Congratulations Francisco Zermeño and Christine Campbell!

Our chapter is pleased to welcome Francisco Zermeño as President-Elect and Christine Campbell as Treasurer of the Northern California Chapter of AATSP for the 2024-2025 term! Visit Who We Are to learn more about them, and we look forward to exciting programming in service to teachers of Spanish and Portuguese under the stewardship of President Becky Pozzi next year!

NorCal members are making waves these days:

Congratulations to Ali Miano and Liz Machett for their new leading roles and achievements.

Ali Miano is President-elect of California Language Teachers Association (CLTA)

Our own Ali Miano is President-elect of CLTA, the California Language Teachers Association. CLTA will meet in Monterey, on March 7-10, 2024.

Congratulations Ali!  

 NorCal member to receive 2023 AATSP Outstanding Teacher Award

 CLTA Executive Director, Liz Matchett, has been selected as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year – Secondary Level for 2023 by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. She will be recognized at the conference in Salamanca at the Awards Ceremony, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, from 12:00-13:20. Liz was the CLTA Outstanding Teacher Leader in 2012 and in 2016 she was the California Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations Liz! 

Ana María Shua: Es la Honorary Fellow de la AATSP - 2023

Ana María Shua tiene fama como la reina del microrrelato pero también es autora de novelas, poesía y cuentos infantiles. Dará una charla en el congreso de la AATSP en Salamanca y luego tendrá una actividad en la librería Letras Corsarias de Salamanca el 27 de junio a las 7:00 de la noche. Pude conocerla personalmente en una muy amena cena en su casa durante nuestra breve visita a Buenos Aires en marzo: ella es un encanto total. Pueden descubrir su obra fácilmente en Amazon.com. Pedí sus microrrelatos reunidos en el volumen Todos los Universos Posibles por Amazon.com y el libro me llegó en unos pocos días.

Planning to attend the 2023 AATSP Annual Conference? Then, this is for you.

Dear AATSP Local Members:

The 2023 Annual AATSP Conference will take place 26-28 June in Salamanca Spain this year! Your local Board is pleased to offer a $500 Travel Stipend this year.

Applicants are asked to submit a bio (100-word maximum) and address the following 3 areas in the 400 to 500-word application:

• The ways attendance will impact the applicant’s teaching and/or research;

• The ways the applicant will disseminate information gleaned at the conference, e.g., presentation for the Department upon return, posting of a summary on an online platform, etc.

• The topic of the conference presentation the applicant will be giving, if that is the case.

Applicants are asked to submit their application to

Campbelllanguageconsultants@gmail.com

by March 10.

Include the heading: 2023.AATSP-Salmananca

AATSP NorCal Chapter 2022 Poster Contest

This year's theme is “Valorando nuestras raíces y construyendo nuestro futuro” / “Valorizando nossas raízes e construindo nosso futuro.”

Please review this page in detail for entry guidelines, and feel free to contact the Chapter Poster Contest Coordinator, Raquel Rodriguez, at raquel.rodriguez@sjsu.edu if you have any questions. We look forward to receiving your posters!

General Rules

• Only hand-drawn posters will be accepted.

• Sponsoring teachers must be AATSP members whose dues are current for 2022.

Poster Rules

• The Spanish and/or Portuguese theme(s) must be included on the poster.

• Each poster must be the original work of one student; no group entries.

• Posters should measure approximately 12 × 18 inches (but no larger than ½ poster board size).

• Bold colors, clear artwork, and easy-to-read messages are best; no 3D or raised pieces allowed.

• Primary captions and the majority of poster dialogue, text, or writing must be in Spanish or Portuguese.

• Artwork should represent the Hispanic and/or Luso-Brazilian cultures and Spanish and/or Portuguese languages in a prominent way.

• All posters must be the student’s original, creative artwork, including illustrations, images, or quotations. Depictions of cartoon, video game, movie, television, or theme characters, or recreations of past poster designs do not constitute creativity or originality.

• Absolutely no copyrighted images, figures, or wording are to be used. AATSP holds no liability for copyright infringement. 

• Each poster must be accompanied by the Student Information Form taped to the back of the poster.

• Submit posters to Chapter Poster Contest Coordinator at the address below. Posters must be received by Monday, March 7, 2022.
  Raquel Rodriguez
  PO Box 695
  San Juan Bautista, CA 95045

Judging Criteria & Prizes

Posters will be judged on their visual impact, overall appealing effect, applicability to the theme, neatness, creativity, and originality. 

A cash prize of $50 will be awarded to 1st place winners in each of the five following categories:

• Category grades K–1st

• Category grades 2nd–3rd  

• Category grades 4th–5th

• Category grades 6th–8th 

• Category grades 9th–12th

All other participants will receive participation certificates. Chapter winners will be announced no later than Monday, March 21, 2022.

The AATSP Chapter Poster Contest Coordinator will submit the 1st place poster in each category to AATSP Poster Contest Coordinator for judging at the national competition.  Teachers of winning students will be notified by the end of May 2022. Winning posters will be displayed on the AATSP website, showcased at the annual conference, and reprinted as necessary. 

Congratulations Dr. Christine Campbell, 2020 AATSP Distinguished Leadership Awardee!

New announcement

Distinguished Leadership Award: Anne Fountain, San José State University, San Jose, CA

The 2021 AATSP Distinguished Leadership Award is granted to Dr. Anne Fountain. Fountain has been an active AATSP member for over 50 years, and she has been the recipient of two important AATSP Awards: Distinguished Service Award (1999) and Outstanding Teaching Award (1994). She served as the 2016 AATSP President, the AATSP North Carolina Chapter President (1984-1986), the AATSP North Carolina Chapter Vice President (1982-1984), and the AATSP Don Quijote Chapter of Northern California Communications Liaison (2017-present). 

