Laura Zinke

Dear Fellow AATSP Members,

As your incoming President I am looking forward to another excellent year for all AATSP members. I look forward to working with you this year and to continue the tradition of excellence that is, and has always been, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. The AATSP had an excellent year and below are some of the highlights from 2012.

Membership: Our membership increased by approximately 100 in 2012; our success is due, in part, to our online process for submission of dues.

Annual AATSP Conference in San Antonio: The 95th AATSP Conference will take place July 8-11, 2013 at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. The conference theme Building Bridges to the Future: Innovation, Technology, Advocacy has been well received and we are looking forward to a full program of excellent sessions, workshops, excursions and a plethora of special events.

National Spanish Examinations: The National Spanish Examination continues to grow; more than 153,000 students sat for the exam in 2012.

The AATSP continues to offer scholarships and travel grants for summer study abroad and first-time conference attendance. Please click here to find out about the excellent opportunities for teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica: There was an increase in the number of active SHH membership; an additional 171 new chapters were added in 2012.

Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad: The SHA also continues to grow; we currently have 163 active chapters.

Hispania, the official journal of the AATSP, features articles on literature and language, book reviews, theoretical and applied linguistics, professional and Hispanic/Luso-Brazilian World news, and media and computers, along with AATSP official announcements, and advertisements. Publications are in March, June, September, and December. Hispania is a member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals and this year will publish, in June of 2013, a special issue on Service Learning and Community Engagement.

SIG; Special Interest Group: The AATSP has formed the first SIG; the topic will be Community Engagement; stay current and watch for new SIG groups to form throughout the year.

Poster Contest: Each year the AATSP sponsors a poster contest for students enrolled in Spanish or Portuguese. New this year is the inclusion of grades 9-12. The 2013 contest is open to all Spanish and Portuguese students grades K-12 of current AATSP member teachers. The posters are a demonstration of student understanding of the importance and uses for learning new languages. The poster is also an excellent project for Hispanic Heritage Month and Foreign Language Celebrations! Fourteen states, representing 26 schools participated in 2012. This year the contest will include high school students.
Click here the link to see the winning entries for 2012. Poster Contest Deadline: April 1, 2013

I would like to welcome the newest Executive Council Members; Sharon Ahern Fechter, from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland as the incoming President-Elect of AATSP, Laura N. Jacobson; Secondary (9-12) Representative from Niles North High school in Skokie, Illinois, Ada Ortúzar-Young from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey and Crystal Vicente our K-8 Representative from Athens Academy in Athens, Georgia.

I would also like to recognize and thank our outgoing Executive Council Members; Stephanie Cuddeback-Salim, Secondary (9-12) Representative, from Matignon High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sally Merryman, (K-8 Representative) from Smith Middle School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Phyllis VanBuren, (College/University Representative) from St. Cloud University, St. Cloud Minnesota and Liliana Soto-Fernández, Past-President, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, New York. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the AATSP.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for electing me as your AATSP President for 2013; I will do my best to serve you and the organization. My best wishes for a healthy and happy new year!

Hasta pronto/Até então

Laura A. Zinke
President, AATSP