Cal High’s Spanish Club offers more than just a chance to practice a language.
But this new idea comes with a creative twist, providing students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the cultures of Spanish speaking countries.
The Spanish Club, also known as El Club de Español, decided this spring to host a comic strip competition, which offers a creative way for students to showcase their Spanish skills and artistic ability. The guidelines require students to construct a clear and concise story entirely in Spanish, filled with captivating visuals and dialogue.
In addition, it must be one page, with six to 12 panels in total.
Sophomore Rosie Andre, winner of the Comic Book Competition, created a digital art comic strip in Spanish to raise environmental awareness.
“The comic focuses on the immediate action of picking up trash, a significant issue here on campus,” Andre said.
Andre, who takes Spanish 3,said she applied lessons learned in her class to help create the comic. This is the first comic she’s created.
“The comic serves as a gentle reminder to avoid littering and inspire people to take change,” Andre said.
The Spanish Club board, which consists of juniors Vidya Vyas (president), Malak Soliman (vice president), and Anshitha Bezewada (secretary), helped devise the competition.
“We created the comic strip competition as a fun way to bring the entire school together,” Soliman said. “The theme and content is to be left completely with the creators to encourage creative and unique storytelling and ideas.”
The inspiration behind the comic strip competition also drove the creation of this club, which began as a last-minute decision after Spanish III and IV teacher Scott Tinetti encouraged Vyas to start El Club de Español.
“[Tinetti] recommended that I start the club this year because there was no club representing Spanish cultures at Cal High,” Vyas said. “I ended up applying at the last minute to create El Club de Español, so my friends and I could share our passion for the language and promote multicultural understanding.”
Tinetti said that in the past, AP Spanish senior students would lead the club. But last year was the first year the school didn’t have a Spanish club on campus. He said there wasn’t an interest for students in terms of leading it.
“But I asked Vidya if she would be interested in leading the Spanish Club because I know she’s really organized and would love to get it going again,” Tinetti said.
Soliman said the club was created to help students strengthen their Spanish skills, including reading, writing, and speaking more confidently.
“It can be challenging to learn a new language, so by forming this club, we would like to provide a means of assistance to students who need it in an engaging way,” Soliman said.
Soliman said she’s been studying Spanish for more than five years and the club board members have formed a close-knit community through their shared language learning experience. Club member Sonora Bouey also agrees with Soliman’s statement.
“I’d say the Spanish Club was created by the love for language learning and the fun atmosphere of Señor Tinetti’s Spanish class,” Bouey said.
At each meeting, the club officers present a slideshow that explains the upcoming events and opportunities that they have organized for club members.
“We also host activities such as cultural games and creating traditional decorations as a way to learn while also having fun,” Soliman said.
One of the significant events organized by the Spanish Club was their vibrant representation of the Spanish way of life at the culture fair.
“We created a visually engaging tri-fold poster filled with interesting facts about Spain’s traditions, geography, language, and customs,” Bouey said.
To add a sweet touch, the club members also sold Chupa Chups, Spain’s iconic lollipop brand, offering students a fun and flavorful taste of the culture.
“I got to socialize more with some of the other club members that I normally don’t talk to, learn new things about Spain and other countries, and present part of our poster with my group,” Chen said. “I also got to eat this Spanish lollipop, which was really tasty.”
The Spanish Club has already made its mark with some standout events, but members aid they’re just getting started. With more exciting activities in the works, club members are gearing up for what’s next.
“We are working toward doing a collaboration with another club at Cal High, MEDLIFE, where we will be teaching others common Spanish words and phrases to use in preparation for those who are going to be shadowing in hospitals in Peru for the summer,” Soliman said.
Vyas said the club also is in the process of setting up a pen pal program to help students improve their writing skills.
Freshman Michelle Jia, a club member, recommends the club to students to encourage the love of language or Spanish culture.
“I feel like this club is a really unique community where we all come from different Spanish level backgrounds and grow into more confident Spanish speakers at the end of the day,” Jia said.
