NECTFL: Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

The Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

Scholarships / Fellowships

SANS, Inc./ MEAD Leadership Program	Educators of ALL LANGUAGES at ALL LEVELS are encouraged to apply to this program, designed to identify potential leaders in education and to support the development of their potential. On-line information and application form are available now.

Embassy Scholarships: French German Spanish	French, German, and Spanish teachers are encouraged to apply for these scholarships, which provide support for summer study in France, Germany, and Spain when application forms are available here this summer. Click on a language on the left for further information and an application form.

Cemanahuac Educational Community Scholarship	Spanish teachers are encouraged to apply for this scholarship generously provided by the Cemanahuac Educational Community for study in Mexico for two weeks at any time from May - December 2009.

Annenberg Media/Marjorie Hall Haley Graduate Student NECTFL Conference Scholarship	Graduate students are urged to apply for this $500 travel grant and free registration and housing (3 nights) to attend the 2009 NECTFL Conference.

Application deadline December 1, 2008.

At the 2008 Northeast Conference, several study abroad scholarships were awarded to NECTFL teachers: the Embassy of Spain Education Office honored Cheryl Montanta Sosa and the Cemanahuac Educational Community chose Robin Thompson.

Doug Bunch and Sharon Wilkinson are joined by Jesús Fernández González of the Embassy of Spain to congratulate scholarship winner Cheryl Montana Sosa.

Doug Bunch, Sharon Wilkinson, and Cemanahuac representative Harriet Guerrero (second from left) join scholarship winner Robin Thompson

Also acknowledged at the Conference, where they met with mentors to work on their projects, were the 2008 Mead Leadership fellows: Adriana Bonsteel (MD), Douglas Demo (NJ), and James Wildman (CT), . We look forward to hearing from them in the very near future and beyond!

From left to right, the 2008 Mead Fellows: James Wildman, Adriana Bonsteel, & Douglas Demo

Sharon Wilkinson congratulates Hanna Reategui-Zirena, the 2008 NECTFL/Marjorie Hall Haley Graduate Student Travel Scholarship winner

In honor of 2007 Conference Chair Marjorie Hall Haley the NECTFL Board announced last year the establishment of a $500.00 scholarship to help defray the costs of the conference for one deserving graduate student. The Board also agreed to waive registration for that student.
Hanna Reategui-Zirena, who is pursuing an M.S. in Spanish Language and Literature as well as K-12 licensure at Minnesota State University Mankato, was the first recipient and attended the Conference this year. Ms. Reategui-Zirena has an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the Universidad de Piura in Peru, as well as a Psychologist Professional Degree from Universidad Nacional de San Agustin in that country. She has been awarded scholarships for her academic achievements and has presented at conferences, notably on a topic for which Dr. Haley is well-known: multiple intelligences.
As Ms. Reategui-Zirena wrote in her application essay, "The best thing to do to develop as a teacher is to connect with other educators to share ideas and set educational goals together. Attending Foreign Language Conferences is an excellent way to make those connections and bring ideas back into our classrooms and challenges ourselves as teachers to go beyond our established routines to reinvent ourselves." In her future plans to create a Spanish program with an option for study trips to Peru, her country, she recognizes her goal as a language teacher of giving people "the opportunity to cross a cultural bridge, to get a better understanding of people from different backgrounds, and be part of a much larger community."
The Northeast Conference heartily congratulates Hanna Reategui-Zirena and welcomes her to the NECTFL family!