LEMONT – Many Lemont High School students put forth standout efforts while participating in national language exams in French, German and Spanish this spring.

However, the accomplishments of recent graduates Tristan Druelinger and Jacob Gasienica certainly stood out.

Gasienica became just the second student in school history to earn multiple gold medal honors through the National Spanish Examinations, while Druelinger posted medalist efforts on exams in both French and German.

National Spanish Exam

Students earn Spanish National Exam medalist accolades by scoring in the 75th percentile or better on their respective exams. Students who score at or above the 95th percentile are awarded the “Premio de Oro” (Gold Award); students who score between the 85th-94th percentiles on their exams earn the “Premio de Plata” (Silver Award); and students who score between the 75th-84th percentiles on their respective exams receive a “Premio de Bronce” (Bronze Award).

Lemont had 22 students earn NSE medalist accolades in 2016, with Gasienica being the lone “Premio de Oro” honoree. He not only joined Misbah Chagpar as the only two-time “Premio de Oro” winners in school history, but also became the first Lemont student to earn that honor at the Spanish IV level. Gasienica, who traveled to Puerto Rico last summer thanks to a 2015 NSE Junior Travel Award, won his first “Premio de Oro” award in Spanish III in 2015.

“Premio de Plata” winners included Matt Filar in Spanish IV; and juniors Mira Antonopoulos, Claudia Jazowski, Natasha Joseph and Gabriela Rabianski in Spanish III.

Kristen Malloy became the school’s second four-time NSE medalist after earning “Premio de Bronce” accolades in Spanish IV. Malloy was a “Premio de Oro” winner in Spanish III in 2015, and earned “Premio de Bronce” (Spanish II) and “Premio de Plata” (Spanish I) accolades in 2014 and 2013, respectively. Katie Atherton was the first Lemont student to receive four NSE medals.

Other “Premio de Bronce” honorees in 2016 included Matt Anderson, Nick Kowalczyk and Marisa Marseille in Spanish IV; juniors Armand Cantu, Madison Filippini, Kiara Hardy, Jack Lindsay, Heather Miller, Addison Moran and Kevin Tuscher, and freshman Stephanie Valle in Spanish III; and sophomores Laura Hunter, Lauren Pengiel, Emma Potts and Arjun Reddigari in Spanish II.

Lemont has now seen 10 students combine for 12 “Premio de Oro” honors since it began participating in the National Spanish Examinations in 2011: Atherton (Spanish II, 2013), Chagpar (Spanish II, 2014; Spanish III, 2015), Gasienica (Spanish III, 2015; Spanish IV, 2016), Malloy (Spanish III, 2015), current sophomore Andrew Gonzalez (Spanish I, 2015), Dennis Healy (Spanish III, 2015), Daisy Medina (Spanish II, 2013), Julissa Nuñez (Spanish III, 2015), Kyra Udziela (Spanish 1, 2014) and Victoria Zajec (Spanish II, 2011).

National German Exam

Lemont had three students earn gold medals thanks to their performance on the 2016 National German Exam, which is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German.

Druelinger, junior Chris Paulius and sophomore Alex Paulius all received gold medals from the AATG for their efforts on the Level 4 exam. Students whose scores rank among the nation’s top ten percent earn gold medal accolades. All three students took an AP German class online through Oklahoma State University prior to taking the National German Exam earlier this year.

Le Grand Concours

Lemont saw three students earn national medals for their performances on Le Grand Concours, an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). The students all posted scores that ranked among the nation’s top quarter of participants.

Junior Sarah Hagen was the school’s top finisher, earning a silver medal from the AATF for her effort in French IV. Silver medalists score among the 85th or 90th percentile of all competitors in their respective divisions.

Druelinger and Sarah O’Donnell received bronze medals for their efforts on the French III and French IV exams, respectively. Bronze medalists rank among the 75th or 80th percentile among all competitors. Both Druelinger and O’Donnell earned medals for the second straight year. Druelinger received a bronze medal in French II in 2015, while O’Donnell was a silver medalist in French III that year.

Students from all 50 states and abroad take part in Le Grand Concours, which evaluates students on their written, oral and listening skills. Students earn prizes based on their scores.