Fountain has published eight books, 15 book chapters, and more than 50 journal articles and reviews. Also, she received from Sigma Delta Pi, Orden de José Martí (2019), which was bestowed at the 101st AATSP Annual Conference. Fountain has been a member of the Board of several prestigious organizations: Southwest Conference on Language Teaching (SWCOLT) (2005-2008), Joint National Committee for Languages - National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) (1995- 1997 and 1997-1999), and the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) (1991- 1994). She has also served on the Executive Council for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) (1996-1999).

 Her colleagues celebrate her accomplishments and her lifetime dedication by serving our profession. Lynne McClendon, Past SCOLT Executive Director, points out Fountain’s mentoring work: “regardless of her involvement in various professional organizations, Anne always took the time to mentor, not only to her students but also to conference participants and many sought her out.” Likewise, Mary Risner commends Fountain’s commitment to languages: “Anne is a passionate and dedicated educator who loves spreading the excitement of learning languages and cultures across grade levels and avidly supports the study of Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous languages through publications and dissemination of materials at conferences.” 

Awardee Statement: It is an honor to receive this award, and I accept it with deep appreciation. My engagement with this organization for over five decades has enriched my life and been the source of long-standing friendships and collaborations. As a home for national exams in Spanish and Portuguese, honor societies including Sigma Delta Pi, distinguished publications, support for scholarship and singular outreach options for K-12 learners, AATSP represents an extraordinary level of professional service. Those benefits, along with the dedication of my chapter colleagues in California and North Carolina and those with whom I served on the Board of Directors, have been a wellspring of information and inspiration. In recognizing me, you recognize all of them. Thank you, AATSP!

A Tribute to Sandra Garcia Sanborn
California State University-Stanislaus 

One reason there is now a thriving NorCal AATSP chapter is that a dynamic and dedicated professor at California State University-Stanislaus stepped up to help make it happen.  This tribute is an acknowledgement of the incredible energy and work of a stellar colleague, Sandra García Sanborn and why all of us in the NorCal chapter owe her a thunderous applause. 

 When I moved to San Jose in 2002 one of my first acts was look for a local AATSP chapter; I had been a chapter President in North Carolina and looked forward to joining a chapter in Northern California. While I didn’t find one at first, the concerted efforts of Christine Campbell, (a marvelous and distinguished leader who has put our chapter on the map!), and Agnes Dimitriou (another long-time AATSP member) brought the dormant chapter back to life.

I attended my first NorCal chapter meeting in March 2013, and since that first meeting, I’ve been able to see the innumerable ways that Sandra has contributed to chapter life. Sandra is modest, but she has worked tirelessly to support the chapter, coordinating with the FLANC conference, volunteering for countless tasks without seeking credit for herself, and organizing spring workshops. I attended the January 30, 2016, workshop Sandra organized at University of the Pacific and can attest to its success. It featured an impressive array of sessions, a lunch, and a Poster Contest presentation. Sandra’s planning was exemplary.

In spring 2016, I requested ideas from members for my April President’s letter for the AATSP website, and Sandra, as President Elect of the NorCal chapter, answered the call. Here is what she wrote.

“Professionalism, academic expertise, generosity, are the first words that come to mind when trying to define my experience with AATSP.  Through the Northern California Chapter, AATSP has recently reached the California Central Valley region offering free workshops, the poster contest, and the opportunity to network at the local level while feeling recognized by one of the most prestigious language associations in the country.  Enthusiasm is building fast among teachers and students, and the very first SHA Chapter in the region has just been launched.  Whether enjoying a scholarly article from one of its journals or witnessing the involvement growing in my community, I can only be grateful to AATSP for being such a constant and formidable companion in my professional endeavors.”
As chapter President, Sandra took steps to invigorate the chapter, expand its membership, and undertake an outreach to graduate students. She assumed the presidency of the Northern California chapter at a time of transition in the AATSP national office and faced the need for a new chapter website as well as new and more complex stipulations about chapter finances. She consulted other chapter websites for ideas and handled the financial details successfully. 

At the 2019 AATSP national conference in San Diego, Sandra gave a marvelous session “Unleashing Creativity and Diverse Thinking through Poetry,” where her teaching skills were on full display. Her presentation showed how a mural about the Filipino role in the Delano Grape Strike that began in 1965 could serve as a springboard for small group discussion, followed by the composition of poems by each group. Sandra offered an updated and virtual version of the San Diego session at the AATSP chapter meeting held on October 3, 2020.  

Sandra is generous in sharing teaching materials with colleagues. In fall 2020, she sent information to AATSP chapter members about the LASRG (Latin American Studies Reading Group) at CSU-Stanislaus. The LASRG programming and materials helped boost interest in the Latin American Studies minor at her university and can serve as a model for other colleges and universities. The informational flyers shared provided a road map that others can follow, and the focus on women writers, Central American poets and a Native American (Lakota) author as well as luminaries like Jorge Luis Borges revealed Sandra’s wide reading and professional expertise. 

Now, after six years on the chapter’s Executive Board as President Elect, President, and Past President, Sandra serves as Communications Coordinator. Through all, she has been the ideal colleague: cordial, good-natured, easy to work with, and always ready to help the chapter and her fellow teachers succeed.

 Un cielo celeste de agradecimiento, querida colega,

Anne Fountain