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Ranney to Celebrate Discover Languages Week

Students in all divisions will be celebrating “Discover Languages Week” from January 27 to January 31, 2014. The educational, fun-filled week aimed at appreciating world cultures and the importance of being bilingual, will consist of several cultural celebrations, culminating with Chinese New Year on January 31.

The first major event will be a sneak-peak into the world of the Beijing Opera, also known as Peking Opera, taking place in RSPA Panther Hall on Monday, January 27. A performance and workshop given by Jamie H.J. Guan will provide Lower and Middle School students with an inside look at Chinese musical acrobatic theater, including its history, choreography and exquisite costumes and makeup.

Peking Opera is one of the most traditional and representational forms of the Chinese performing arts, incorporating music, poetry, singing, miming, recitation, dancing, acrobatics and martial arts. Mr. Guan spent 15 years with the Peking Opera Troupe No. 1, specializing in wu sheng martial arts warrior roles. He made his Broadway debut as an actor and choreographer in the Tony award winning “M. Butterfly.” He acted as an Associate Choreographer for the movie “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” and has taught studio courses in Peking Opera at New York University.

“Mr. Guan is currently working on a new Kung Fu show on Broadway—we are so lucky to have him on campus on his day off,” says Heidi Bonney, Ranney’s World Languages Chair.

Discover Languages Week is held in conjunction with the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Discover Languages month of February (Ranney is celebrating one week early). The event is celebrated annually to promote language programs and their benefits. “In our celebration at Ranney, we are promoting the work of our students. We are also working inter-divisionally and between languages to showcase what our students are learning at all levels,” explains Ms. Bonney.

Other events planned for next week include: a special world language collection on display in the Searle Library; interesting facts about language incorporated into morning announcements; staff and faculty testimonials about being bilingual; Lower School slideshows about world languages; a day in which students and staff who speak a language other than English will wear a tag with this information (“Hi, I speak….”) in an effort to promote communication in different languages; and cross-divisional student-led world language activities. An Upper School Town Hall meeting at the end of the week will include videos from various world language classes.

In addition, Middle School students will enjoy a special lunch at a local Mexican restaurant and Upper Schoolers are planning to attend a hockey game intended for students of French. All students can look forward to unique lunch menus that represent different world cuisines.


Ranney’s World Language Program

At Ranney School, students are exposed to three different languages, starting in Kindergarten: Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese. Taught in trimesters, kindergarteners and first graders learn vocabulary such as colors, body parts, days of the week and months of the year, as well as common phrases. Throughout this amazing experience, the children explore different cultures and gain a better understanding of where in the world these languages are spoken.

Beginning in second grade, students can elect to study one of the three languages more in-depth. Students meet twice a week throughout the remainder of their elementary years (grades 2-5) to develop their elected language, with proficiency increasing each year. This early and continuous course of study gives students the opportunity to gain insight into the cultures and civilizations of the target language countries, respect and insight into other cultures and an awareness of the nature of language that develops articulation and expression skills.

During the 2012-2013 school year, Ranney’s fifth-grade French language students scored nationally among their peers across the United States on the Elementary Level National French Exam. Five students scored in the top 10% of the nation.

In Middle School, students can choose to stick with their elected language or switch to a different language. All language classes offer a communicative approach to modern language learning, enabling students to develop their ability to use the language in situations of practical communication. Ranney students continue to receive insights into the culture and civilization of the target language and acquire a better awareness of the nature of language and language learning.

Eighth-grade students were among 24,000 students in the United States who completed the Level 1 National French exam in 2013. Of the 18 Ranney students who took the exam, nine finished within the top 20 ranks in the nation. Two students placed fourth and fifth in the nation. In the 2013 National Spanish Exam, one student received top honors and placed third in the state.

In the Upper School, French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese classes continue to be offered at all grade levels, including Spanish and French courses at the Honors and Advanced Placement level. Two Ranney seniors (class of 2014) have earned National Hispanic Recognition as program scholars.

“We hope that Discover Languages Week gives students a sense of pride in what they are accomplishing in the language they are learning and that they continue to appreciate other languages as well,” says Ms. Bonney.

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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.