After completing every Spanish level that LT has to offer, Lucy Meehan ‘17 decided to take on a challenge. She was determined to expand and share her Spanish knowledge by doing an independent study, here at LT.

“It’s really cool to be able to teach people the material I have already learned,” Meehan said.

Meehan began taking Spanish when she was in pre-school and as she moved onto middle school she found that she had already learned the material and decided to take a placement test in eigth grade that allowed her to take Spanish 2 Accel at SC.

“[Spanish] has always come kind of easily to me,” she said.

The independent study consists of teaching other students vocabulary, while also mastering new material. Meehan is currently reading a play titled El Colour de Nuestra Piel (The Color of Our Skin) about racism in Mexico during the early 1900s. She is graded on oral presentations, as well as tests about the play by Spanish teacher Ellen Acuña. This will be Acuña’s third year teaching Meehan.

“Shes always demonstrated a strong desire to speak in Spanish and she’s always very well prepared in class,” Acuña said. “She has an enthusiasm that is admirable for someone taking a foreign language.”

The process for creating Meehan’s independent study required a lot of paperwork and approval. Acuña had to present a form that described the course work of the independent study to the division chair, Meehan’s parents and administration, all of which had to approve the independent study, she said.

“[Acuña] had to put in a lot of extra work to make it happen,” Meehan said. “I’m really happy she was wiling to do this for me.”

Meehan plans to either double major with Spanish and business or minor in Spanish. She also hopes to study abroad in Spain to experience the cultural aspects, Meehan said.

“She is doing a very good job already,” Acuña said. “She is making the process very easy because she is very organized and enthusiastic about what we are doing.”