Schools Scene

RFH Spanish Honor Society Students Awarded

The Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) National Spanish Honor Society (Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica/SHH) has two academic stars this year — senior Emily Grossarth, and junior Alexandra Fratto

Emily Grossarth, currently a student in Advanced Placement Spanish Language and Culture, was awarded the prestigious Joseph Adams Scholarship, one of only 12 national awards given to SHH members, to support continued studies in Spanish and/or Portuguese after high school.  

A standout in the RFH senior class both academically and extracurricularly, Grossarth will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall where she has been accepted into the esteemed Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, a course of study which integrates business education, international studies, advanced language training and a liberal arts education.  

Through successful completion of the program, she will hone her knowledge of the Spanish language and culture to receive two degrees, one from The Wharton School and the other from University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences.  

Junior and Spanish 4 honors student Alexandra Fratto has been awarded the Bertie Green Junior Travel Award, an all-expense paid trip to Ecuador this summer. 

Fratto will travel with 22 other members of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanicafrom across the country for an immersive experience in Spanish language and culture.

Grossarth and Fratto were recently notified of their selection after a rigorous application process that began in December involving a written essay, video recording, two letters of recommendation, their complete high school transcript, and a curriculum vitae, and a selective scoring process was completed in February.  

The Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica is an honor society for high school students enrolled in Spanish and/or Portuguese, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers in Spanish and Portuguese(AATSP). 

Founded in 1953, there are currently 2900 national and international chapters of the society which seek to recognize the achievements of high school students in these languages and promote interest in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian studies.  

RFH’s Laura Esquivel chapter includes more than 80 Spanish students, invited to join based on scholarship, character and service.  The organization has had a great deal of success, under the leadership of advisor and Spanish teacher, Christina Gauss.