The Mission of the Foreign Language Department is to teach and assist students in developing proficiency in another language in order for them to become successful in a multi-cultural world. During this process, we introduce to the students to the culture, history, literature, and politics of the countries, where the languages are spoken. We incorporate ACTFL’s (American Council on the Teaching Foreign Language) Guidelines of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons and Communities. We want the students to compare and contrast their own culture with other cultures so they might have a better understanding of the world. Students gain a thorough understanding of their own language and culture learning another language and culture.

    Students learn to speak, read, write and understand the foreign language or languages they choose. They are engaged in individual and group work daily, which may include: writing and acting out short stories, dialogues, songs, and plays. They listen to music, newscasts, stories and watch videos, presentations and other programs to enhance comprehension. They read articles, short stories, and novels that are geared to their level in order to advance them to a higher level. We employ auditory, kinesthetic, and visual activities daily in order to mimic the natural language learning process

    If students continue to the upper levels of language, they will be prepared to pass the entrance and placement exams in the language at the college or university level. Then they can take those skills to a highly advanced level, where they can use the language in a profession where bilingual skills would be an asset, like international business, engineering, research, education, medicine etc. 

    We offer four modern languages and one classical. Our languages are Chinese, French, German and Spanish and Latin. We offer 5 levels, level 1 in the 8^th grade to advanced placement (AP) in all languages except Chinese, since it is only the first year of Chinese. All the languages have numerous extended learning activities ranging from honor societies and clubs to exchange programs, travel, and competitions. All the teachers are very involved with their students and with professional organizations in their language.


Courses and Staff