Earlier this month, a dedicated group of BH-BL and Ichabod Crane Distance Learning (DL) students had a valuable opportunity to visit the Modern Languages Department at Union College. Students enrolled in French, German, and Mandarin Chinese participated in a program specially created by department head, Doctor Ricci-Bell.
The day’s activities were designed to highlight the profound importance and impact of language learning in the modern world, as well as its connection to career readiness. Students attended a general assembly and then moved on to sit in on college-level classes for French, German, Mandarin, and Russian. A highlight of the day was the chance to collaborate with and interview current Union College students, providing an authentic look into college life.
The high school students reported that it was an “eye-opening experience.” Students who attended the Japanese or Russian classes particularly enjoyed being in an environment of learning and discovering a new language, proudly noting the progress they’ve made in their language studies at BH-BL.
“The visit served as a powerful validation of our program when I witnessed our high school juniors in upper-level college language courses easily conversing with Union College students in the target language.,” says Kate Palanza. “This proved to be a significant confidence boost for our students and is a testament to the high quality of our language curriculum. We are incredibly proud of our students and their commitment to language studies!”