Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

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Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Hola, Nihao, Hello, Shalom
Hola, Nihao, Hello, Shalom
March 16, 2024
Lining the bleachers in the gymnasium, sophomores cheer on performers during the Battle of the Bands competition.
Battle of the Genres
March 14, 2024
Vocal sophomore Levi Cowen plays the drums during the sophomores’ Battle of the Bands rehearsal. The sophomores had to perform songs from the techno genre.
Jamming to Win
March 14, 2024

AP Spanish removed from the curriculum

Most students remember Dora the Explorer and her Spanish teaching skills. But what happens when students want to go beyond knowing basic phrases and want to learn how to read, write and speak proficiently in Spanish?

Students take lower level Spanish classes and move up the Spanish class ladder by eventually reaching AP Spanish, but this year the class was taken out of the curriculum.

“I found out at the end of last year when [foreign language teacher] Señora Smith told her classes that there would not be an AP Spanish course. Many of her students literally went to her room and begged her to teach it,” keyboard senior Elizabeth Priegues said. “I thought it was ridiculous that they would take AP Spanish off the curriculum.”

Many students who planned on taking AP Spanish were stunned to find out that the class wouldn’t be offered this year.

“We didn’t have any teacher to teach it [because foreign language teacher Ms. Palau retired]” Assistant Principal George Miller said
Instead of taking AP Spanish, many student opted for Spanish 5, a high-level Spanish class that does not offer a college credit. Since there is only one Spanish 5 class, some were not able to take the course.
“I didn’t take Spanish 5 because it didn’t fit in my schedule and I wanted to open up to be able to take other courses as a senior,” Prigues said.

Without AP Spanish as an option, many students will not be able to take their Spanish skills to a higher level, but some students plan on learning by themselves or learning a new language altogether.

“As a semi-native speaker, I will take a few Spanish literature classes in college. However, I have moved on from the Spanish class and progressed into learning other languages,” Priegues said.

Priegues, who is half Cuban, speaks Spanish at home with her dad, which helps her perfect her Spanish. Others are not as lucky.

“For other students who don’t have the advantage of being Hispanic by blood, I would recommend them to simply read in Spanish while they’re in high school, watch Spanish movies, and then continue to take Spanish courses in college,” Priegues said.

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About the Contributor
Daniel Montoya, Sports Staffer
Communications senior Daniel Montoya is a third-year news staffer for The Muse. He’s been invested in journalism since middle school. Besides journalism, Montoya has an interest in 3D modeling and 3D printing. He is founder and president of the 3D printing club. When he is not writing for the Muse, modeling on the computer or studying for his exams, Montoya can be found sleeping or staying up late doing homework. In addition to working for The Muse, Montoya’s also has a passion for soccer. He has been playing since he was little and has been on the Dreyfoos varsity soccer team and hopes to continue in his college career. Montoya is a member of the varsity cross country and track and field team, and is also a member of Spanish Honor Society and president of A.R.T.S. club.
Donate to THE MUSE
$450
$10000
Contributed
Our Goal