FOREIGN LANGUAGES at SKHS
We offer three languages at SKHS…
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FRENCH |
ITALIAN |
and SPANISH! |
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National Honor Societies
Students of French, Italian and Spanish are invited to join national honor societies based on their achievement and interest in their language. On May 4, 2010, 17 students of French were inducted or renewed into the Société Honoraire de Français, 43 students of Italian into the Società Onoraria Italica, and 24 students of Spanish into the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica.
College Credit Opportunities
Students of French, Italian and Spanish are offered college credit through either the Rhode Island College Early Enrollment Program (EEP) or the College Board Advanced Placement (AP Central) programs that we offer here at SKHS at the fourth
year of French, Italian or Spanish study.
Here in French we have had several busy years…
NATIONAL FRENCH EXAM CONTEST
Over the years, more and more SKHS students participate in the nation-wide contest and perform exceptionally well in a field dominated by elite institutions. For
In the 2011 Grand Concours…
· SK students ranked fourth and tenth at level 1.
· SK students ranked sixth, eighth and ninth at level 2.
· In level 3, SK students placed second (this student was also the top scoring public school student in levels 1-3) and eighth in the state .
· In level 4, an SK student placed fourth in RI.
These students also placed nationally ranging from fifth to eighteenth!
FRENCH CLUB
In French Club, we have been celebrating French holidays, traditions and foods such as…
· Chandeleur (making crepes)
· Mardi Gras
· Le Jour des Rois (King's Day)
· lots of traditional French food
· French films
It has become a tradition for students to learn holiday songs in French and to perform them in the halls the day before the holiday break.
FRENCH TRIPS
Voyage en France - In July of 2010, Mme Johnson escorted a group of students to Paris and Normandy. The trip, the first in several years, gave these students the opportunity to see first hand the glories of France that are only seen through pictures and video in the classroom. And they spoke French!
Museum of Modern Art – The Impressionists are a highlight of the French 3 program. The biannual field trip to view the real thing is anticipated again for this spring for students in levels 3 and 4.
The Italian students have made such accomplishments in and outside of school here at SKHS! Here are some examples…
Great NEWS for SKHS Italian Students!!!!!
AP ITALIAN Language and Culture course is back nation-wide!
Check out this article from the NY Times website:
Check out the RESULTS of SKHS Italian students on the AP Exam in past years:
NATIONAL ITALIAN EXAM CONTEST
Over the last EIGHT consecutive years …
· Each year SKHS has been the school with the largest number of participants in the National Italian Exam Contest in the ENTIRE STATE of RI!
· Each year the SKHS Italian students perform extremely well and PLACE State-wide and Nation-wide!
· The students that place among the top 3 in RI at each level are honored at the Annual RITI Scholarship Dinner in September, where they receive monetary awards!
In March 2011, we had …
· A student place 1st in the State of RI!
· TWO students place 3rd in the State of RI!
· FOURTEEN others placed among the top 10 in the State of RI!
- SIX of those students placed in the top 14 in the NATION!!!!
ITALIAN AWARDS
The following awards and scholarships have been granted to an impressive number of our students by the following RI Organizations.
· C.A.S.I.T., an organization funded by the Italian government – National essay contest!
· The Luigi Petrarca Book Award - a Book Award to two Italian 4 students of RI for academic achievement
· The Grand Lodge of RI, Order of the Sons of Italy Scholarship – Italian 4 student for academic achievement
· RI Teachers of Italian/Renaissance Alliance Lodge Outstanding Merit Award – Italian 3 personal oral interview contest in Italian!
· Mary Borra Award – “Fostering the Study of Italian for Level II students” – Italian 2 students essay contest!
ITALIAN TRIPS
IMMERSION DAY - Every year, Italian 1 and 2 students are invited to attend “Italian Immersion Day”, a day long event where the students are “immersed” in Italian culture and language with other Italian 1 and 2 students of RI. They also enjoy an Italian lunch. This is held at Lancellotta’s Restaurant hall in Providence.
YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY - After their extended research projects and oral presentations in Italian on specific artists and their works from different time periods, the AP Italian Language and Culture/Italian 4 and the Italian 3 classes were invited to visit the Yale University Art Gallery for a guided tour of various paintings representative of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art.
ITALIA - In the summer of 2006, fourteen SKHS Italian students went to Italy on a 10-day tour with EF Educational Tours. We visited Milan, Venice, Florence, Assisi, Pisa, Pompeii, Naples, the island of Capri, and Rome! The classroom came to life!
- In the summer of 2009, SKHS Italian and Spanish students went to Italy and Spain on an 11-day tour with EF Tours. We visited Florence, Assissi, Pisa, Rome in Italy and went over to Spain on an over-night ferry to visit Barcelona and Madrid.
-In the summer of 2011, over 25 students went to Italy on an 11-day tour with Mr. Jeremiah. They toured many of the same beautiful cities and some students stayed beyond the scheduled tour to visit more of Southern Italy including the beautiful regions of Puglia and Sicily!!!!
ITALIAN CLUB
We are proud to say that the Italian Club is now the LARGEST club here at SKHS!
All students are invited to come and celebrate Italian culture! The students engage in such activities as…
· Viewing Italian Films – current and classics, with subtitles.
· Celebrating La Befana – Jan 6… the day in which a good witch brings small presents to the children of Italy… yes, la Befana visits us!
· Celebrating Valentine’s Day – Feb 14… we write caring and loving messages in italiano and eat cioccolatini
· Celebrating International Women’s Day – March 8… we sell yellow flowers to the student body to promote awareness of the struggles women have faced in history to have equal footing with men. This is a holiday widely celebrated in many countries, not just Italy’s la Festa della Donna.
· Celebrating St. Joseph’s Day – March 19… we celebrate this national holiday by all wearing red and eating traditional and authentic Italian dishes made by the students, including zeppole!
· Visiting the Glass Station on Main St for a glass blowing demonstration of this Venetian tradition.
· Tie-dying Italian flag colors on t-shirts – verde, bianco e rosso!
· Italian Karaoke day!
¡Español!
Travel:
The Spanish students have traveled abroad over school vacations and summer break to use their Spanish skills!
- In April of 2009, a group went to Costa Rica
- In the summer of 2009, students visited cities in Spain and Italy!
- In April of 2012, some Spanish students will be traveling to Spain!
Classroom Activities:
Students are taught grammar and vocabulary rigorously through all four means of communication (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). They show their proficiency through a multitude of projects and presentations as well as tests and quizzes. For example, students have performed skits (ranging from simple greetings to hospital emergencies) and created shows (such as a fashion show or teaching others how to prepare a meal).
Tertulia:
Tertulia is in its third year at SKHS this year! It is an after-school opportunity to practice spoken Spanish outside of the confines of the classroom vocabulary and grammar. Students ranging from levels two through A.P. have attended and enjoyed simply discussing their lives, school events, social events, and even politics with their peers and a teacher. It is a fantastic way to get rid of those speaking-Spanish jitters and a nice way to connect with other students and a faculty member in the building.
Real-life:
Many student mark the importance of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture in our global and local communities. In class, we teach an appreciation for different cultures and lifestyles that students will confront on vacations, during study abroad, and in their future careers. Students who have had the privilege of traveling abroad during their summer vacations or studying abroad during a semester of high school note that their foundations at SKHS have paved the way for comprehension and communication throughout the world. This makes the student and the native speaker feel welcomed and accepted!!!!
Faculty:
In the foreign language department we have 8 teachers and many speak multiple languages! It is phenomenal to have teachers who are excited about foreign languages enough to study two or more! They embrace language and culture education to the fullest by sharing their personal knowledge of the language and all of their experiences abroad.
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