Farmingdale High School recently celebrated National Foreign Language Week, with food, fun, and festivities that made the week all the more special for everyone involved.
Foreign Language Week is a time for schools across the country to not only acknowledge the various dialects in our nation, but to embrace the culture they accompany. In Farmingdale, students celebrate by specifically recognizing languages that are taught in the district, including: Spanish, French, Italian and American Sign Language.
Each day of the week—Monday through Thursday—a different language is celebrated. The week prior, students order food that will be delivered to their classrooms throughout the week. Inside the language halls are filled with the aromas of hot pizza, tasty enchiladas, and fresh garlic knots.
Farmingdale High School also participates in yearly Foreign Language Week poster competition, sponsored by Long Island Language Teachers Inc. Once a year, students in language levels two and three must design a poster based off a theme. The best posters are then submitted to a Long Island-wide competition.
This year’s theme is: Unmask Cultures, Be a Polyglot—meaning one who speaks more than three languages.
However foreign language week is not just about the food or competition.
“It’s not just about the food for the students, it’s something special going on throughout the week,” said Spanish teacher Mr. Saturnino Rodriguez, “It’s an opportunity for the students to recognize the different languages and cultures we have.”
Rodriguez has been an incredibly influential person in organizing foreign language week throughout the years. He enjoys what the event offers students, and said it is a “good opportunity for kids in the Language Honor societies to help out with school events.”
Initially, Foreign Language Week was a bigger event, but it has been downsized in recent years. However, through the efforts of High Schol Principal Glen Zakian, foreign language week has not been completely eliminated.
“We would love it to be bigger,” said Rodriguez, “but we hope to keep up the pattern we’ve had for the last couple of years thanks to Mr. Zakian. He’s the one that has allowed us to continue it without interfering too much with the rest of the school day.”
Farmingdale High School faculty, teachers, student and staff partaking in the tradition of Foreign Language Week, hope to continue this tradition for many years to come.
