After weeks of two-hour daily competition practices, eight students from MAN Demak were ready to compete in the 8th Annual ALSA English Festival in Semarang, Central Java. ETA Sabrina Verleysen and her co-teacher Ibu Emma accompanied the eight students throughout the English Festival and Competition. Students from MAN Demak fearlessly competed across four categories including storytelling, speech, debate, and news-casting. Sabrina has the opportunity to observe her students competing in the debate category from within the chambers of the preliminary rounds. She was blown away by their team work and their confidence delivering speeches about complex themes in English. Although none of the students from MAN Demak won first place, Sabrina could not have been more proud of her students for preparing so diligently for this competition and for their participation. For almost all of the students, this was their very first time participating in any type of English program so it was a fantastic learning experience for everyone, including Sabrina and Ibu Emma.

Sabrina Verleysen is currently teaching at MAN Demak, Central Java