PHS Will Celebrate National World Language Month
By Emma Risinger
March is national world language month! It is a time when schools across the nation celebrate the world’s diversity of languages and culture. The main purpose of the month is to recognize the importance of learning a second language in high school.
PHS Spanish club sponsor, Mrs. Marta Victor, provided her insight on the importance of learning a second language in high school replying, “There are many reasons to try learning a foreign language, but one of the most important to me is that a second language can open doors further down the road that you didn't even know existed. There are so many careers today that benefit from knowing a second language. Also, just being exposed to a second language and the culture of that language has a multitude of benefits academically and personally. I love hearing stories from my students, both past and present, of the satisfaction they received from reaching out and communicating with someone in their native language.”
In a survey of PHS students, 55% of respondents said that they encounter foreign language in music, 65% hear it in movies, and 54.8% of students see it on social media. In addition, 23.8% said that they have a family member or friend who speaks another language, and 30% of students encounter foreign languages from other native speakers. Clearly, foreign languages are all around us, further emphasizing the importance of having an awareness of them.
There are a number of opportunities to learn a foreign language at PHS. Of course, students can take Spanish 1 and 2, and they can even join the Spanish club.
In the previously mentioned survey, it was found that 81.9% of PHS respondents have taken a foreign language class. In addition, nearly 85% of respondents thought that learning a second language was anywhere from moderately to very important in life.
Ashley Wacker, Spanish club vice president, gave her thoughts on the value of learning a second language saying, “I think it is super important to know a second language, whatever language it may be. With how diverse our world is becoming more and more each day, knowing some basic conversation in a different language (can) just be life saving.”
It is clear to see the value of speaking a second language is significant, so over the course of this month, Spanish club will be having a weekly challenge to raise awareness.
