California high school students complete unique Spanish course

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

Spanish students at California Area High School received a rare opportunity  this year.

Their teacher, Haley Bashada, a California University of Pennsylvania alumna, was contacted by her former professor about a special learning opportunity for her students.

Spanish for Professionals, coordinated by Cal U professor Andrea Cencich, is a collaboration between California Area High School and the university that’s the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.

Through the program, high school students spent 30 hours of class time learning from their teacher and video sessions with college educators to become familiar with medical vocabulary in another language to help them in their medical careers or real-life situations if faced with a medical emergency.

The program started last year as a trial run, with about 16 students participating. It was slow to roll out again after the pandemic hit, but nearly 40 students were involved this year. They received certifications from the college during a ceremony Friday.

“She (Cencich) wanted to see how this would work, and thought if it went well she could begin to offer it to other high schools in the area,” Bashada said. “We are the first high school in the state to be offered this opportunity, which has been really incredible for my students.”

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