Middle School Highlights at Grand Avenue and Merrick Avenue 
At Grand Ave Middle School, students participated in various activities during World Language Week. In CARES Connect Advisory, they discussed the importance of learning languages by sharing personal experiences. Activities included games like "Two Truths and a Lie," Wordle, "Guess the Flag," and world travel discussions. In world language classes, students engaged in trivia, a mystery speaker challenge, a spelling bee, and cultural sharing. They also donated food for International Women's Day. Students also created very impressive projects as they made their own versions of famous paintings from artists such as Pablo Picasso. For "Culture Sharing Day," students presented about their heritage, teaching classmates about different countries, traditions, and cultures from around the world. There were presentations about countries from all over the world including Haiti, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Jamaica, Egypt, Ireland, Italy, France, Honduras, Costa Rica, Chile, Korea, Taiwan, Trinidad, Russia, Serbia, Nicaragua, Greece, and many, many more. 

At Merrick Ave, the World Language department hosted a spirit week, with students and staff wearing something that represented the country or flag colors each day. Additionally, Mrs. Cohen’s, Mrs. Cooper’s, Mrs. DiChiara’s, Mrs. Kelly’s, Mrs. Schleith’s, Mrs. Steinhaus’, Mrs. Yaltzindeg’s, and Ms. Qiu's classes all took part in World Language Week celebrations. 

The week featured a variety of engaging activities, such as Mardi Gras celebrations with mask-making, King Cakes, and bead-earning. Students explored multilingualism by delivering announcements in different languages, participating in a multilingual Spelling Bee, and creating projects inspired by famous artists like Picasso and Frida Kahlo. They also celebrated International Women’s Day by researching and honoring influential women from around the world. Activities included cultural presentations, learning phrases in 16 different languages, and designing soccer player cards inspired by global soccer leagues. Students deepened their appreciation for various cultures, including Chinese New Year traditions and Hispanic achievements. The week emphasized community, linguistic diversity, and cultural exploration through fun and meaningful projects. 

High School Highlights at Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham 
During World Language Week, all three high schools’ World Language Departments engaged students in diverse activities. Volunteers delivered morning announcements in their native or studied languages, sharing cultural insights. Students and teachers explored the poster contest display, voting on entries reflecting the theme Languages Unite Communities. Winners from each school advanced to the district-level competition. 

At Calhoun High School, Ms. Dand and Ms. Maldonado created an "Around the World" slideshow that all world language teachers featured each day in their classes. The presentation focused on having students "visit" important cultural sites in various countries. Students also participated in a trivia contest. Students who answered the trivia questions correctly were entered into a daily raffle for a prize. 

Ms. Kefaliakos's student junior Wyatt Baxter shared his own passion for studying languages. Wyatt was interviewed by junior Mark Oladipo and the two discussed the importance of world languages in students’ lives. Wyatt, who was inspired by Junior Red Riendeau and her respective research paper on linguistics, actually created his own language called “Yetübinamed.” 

At Kennedy High School, Mrs. Fiorentino’s Culture Club contributed to presentations about multilingual celebrities. Students in Ms. Cabrera and Ms. Glick’s English as a New Language classes created trivia questions about popular movies in languages other than English. Students also shared our own school district’s linguistic diversity throughout the building. 

At Mepham High School, students learned about sports from countries representing the department’s offerings, watched a video, and answered trivia questions. Teachers led engaging activities celebrating various cultural and artistic contributions. 

Ms. Bursky and Ms. McNeil’s Spanish Honor Society decorated the World Language hallway with posters featuring famous Hispanic athletes and created a showcase honoring female Hispanic athletes for International Women’s Day. Ms. Bursky’s Spanish 3 classes explored Frida Kahlo’s life and art, while Spanish 2H students researched influential Hispanic women. To conclude the week, all students honored inspiring women in their lives. 

Ms. LoMonaco’s AP Spanish students presented on renowned Hispanic artists, analyzing their cultural impact and comparing them to non-Hispanic artists to explore artistic influence and societal reflection. Ms. Feld’s and Ms. McNeil’s College Spanish classes studied Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, recognizing her lasting influence on music and Hispanic culture. Ms. Qiu’s Mandarin class enjoyed a creative paper-folding activity, crafting hearts and boats as meaningful gifts for loved ones. 

Ms. Montuori’s Italian Honor Society researched Italy’s national sport, il calcio, and created informational posters about it to share with the Mepham community along the World Language hallway. On Wednesday, March 5th, the Mepham community celebrated the 20th annual Italian Culture Night. After weeks of preparing the program, the theme of which was Esploriamo Italia,the many attendees were treated to a presentation about popular Italian cities and delicious Italian cuisine donated by local restaurants and families. Among the many highlights of the evening were a poetry reading by Nicholas Iemma and a beautiful opera ballad sung by Alana Muniz. Special thanks to the emcees, Mia Stellmann, Victoria LoBasso, Josephine Miccio, Nicholas Iemma, Skyla Collins, and Arisleiny Clase.