GLADSTONE — Oakhill Day School shared the recent results of the 2025 National Spanish Challenge, with a record-setting 36 students participating across three divisions — an all-time high for the school, according to a school press release.
Among this year’s participants were students from a wide range of grade levels, including a newly enrolled third and sixth grader.
“He knew he hadn’t studied Spanish for long, but he wanted to see how he would do,” one parent shared of their son’s decision to participate.
The National Spanish Challenge recognizes students’ achievements in Spanish language learning, providing individual scores and a national percentile ranking among all participants.
This year, 29 Oakhill Panthers earned high honors, receiving either an Excellent or Outstanding designation based on their final scores.
Five students earned the top “outstanding” distinction in their respective divisions: Andrés Vollenweider and Sophia Graham, Division A; and Lillian Owen, Emma Williamson and Haiden Park, Division B.
An additional 24 students earned the “excellent” designation:
Division A students are Quinn Perkins, Malia Jackson, Atticus Youngblood, Teddy Ross, Brighton Forsen, Lincoln Williams, Scarlett Brunkhorst, Sam Frank, Jack Edmonson, Bridget Williamson, Arjun Patel, Libby Haar and Grady Fletcher.
The Division B students are Wesley Williams, Andrew Devitt, Evelyn Mathes, Audrey Johnson, Drake Lovitt, Daphne Lovitt, Ellis Julian and Aleah Kimbrough-Kramer
Division C students are Mikaela Copley, Jack Shekleton and Hensley Hurst.
In addition to the National Spanish Challenge, Oakhill students also participated in the National Spanish Exam, a standardized online assessment for grades 6 through 12 sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. The exam measures students’ vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening comprehension, and serves as a precursor to advanced assessments such as AP exams and the National Seal of Biliteracy.
This year, 35 seventh and eighth grade students took the exam, many for the first time. Their results ranged from the 4th percentile to national recognition levels.
Four students received national recognition for their scores. Luke Rule (57th percentile) and Keaton Lovitt (61st percentile) received honorable mention. Brooklyn Kumar (86th percentile) took a silver medal and Lucia Peterson (96th percentile) took a gold medal.
These high-performing students are now eligible to apply for a variety of prestigious AATSP scholarships, including the Global Citizenship Award, Junior Travel Abroad programs and the Senior Scholarship.
