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Students Immerse Themselves in World Languages Week

Ranney students are exposed to three different languages—Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese—starting in Kindergarten and this past week, they got to dive even deeper into the world of languages with cultural presentations, cross-divisional dialogues and even food tastings.

Several events were held across campus January 27-31, 2014, as part of “Discover Languages Week.” The educational, fun-filled week, which is held in conjunction with the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages, is celebrated annually to promote language programs and their benefits. The Ranney events focused on appreciating world cultures and the importance of being bilingual, explained World Languages Chair Heidi Bonney.

The week started off with a sneak-peak into the world of the Beijing Opera, also known as Peking Opera. A performance and workshop given by Broadway and film choreographer Jamie H.J. Guan provided Lower and Middle School students with an inside look at Chinese musical acrobatic theater, including its history, choreography and exquisite costumes and makeup. Mr. Guan, who spent 15 years with the Peking Opera Troupe No. 1, brought small groups of students onto the RSPA Panther Hall stage to teach them a few martial arts and dance routines. He, and his assistant, also gave a condensed enactment of the “The Magic of the Monkey King,” including a demonstration of how Peking Opera actors apply makeup before a performance.

On Tuesday, students, faculty and staff alike wore nametags displaying which languages they speak, thereby prompting communication in a different language in the school’s hallways and meeting rooms. On Wednesday, Lower School students participated in a Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt in four languages. Students had to locate signs placed around the Lower School Academic Complex and then fill out a chart by writing the words on the sign in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

In the classrooms, several cross-divisional gatherings brought Upper School language teachers and students together with those in the Lower School throughout the week. For example, Mr. Matthew Allen, an Upper and Middle School Mandarin Chinese Teacher, spoke to Mrs. Ping Zhang’s fifth-grade Chinese class and Mrs. Jeanette Cordero’s fifth-grade Spanish class about his experience living in China for a year. After a brief presentation, the students were encouraged to ask each other questions in the language they are practicing, and then those conversations were translated in to English by the students. Mrs. Patricia Marshall, Associate Head for Academic Administration and Lower School Head, also spoke to one of Mrs. Cordero’s class about her time (eight years) living in Colombia, South America, as a student and teacher. Mrs. Marshall answered students’ questions about adjusting to the culture, including what the food was like and how she learned to speak Spanish with a Colombian accent.

Mrs. Maggie Reiter, an Upper School Spanish teacher, and her Spanish 5 Honors class, including seniors Rachel Bernstein, Soroya Dookie, Samantha Samuel, Melanie Scopelete, James Samson, Charles Ingulli, Jessica Herzog, Maddie Pflaster and Franki Toto, also visited a second-grade Spanish class. The Upper Schoolers gave a brief presentation to the Lower School students about seasons and the weather and then held mini Q&A sessions with them in Spanish to help their younger peers practice dialogue skills.

A Town Hall meeting toward the end of Discover Languages Week featured video presentations produced by Upper School students of French and Spanish. With the guidance of world language teachers Mrs. Isabelle Daly, Ms. Bonney, Ms. Meghan McGeehan and Mrs. Ina Gurman, the students had fun making music videos, commercials, cooking demonstrations and short films that featured them speaking, acting and singing in their language of choice.

Throughout the five-day celebration, Lower School Forensics Club students, with the help of French Teacher Madame Nancy Rosenthal and Sra. Cordero, produced morning announcements that focused on little-known facts about world languages and cultures. Students also enjoyed different world cuisines, including Italian, Mexican and Chinese, in the dining halls all week long. Outside of school, Middle Schoolers had a special lunch at a local Mexican restaurant with Mrs. Marcia Hernandez and Middle and Upper Schoolers attended a New Jersey Devils hockey game intended for students of French at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Students and teachers alike enjoyed an exciting Devils win, followed by a special post-game Q&A session with Devils’ Defenseman Peter Harrold. The memorable evening ended with everyone on the ice for pictures. “The entire evening was an enriching and fun experience for our French students,” says Middle School French Teacher Marianne Moran.

“Overall, we had a very successful week with students and teachers across all divisions engaged in a variety of activities to help promote languages and inspire them to learn more about different cultures,” says Ms. Bonney. “The Lower and Middle School students had a wonderful time on stage with Mr. Guan learning different aspects of the Beijing Opera and Upper School students appreciated the creativity and language use of fellow students after viewing their video presentations.”

Watch a video summarizing the week's events.

Learn more about Ranney's World Language program.
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.