On Feb. 15 ASL and Spanish students from Randall, West Plains, Canyon and Bushland competed in the first annual Festival de Languas (festival of languages). This was an event for students to show off their progress in becoming bilingual and learning a foreign language. The showcases included: ASl and Spanish Poetry (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), ASL Storytelling, Deaf Music, Spanish Talent, Piñata Making, Spanish and Deaf 3-D and 2-D art, and Deaf and Spanish Informative/History Works. By Texas law, every student must take a foreign language, but these students are choosing to pursue a new way of speech so they can communicate with more diverse communities, and because… it’s fun!

Here are the rankings:

• Robert Barnett – ASL Beginner Poetry; 1st Place
• Paige Smith – ASL Intermediate Poetry; 3rd Place
• Ainsley Osborne – ASL Advanced Poetry; 2nd Place
• Sidney Perkins – ASL Storytelling; 3rd Place
• Jenna Taylor – Deaf Music; 2nd Place
• Phoenix Crume – Deaf 2-D Art; 2nd Place
• Taryn Tyler & Audrey Wade – Deaf 3-D Art; 3rd Place
• Garrett Hudson & Ryan Shannon – Deaf Informative/History Works; 2nd Place
• Cydney Ward, Giselle Melendez, Chloe Mclenny, and Logan Fowler -Deaf Informative/History Works; 3rd Place
• Kiaria Amador,  Aubree Arzola and Makynzee Brooks – Piñata Making; 1st Place
• Ivory Jiminez – Spanish 2-D Art, 3rd place