Sophomores that started with Spanish 1 in 9th grade face the difficult choice of whether or not to advance to Spanish III in their junior year. The Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) necessitates 2 credits of the same language as a graduation requirement. Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) only offers Spanish as an option for language courses. 

If a student takes Spanish I in their freshman year, there is the possibility of taking Spanish for all four years of high school. After sophomore year, some choose to give up Spanish for an advisory period, but others continue on to Spanish III and AP Spanish. Sophomores are now starting to question…

“Is it worth it to continue? Should I?”

To many students, it just sounds like extra work. The choice of having an advisory period is very valuable.

 “I need that free period,” said sophomore Bailey Dandridge. 

Freshman Connor Welch shared his plans for continuing Spanish courses as he moves through his high school career: “Language classes are where I struggle the most. It tends to drop my GPA.” 

But Señora Ileana Imhoff, the Honors Spanish III and AP Spanish teacher, has a different opinion. “What happens is if you only have two years of a language, you don’t have enough language or cultural knowledge yet to really say ‘Oh, I love this, I’m passionate about this, I’m going to continue.’” Imhoff said that the state mandate “doesn’t quite make sense” for this reason.

“I would hear my friends complain about having to take the class,” said senior actor Julia Tollini.

“They just didn’t do very well in it, and it was a difficult class for them, it brought their GPA down,” she continued. “So I think for them it was a good decision to drop the class for the rest of their experience in high school, but I knew that I liked the subject and that I would be motivated to take it all four years, so that’s why I ultimately decided to do it despite what my friends were doing.” 

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States, and an estimated number of 8 percent of Baltimore’s population is Hispanic or Latin@ immigrants. Understanding that population’s vast culture is a great way to connect with the diverse communities of Baltimore City. 

Imhoff described the Spanish III course as branching off of the previous course. “You have all of the materials to build your house. You put everything together, then you can start having debates, conversations…When you get to a higher level [of Spanish] you actually get to study that culture and its own language. So you read literature, appreciate the art, listen to music, as you are really at that level of understanding. So you can read a poem by [Pablo] Neruda, but you can read it in Spanish and the meaning is super different.” 

In AP Spanish, students continue to learn about different cultures and expand their knowledge of the language. “Certain units are history heavy, some units feel more like a literature class,” said Imhoff.

“I just think it’s interesting to immerse yourself in a different part of the world,” said Tollini.

Senior life at BSA is very busy already with the various performances and college applications, which makes a free period very appealing to students. But choosing to take that extra AP class shows dedication and passion for the subject. 

Tollini is currently performing in BSA’s senior musical, The Prom. “Having another AP on top of all that and no free period really puts me at a disadvantage time-wise, and it’s definitely added stress. But I still stand by my decision, you know, I enjoy it,” said Tollini.

Determined and focused students create a very unique and welcoming classroom environment, especially when the people are choosing to be there. The AP Spanish classroom brings a spark to the school day that simply couldn’t be replicated. 

Tollini continued that her classmates are, “Very driven people and most people pay attention in class and really want to do well. And it’s the first period. The only [AP] Spanish period is the [first] period so you know, you get to school and you immediately have to go to that class, it takes a lot of dedication.” 

Though taking Spanish classes at BSA for all four years of high school requires a strong commitment, those who are intrigued by the idea are welcomed by a supportive community who share similar values. 

To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.

Featured photo by Josefina Olsavsky for The Muse.