, enriching opportunities for those interested in the German language and culture to come together.
The final point I want to bring up is the study abroad program. The German program at SLU is partnered with the American Junior Year at Heidelberg. Study abroad is an absolutely life changing experience anyway, but the program at SLU is especially good. They really strive to work with you to make sure that you achieve everything you want to during your time in Germany and they do so much with you to help you understand the region, its history, and they help you navigate the advanced bureaucracy at German universities, which can be daunting as an American exchange student.
Why would you recommend taking German at SLU to other Billikens?
I think learning languages is very important, especially in our increasingly connected world. Speaking another language opens you up to so many opportunities professionally and personally. Many of my closest relationships have come about as a result of my study of the German language. These are people I likely would never have met or even been able to interact with if I had not learned German.
What are you doing now?
I am currently teaching online German classes at a couple of German language schools in the Midwest. I have plans to pursue a master's degree in German at Middlebury Language Schools, though I have decided to wait to start until that can be done in person (hopefully the academic year 2021-2022).
In what way did your German major prepare you for what you do now?
There are many ways in which my time in the German program at SLU prepared me for this. The classes I took at SLU allowed me to develop a great knowledge of the German language, culture, history, and literature. The internship opportunities I was afforded during my time there were also formative and allowed me to develop skills and experience in the various areas I might work in with a German degree (for example teaching or translation). They also allowed me to build up professional connections. And lastly the study abroad opportunity at SLU was instrumental to my ability to speak German. Language classes are great, especially at SLU, but being able to live in Germany surrounded by the language and culture I was studying, and to experience life in a country to which I was and am planning to move, is irreplaceable. And the study abroad program at SLU is first rate, in its execution as well as in the way that they work with you and your professors back at SLU.
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