By: Audrey Wichman
English Expo is a Language Arts competition for students in grades 6-12. Students compete in a variety of competitions, from essay writing, photographic essays, children’s books, and much more. Menaul School has sent students to this competition, which is usually held last Saturday in February (February 28) for the past several years.
Each student picks two competitions to participate in and works on their projects. Middle school students are enrolled in English Expo Competitive Elective class, while Upper School students work on their projects on their own. Middle School students use their class time to work ontheir projects. The competition is held at Atrisco Heritage High School, here in Albuquerque.
On the day of the competition, students and chaperones were excited for the day. After a quick orientation meeting, students went to their first competition, full of determination. After a short break, students then went to their next competition. A delicious and filling lunch was provided to students from our own Chef Wayne, which the students gobbled up cheerfully. After lunch, everyone waited for the scores to be tallied. Students and chaperones passed the time by playing chess matches.
The most exciting part of the day was during the awards ceremony. The very first category, Junior Division Poster, was very exciting. Yoel, a middle school student that participated in that category, won first place, but he was nowhere to be found. He had asked his teacher if it would be okay to go to the restroom, since the ceremony had not started yet. His teacher said yes, but neither Yoel nor his teacher knew how long the restroom line would be. Everyone sitting in the Menaul section was yelling “He’s in the bathroom!” several times to the presenters. Yoel came running towards the stage with a look of alarm on his face.
The rest of the awards ceremony was not as dramatic. Many students placed in the top five in their respected categories. After the ceremony was over, Students and staff took a group photo on stage, then headed back towards the bus. Overall everyone had a great experience at English Expo 2026.
Winners of the 2026 English Expo from Menaul School:
HIGH SCHOOL
Athena Rahman – 1st place – Book Covers
Leciana Marchiondo – 2nd place – Prose Writing, 4th place – Poetry Recitation
Janaye Foote – 3rd place – Proofreading
Mia Looks Twice – 5th place – Social Notes
Winter Shreve – 1st place – Vocabulary, 4th place – Shakespearean Monologue
Natalia Mejias – 3rd place – Original Storytelling
Niek Hulleman – 1st place – Informative Speaking
Jackson Walz – 5th place – Poetry Recitation
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Yoel Barela – 1st place – Posters
Liliana Goodman – 4th place – Poetry Writing
Eris Ferrara – 3rd place – Literature, 1st place – Shakespearean Monologue
Izzy Maestas – 3rd place – Poetry Recitation
