30.11.2022

Y9 student takes first place in Spanish Language Literary Contest

By Brayan Felippe

Irene Camargo Macedo, a 9th-grade student, won first place in “Category 2” of the VI Concurso de Relato Breve em Español. Using the pseudonym Ciley Myrus, Irene wrote the short story “Homo Sensibilis”, competing against Spanish learning students from schools all over Brazil.

“Irene has a great facility with languages. She speaks very good English and Spanish, and has taken Mandarin classes as well. She has attended Spanish classes since she was in 4th grade and has always been very participative. During the pandemic, she took online classes, and her family helped her get connected. Irene enjoys writing, speaking, and singing. She is a caring and creative girl,” says Erica Tokudo, her former Spanish teacher.

The contest had as its base text the literary short story, a fictional literary narrative with a single theme. Category 2, in which Irene won first place, is composed of students between 15 and 18 years old.

The theme of the contest was “A hopeful vision of the world”, provoking the candidates to write a fictional story set in the year 2099 and containing a positive learning or a hopeful vision of the world. The text was to be submitted entirely in Spanish. Irene was awarded a lot of books, a diploma, a gift voucher, and an iPad. 

The skills developed when writing a short story in a foreign language are of great importance in awakening creativity and expanding knowledge in another language. We are very proud of Irene’s achievement!