Around the world in a day

STANHOPE-Lanape students are learning that their professional lives will take place in a global marketplace. To give students a taste of things to come, the school recently held its 10th Annual Language Village by transforming the media center into the quaint towns representative of Spain, Germany, and France. The project that began weeks ago involved each of the 34 foreign language classes, and aimed to further develop the students' ability to communicate in a foreign language. The concept brings the students out of the classroom and into virtual real-life situations. "We wanted to have a measure of the students' progress, to find a way to test their proficiency," said Spanish teacher Rina Maslow. Students working in teams built the different "neighborhoods" which included a flower shop, post office, sweets shop, souvenir shop and restaurants. Because food is a major part of each country's culture, the village offered menu items specific to each region. The students were responsible for running the stations beginning with a customs inspection to gain entry into each country. They also sold items typical to each region. Students also served as tour guides, escorting visitors through the straße of Germany and the boulevards of France. High school seniors were asked to evaluate other students' pronunciation and accent, word usage, correct grammar, and an overall ability to communicate.