Unlike most students, Freshman Joe Burke doesn’t dread going to Spanish class every day; in fact, he looks forward to his favorite class. “I love it. It’s my absolute favorite subject” said Burke. Burke has had success with the language, including scoring extremely high on the National Spanish Exam and being awarded a trip to Concordia Language Village, a Spanish camp in Minnesota. Burke will attend the camp for two weeks in July. The camp is geared towards immersing students “in the sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences of the Spanish-speaking world.” Burke said he is excited for the experience and he hopes to learn a lot and advance his Spanish skills while attending the camp.

Burke has taken three years of Spanish and is now in the Level II Honors class. He has taken the National Spanish Exam three times and has consistently performed well.  Concerning his recent success on the exam, Burke said, “I knew I was really smart, I just never expected to do this well.” He contributes his love for the language and his proficiency on the exam to his eighth grade Spanish teacher, Senora Stuart for “enouraging [him] to work hard and do well in her class and being so enthusiastic about Spanish.” Some parts of Spanish come easily to Burke, such as reading and writing, but he still feels that he needs to work on speaking. Burke sees a future for himself in Spanish, hoping to become an international businessman where he believes his knowledge of the language will aid him significantly.

Outside of Spanish class, Burke is just a regular kid. He enjoys school for the most part, and he is on the Walpole Swim Team in the summer and fall. He is also in the band at Walpole High as a clarinet player. Burke enjoys riding his bike, and going to campfires and cookouts in the summer. By the end of this summer, he will be able to add the Spanish camp to his list of summer activities. Burke looks forward to the new experiences and knowledge he will gain by attending the camp at Concordia Language Village.