Nowadays, many employers and colleges stress the importance of learning a second language. National Spanish Honor Society students have not only mastered a second language, but they put their skills to the test on a regular basis.

Each semester, members must complete an hour of service. Students have the option of tutoring Spanish students, assisting a CHS Spanish teacher or attend one of the many socials, or ‘charlas’ planned by NSHS sponsors Kathy Segler and Holly Whiting.

“We try to encourage times where we have total emersion,” Whiting said. “We want the students to be able to talk about what they want to talk about rather than the formal conversations in class.”

The semester’s first social was a dinner night at Ole’s Tex Mex on Tuesday. But, unlike normal dinners, attendees had intervals where they could only speak in Spanish.

“It’s funny to hear people try to talk in Spanish for so long when they aren’t fluent,” senior Jonathon Allen said. “But [socials] are a really good way for us to get practice and learn about other cultures outside of a classroom.”

Cards were set out throughout the tables with topics of conversations on each to get the students speaking in Spanish.

“Sometimes it’s hard for a person to think up what to say in a foreign language, so the cards are there to help trigger ideas” Whiting said.

Approximately 45 NSHS students showed up at Ole’s for the social Tuesday night.

“The best thing about socials is that I get my volunteer hour while I enjoy the company of my friends and eat good food,” senior Drew Hasson said.