Spanish Conversation Circle at Westwood Public Library

Steve Shinopoulos, a Westwood High School alumnus, has begun a Spanish language conversation circle at the main branch of the Westwood Public Library. “One of the most important things for me is to make sure I keep up with improving my Spanish. I've practiced Spanish at various times in my life; at the Thurston [Middle School] and Westwood High, as a summer English teacher in Costa Rica, and again this past summer when I returned to Costa Rica for a backpacking trip. I stopped practicing after these phases in my life, so the conversation group has been a great way to stay true to my goal of becoming fluent in Spanish,” explains Shinopoulos of the genesis of the circle.

He reports there are four regulars who attend the circle, and other occasional attendees. “There is a good mix of fluency in the group. We have one former Spanish professor, two intermediate speakers (myself included), and one beginner. We've been experimenting with different activities such as games, and show and tell in order to bridge the gap between people of different speaking levels,” he says of the levels of Spanish fluency in the group.

Shinopoulos adds “It's open to anyone interested in improving their Spanish speaking skills. The group is conversation based so some familiarity with speaking Spanish is helpful, but we welcome anyone who wants to participate and work on their Spanish conversation skills. It's a relaxed and supportive atmosphere at the conversation group. We're exploring different activities to make learning Spanish fun, and everyone has been pitching in to help each other improve.”

The next Spanish conversation circle will be at the Westwood Public Library on July 23 at 7pm in the conference room. Contact Steve directly at Shinop87@gmail.com with any questions.