Babylon HS Celebrates National Foreign Language Week

Babylon High School celebrated National Foreign Language Week by decorating the school lobby and cafeteria with banners that highlighted a different country each day.

The students celebrated Ireland on Monday, March 4, followed by Mexico, France and Italy. The last day of the week served as International Day, to pay homage to all the countries around the globe. “Students were exposed to international music, while enjoying a cafeteria menu catered to the country being highlighted each day,” said Babylon High School world languages teacher Michelle Scharff. “Morning announcements had an international twist, with the greeting spoken in the language of the day, along with fun facts about the culture. On the final day of the celebration, students enjoyed an international dessert buffet in the bistro, provided by members of the World Language Club.”

Throughout the week, various activities were offered to promote cultural awareness and allow for research and discussion about the many languages and cultures of the world. Students were encouraged to search for shamrocks to receive their pot o' gold on Monday, took a chance for a piñata prize the next day, then found the Eiffel Towers around the school for a French--inspired reward, and finally spun the "Wheel of Pizza" for prizes on Thursday. They turned in their stamped their Foreign Language Week passports on the final day of the week for a chance to win New York Yankees tickets. Students also worked all week on a trivia quest, answering questions posted outside of teachers' classrooms as part of their international journey. Once completed, their passports were stamped by a language teacher and they were entered into a drawing to win the tickets.