From Monday, Jan. 8 to Friday, Jan. 12, the World Languages Department will host the annual World Languages Week. The purpose of this week is to promote the study and use of foreign languages.

The teachers have a number of activities planned throughout the week, starting with five minute activity at the beginning of each class. This activity will expose students to different aspects of a language, while also showing them the cultures of various foreign countries. The language studied in this activity will not always be the same of the class, as the goal is to broaden the students’ knowledge.

“Foreign language teachers will expose the students to different languages or neat things in the language they’re currently studying like cultural tidbits or colloquialism,” said Mrs. Pohlman, Spanish teacher.

There will also be a poster contest, and the winner of the contest will receive an unspecified prize.

“I never expected to win the poster contest because I only entered for fun, but it was definitely a nice surprise,” said Samia Douedari, last year’s winner.

Quest will also feature food from different countries at lunch, with a new country each day. Items across the school will also be labeled in a foreign language. For example, a shelf in the library will have a label that shows the translation in French, Spanish, German, and Latin.

“I hope that the students realize how fun it is to take a foreign language. Often times in class we get so caught up with grammar, vocabulary, speaking, and writing that it is hard to realize that there is something more beyond the classroom,”  Mrs. Pohlman said, “The impact language has in the real world is underestimated, and students need to realize that.”

The activities have a four-year cycle, so each student will not experience the same week twice from freshman to senior year. The activities may be tweaked every four years, but the cycle generally remains the same.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDbZ_aPhNtk/?hl=en&taken-by=srtabrodell

World Languages Week is one of the many efforts the World Languages Department does to show other aspects of a foreign language. Another event the World Languages Department is doing is an exchange trip to Spain in the spring, allowing Spanish students to experience Semana Santa, a cultural religious celebration, outside of the classroom.

For more information about World Languages Week, check the daily announcements after winter break.