Congratulations, Scholarship Winners!

Meet our Spring 2022 recipients and how they are using their funds!

Congratulations to our 2022 Spring Student Winner, Swagnita Das!

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My name is Swagnita Das and I am a sophomore at Appoquinimink High School. I am currently in Spanish 3 and in the ASPIRA club in my school. I enjoy figure skating, playing the viola, and reading. I also have a passion for psychology and learning about different cultures.

I want to research and learn about the history and colonialism of the Spanish language and the shaping of the culture surrounding it. 

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Congratulations to our 2022 Spring Student Winner, Caroline Dooley!
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My name is Caroline Dooley, I'm currently a 10th grader attending the Charter School of Wilmington. I've been learning German for the past handful of years with the Delaware Saengerbund in Newark through the Deutsche Schule; and I began learning French through my high school, CSW. Both languages, I have grown to love, and see the beauty in, though I can understand how some may raise an eyebrow at the "beauty" of the German language. I hope to attend university in Germany, with the help of mastering adjective conjugations, and becoming a natural at finding the very literal translations of common day-to-day words (letter = Buchstabe = book-stab/stabbing into a book).

 Scholarships: 2021-2022 Grant and Scholarship Applications are closed.
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On behalf of DECTFL, the Grant & Scholarship subcommittee hopes that you are having a great start to the school year! 
We are pleased to announce that this year we will offer two rounds of grants and scholarships to teachers, students, and teacher candidates. 
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A classroom library, online resources, professional development, special projects, field trips, and study abroad have all been supported in the past, but the funds can be used for anything that enhances learning languages inside or outside of the classroom.
Cycle 2 Deadline: Applications are closed
Cycle 2 Deadline: Applications are closed.

Teachers ($500)

Students ($250)

Teacher Candidates ($250)

Applications are open to members and will be submitted by Google Form.

  • To be eligible, all applicants (or their teachers, in the case of students) must be in good standing with DECTFL in regard to membership. 
  • Please make note that all submissions must be made through the official Grant/Scholarship Google Forms found on the application documents.  Emailed or paper applications will not be considered.    
  • Also, please make sure that your application is complete by the deadline; incomplete applications will not be considered. 
  • Email Grant / Scholarship Subcommittee Chair Vinny Civarelli (vcivarelli@charterschool.org) if you have any questions.

Meet Past Scholarship Winners!

Congratulations to our 2021 Fall Teacher Winner, Justin Greenberg!
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Justin Greenberg lives in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife and two children.  He has taught Spanish at the Charter School of Wilmington for 8 years and prior to that taught for three years at the Salesianum School. Justin studied Spanish at the University of Delaware but a study abroad trip to Ecuador during his senior year of college completely changed his perspective on what language learning could be. He earned a Master’s degree from the University of Delaware in Foreign Language Literature and Pedagogy in 2008 and was fortunate enough to serve as a teaching assistant during study abroad programs to Panama, Argentina, and Costa Rica during this time in graduate school.  His experiences living with families abroad shaped him personally and professionally and is reflected in his approach to the Spanish classroom. 

In his free time he enjoys gardening, drinking yerba mate, running, and long walks with his chocolate lab.

Justin will  fund a live screening along with a Q&A for Five Years North, an award-winning PBS documentary that will inspire viewers and generate empathy around issues of poverty and immigration.  It focuses on the intimate journey of a migrant living in New York City.
Congratulations to our 2021 Winter Teacher Winner, Ryan Allen!
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Originally from eastern Pennsylvania, Ryan has lived with his wife, Lauren, in southern Delaware for the past seven years teaching Spanish in the Delmar School District. He began his L2-learning in 8th grade and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hispanic Languages and Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2015, he earned his Master’s degree in Education from Kutztown University and is currently working on his Ed.D. at Salisbury University. His research interests include the intersection of language acquisition and identity, as well as the role of curriculum in teachers’ sense of self-efficacy.
    Ryan spends his free time playing the bass guitar, traveling while sampling a wide variety of food wherever he goes, and training in various forms of martial arts.

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Congratulations to our 2021 Fall Teacher Candidate Winner, Bonnie Brunton!
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I have a background in counseling, art, and French and have spent some time in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Several years ago, I had the chance to do a Cultural and Educational trip to Nicaragua and provided groups and activities in conjunction with other members of the group. This experience led me to change my career to teaching and working with children.
As an ARTC candidate, I recently took the Praxis II exam for ELA after graduating with my MFA in Creative Writing from Temple. I took a long-term sub position at McKean which was a wonderfully supportive place for a new ELA teacher. The students were creative and practical – enjoying art and languages as well as practical studies such as horticulture and automotive. Not one who enjoys taking tests, I had been avoiding taking the Praxis test for many years, but Dr. Caputo, the principal at McKean, encouraged me to take the ELA Praxis. Also, I met the French and Italian teachers at McKean who shared their experiences with teaching languages and suggested I consider it. This grant will help me prepare for the French Praxis test. 
Now, I am off to Cleveland White school working towards my ELA cert and hopefully getting a chance along with ELA to bring art, books, creative writing and support for languages to the students there.

In an effort to become a certified and highly qualified World Language Teacher, Bonnie will use the money received to cover some of the testing and teacher program costs required in this endeavor.  

Congratulations to our 2021 Winter Student Winner, Mikayla Dayton!

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Mikayla (Kaza) Dayton is a junior at Sussex Academy. She is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate and a 2021 Miss Delaware’s Outstanding Teen Candidate. Some scholastic honors include being a 2021 Carson Scholar, National Honor Society member and Mu Alpha Theta-Math Honor Society member, in addition to being the Class of 2022 Vice President. Her most notable role is being the student “teacher” for a Middle School Spanish Club. Mikayla’s passion has always been in the Spanish classroom, so she continues this passion with middle school students through El Club de Español. She hopes to double major in Spanish and Secondary Education in college, as well, with hopes of becoming a high school Spanish Teacher. Teaching has always been her passion and Mikayla is excited for future experiences with her “students”. As an inspiring educator, it has been such a rewarding experience for her to work with students in Spanish Club and teach them about Spanish content that she is passionate about. ​

Congratulations to our Spring 2021 Teacher Candidate Winner, Paige Rubakh!

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Hola. My name is Paige Rubakh, and I was fortunate enough to receive the DECTFL Teacher Candidate Scholarship. Learning a second language has taught me that language is beautiful and that words are powerful. It has taught me that languages can serve as a bridge between people and cultures, and learning them helps you to cross them. Most importantly, what I have gained more than anything from learning Spanish is my passion for teaching the language and culture to others. Because of my ardent passion for Spanish and Education, I am eager to continue learning and growing as a Spanish speaker and educator of the language. The DECTFL scholarship will directly help me to do this by providing me with the necessary resources to continue my educational studies and professional development in DECTFL and other worldwide professional organizations.  I am so grateful and thrilled to begin this journey!

Congratulations to our Spring 2021 Student Winner, Sophia "
Sophie" Douglas!

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Hi! My name is Sophie Douglas and I am in ninth grade at Appoquinimink High School. I have been learning Spanish since I was five years old and I have taken the class in school for seven years. I truly love the language and the cultures associated with it. For this project, I wanted to combine two of my favorite things. I love making and trying new foods as well as going to museums. I plan on creating meals from different Spanish speaking countries and sharing the process. To further expand my knowledge, I am going to spend the extra funds attending different Hispanic Heritage Museums. I am very excited to start this journey and I hope you follow along with me! ​

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