Valley students show international talents

Recently, Palmer and Wasilla sent contingencies of French, Spanish and Japanese language students to compete in this year's State World Language Declamation competition at East High.

"We had to get up really early and then our bus was half an hour late, which made us more nervous," said Anneliesa Kalfsbeek, a junior at Wasilla.

When Marcy Egger, a first year French student at Palmer High, discovered her teacher had signed her up for every event she was beyond nervous -- she was scared.

"Well, at least now I know which area I perform best in," Egger said.

Valley students competed in four language categories -- poetry recitation, impromptu monologue, dialogue and cultural trivia.

"I tried trivia, poetry and dialogue with my friend Heather," said Sarah Munson, a junior from Wasilla. "It was nerve wracking but a lot of fun. I also got a chance to practice Spanish fluency with my friends during the down times."

Many students participated in multiple events and had to rush between rooms.

"We had to run across the hall to do both impromptu and dialogue," said Kristal Leonard, a freshman from Wasilla.

Although the morning competitions were tough and stressful, the time spent waiting for final scores showed the lighter side of the day.

Thomas Huffman said it was the ultimate bonding experience.

"After practical application of our foreign language verboseness, we were able to explore and hang out. It's an adventure I'll never forget," he said.

Most students were introduced to their second language in high school, and plan to continue in their studies.

"French is absolutely beautiful; everyone should learn to speak it," said Kelseydnn Sternhagen, a freshman from Palmer.

Alisha Bachelder, also from Palmer, believes foreign language connects her with the rest of the world. "It is an amazing way to get a glimpse of other cultures and peoples, and to be a part of something bigger," she said.

The competition ended with the awards ceremony. The Valley did well this year -- from Palmer, Charles Kneflekamp took first in French 3 impromptu and Alisha Bachelder won first in french 2 cultural trivia.

For Wasilla, Emily McCorkell placed third in Spanish 1 poetry, Kristian Pettijohn placed third in Spanish 2 cultural trivia, Heather Pendergrast placed first in Spanish 3 poetry, Sarah Munson placed third in Spanish 3 cultural trivia, Julia Kholkhlora took first in Spanish 4 AP impromptu with David Wilcox and won 1st in Spanish 4 AP dialogue. Diana Moreira-Saltos placed first in Spanish Native Speaker poetry. Ashley Hadley placed third in Japanese 1 impromptu, Brenna Kennicker took third in Japanese 3 impromptu, Ian Phipps and Devon Roberts won second in Japanese 3 dialogue while Brenna Kennicker and Kristal Leonard won first in Japanese 3 dialogue.

Not everyone left with a medal, but everyone left a winner in the eyes of their teachers.

For Wasilla High sophomore Jeremiah Stewart, the day was an inspiration.

"It was amazing to watch the AP students during monologues and dialogues. They were so fluent and fast. I hope that soon I can be like them," he said.

This story was submitted by Brenna Kennicker.