Recent news and updates from our Chapter President,
Mr. Bernie López:
Dear Member and Colleague,
On behalf of the officers and the board of directors of the chapter, I want to wish you all a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! If 2018 was a bad year for you, then burn it physically or mentally and look forwards to a better 2019.
On another note, today I conclude 16 years of being the chapter president. It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this chapter. I believe that the chapter has come a long way to providing assistance to its members and their students. I thank you for your support and kindness that you have showed me. I'm sure that our new president, Gabriela Altomarino,will do great things for our chapter and bring us light years into the future.
You will continue to hear from me as I have been appointed by the board to be the Director of Communications for the chapter. I hope I can fulfill the responsibilities, so that I'm not asked by the president to submit my resignation (LOL).
Things to remember:
1. The deadline for the Chapter Poster Contest and the Website Competition is
Monday, January 28, 2019. Please remember that teachers who enter students in competitions must be members of the AATSP. See the attached Contest and Website tabs for more information.
2. The AATSP offers many opportunities to its members and their students. Here is an unexpected scholarship opportunity for teachers of Spanish.
From the AATSP National Office:
Dear AATSP Chapter Presidents/President-Elects,
Greetings from the National Office. Please look at the message below from Chris Shirley, Georgetown University. The US Youth Ambassadors Program includes a 3-week language/culture immersion in South America, fully funded by the US State Department. They still have slots available for adult Spanish teachers! The deadline to apply is approaching fast. If you know of someone who could take advantage of this great opportunity, please forward them this email. The program’s website is: https://www.worldlearning.org/program/youth-ambassadors-program/
4. Nearly 800 members attended the National Conference in Salamanca. We were recognized as the Chapter of the Year. I accepted the award on behalf of the chapter; I indicated to the audience that winning the award this year was very special for us. Special as we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the association and at the fact that our chapter was the first chapter established in 1917. Our chapter was well represented at the conference.
Congratulations to Myrza Méndez-Torres who won a scholarship for attending the conference for the first time.
Besides being the chapter president, I am the chapter historian. As I went through the archives, I found our chapter constitution; it had been last amended in October 1972. I thought it might be time to update it. It did need to bring us more in line with national guidelines. A committee composed of Francisco Garcia Quezada, Mary Leptak, Louie Oliveira and headed by Erin DiGiuseppe worked on updating the constitution. I thank them for their work on this document. Attached below you will find the final product.
5. Attached below you will also find our December newsletter of the year with much information regarding this year's events.
As always, if there are any questions, please send them to me.
BLopez.aatspmetny@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Bernie López
