According to US News,”There are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the US,” making Spanish the second most common language in the United States. It is taught to students every day.

At Air Academy High School, Spanish 1 through AP Spanish classes are offered. One route to learn Spanish is through the Spanish Honor Society (SHS).

Society coordinator and Spanish teacher Kendall Orr said, “In Spanish Honor Society we have between 50 and 60 students this year.”

If students are active participants in this society, they could cite it in college applications.

Students who are dedicated to learning the language and want to take their skills to the next level join SHS.

There are some requirements that are needed to join the society, but participation is the biggest one. Students also need to apply to join the SHS and pay a 5 dollar fee. The money is given to the National Society so the member can receive a membership certificate.

Students also need to have basic knowledge of the Spanish language, to be enrolled in a Spanish 3 class (or a higher class), and to have a GPA of 3.25.

In addition to being an educational society, SHS is also a fun way to learn Spanish.

Recently, the society went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for a scavenger hunt.

Senior Sydney Pruitt said, “For the scavenger hunt, we were separated into groups and ran around to answer questions about animals in Spanish.”

Prizes for the winning team included donuts, candy, and other food-related gifts.

After the activity, the winning team’s victory was announced and they claimed their prize.

One November 20th, the society also decorated candy skulls during Kadet Time.

Senior Jordan Stokes said, “[I]t’s not a super challenging club to be apart of, but it’s a great way to practice Spanish outside of a regular Spanish class…We just do the fun part of Spanish, like we [made] pen pals [and] we watch movies.”

This club is pretty well-known for Spanish 3 students, but has also received applications and members from students who are advanced in Spanish.

Senior Callissa Steel said, “A lot of people usually join…more than the usual amount for a club.”

SHS  is a good way to incorporate Spanish into exciting activities. It’s a fun environment filled with students who want to learn, and members get to do things that they normally don’t do in a normal class.

The club isn’t overly academic, but it teaches students ways to remember common Spanish words easily.  This club joins other Spanish cultures to allow for a well rounded knowledge of different types of cultures.

The Spanish Honor Society is impressing a lot of people and allowing for a more interaction-based education that will effect Air Academy in a positive way for years to come.