Silvermine 3rd Grader Wins NABE 'Being Bilingual' Essay Competition
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NPS Communications
Congratulations to Reisli Maldonado Quintero at Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School for winning first place in the NABE Being Bilingual Essay Competition at the Elementary School level!
The Silvermine third grader received a check for $500, a NABE Award Certificate, and the highly coveted NABE Shining Star trophy. She also will present her essay, "My Superpower," in both English and Spanish at the NABE Awards Luncheon on March 29 in New Orleans.
"Her winning essay truly showcases her superpowers as a writer and all the bilingual leaders at Silvermine, NPS, and our nation at large," said Yesenia Paredes, principal of Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School.
Click here to read Quintero’s award-winning essay.
The “Being Bilingual” Student Essay Contest is open to all elementary, middle and high school students who are enrolled in a bilingual classroom, or in a classroom with native language support. Students were tasked with writing about being bilingual given one of the following themes for their grade level:
- Grades 3-5: Proud to Be Bilingual
- Grades 6-8: The Importance of Being Bilingual
- Grades 9-12: How Being Bilingual Will Assist Me in My Future Endeavors
Essays had to be written in the student’s second language. Quintero’s native language is Spanish, and she wrote her essay in English about how she’s proud to be bilingual.
NABE is the National Association for Bilingual Education and is the only national, non-profit professional organization dedicated to representing and advocating for bilingual/multilingual students, and bilingual and dual language education professionals.
From Principal Yesenia Paredes, Principal of Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School
For over 25 years, Silvermine has been the pioneer of Dual Language education in Norwalk Public Schools. In conjunction with the mission and vision of our School and our district leadership, especially our superintendent, Dr. Alexandra Estrella, who believes in the importance of bilingualism, several teachers from Silvermine were able to attend the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) conference last year.
NABE, a non-profit membership organization that works to advocate for educational equity and excellence for bilingual/multilingual students in a global society, provided a wealth of information allowing us to return to Silvermine with an invigorating excitement, drive and an unstoppable momentum to Educate and Elevate our Swans.
Because of this, we are delighted and proud to announce that one of our very own Silvermine Swans, 3rd grader Reisli Maldonado Quintero, has won the NABE 2024 “Being Bilingual Essay” elementary competition in the nation!
Having arrived in February 2022, Reisli is now in the second full year of her educational career at Silvermine. In her short time with us, she has been able to take advantage of what our 50/50 Dual Language program has to offer with the help of excellent teachers who are TESOL certified. Her winning essay truly showcases her superpowers as a writer and all the bilingual leaders at Silvermine, NPS, and our nation at large.