Congratulations to Ms. Dorfamn's Italian students Cynthia Gu, Ellie Park, Olivia Hurley, Thayer DiCerbo, Ella Mahony e Annabel Volpe. They have been recognized for their achievements in the Italian language contest organized by the Italian Consulate in Boston. The theme of the contest, "Italiano: un mondo tra le righe," centered around the role of books in exploring and learning about the world and ourselves.
In November, a group of twenty students participated in activities organized by the Italian Consulate to celebrate Italian creativity in the world . The students had the chance to explore the diversity of Italian creativity through practical and interactive experiences, engaging in educational workshops focused on theater, comics, robotics, and the transformation of bio-materials. This hands-on approach allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of Italy's rich cultural heritage.
The Mandarin teachers organized this special event with the New Legacy Cultural Center.
Thank you to the LHS PTO for funding this event!
Nicholas Barnett Award - Madeleine Hodges
Rafe Jenanyan Award - Andrew Zhou
Chinese American Association of Lexington Award: Isabelle Baron, Leah Barrentine, Reina Maeda, Veronika Moroz, and Toshio Yuki
Perfect Score on National Latin Exam + Gold Medal in Latin III - Benjamin Yin and William Ostrow
Platinum award on the French National Exam - Syliva Lee
On April 13, 2023, thirty LHS Italian students participated at “ La giornata dell'Italiano '' the Italian Day Competition for secondary school students of Italian organized by the Massachusetts Italian Teachers Association (MITA). This year four high schools joined the competition: Lexington, Winchester, Medford and Methuen. The event took place at Brandeis University in Waltham and was co-sponsored by the Italian Consulate in Boston.
The theme of the performance was “Viaggio in Italia” Traveling in Italy. The skit was about a friendly competition among the Italian regions, each one trying to convince tourists to visit. Students modified the lyrics and performed a rap song to describe the 20 regions of Italy, and also created mini descriptions of each region using rhymed lines. In addition, students decorated their T-shirts to emphasize landmarks and products of the regions. Other students prepared a visual presentation with images of the regions to make the performance more captivating. At the end of the skit the tourists were mesmerized by the beauty of the country. All the students were well prepared for the event and won the first prize!!!
Un grande ringraziamento alla signora Rossi e alla signora Dorfmann per l'organizzazione!
On February 4th the Italian program hosted the annual Italian Festival in collaboration with the Italian community in Lexington. The theme of the festival was Carnevale; a traditional holiday in Italy where children and adults dress up in masks and costumes. There are many Carnevale celebrations in Italy with regional masks, parades and foods. Our festival had live music, which featured an array of classical Italian songs. Students sang two songs, Felicità, which emphasizes how we can find joy in everyday activities like studying Italian together, and 20 Regioni which celebrates the uniqueness of the Italian regions. They also presented their own masks and skits, demonstrating an understanding of the culture they had gained in class and their personal connection with the theme of their masks. Everyone enjoyed the music, the food, and the lively atmosphere full of diversity and celebration!
A few Spanish students ask for an autograph.
Merci Mme Choate and Mme Kimura for organizing this event for students!
Here is how Isabella describes her work Trasformazione della voce italiana
The title of my poem is the transformation of the Italian language.
I was inspired to write this poem while listening to my cousins in Italy. While playing, talking or playing video games, they use English words mixed with the Italian language, like “ciao, bro!”.
In the title of this poem you can see the transformation from the classical language represented by the cursive and the current language represented by the minecraft font which is square, modern and has an American touch. I wrote the word “Italiana” in several colors to represent the diversity of the Italians.
The musical notes show how music has had an impact on the Italian language for young people. Not only music but also video games, social media, and movies.
I wanted to show that Italian is also spoken in Switzerland and Corsica.
The most important part of my project is why I used the first chapter of the Promessi sposi di Alessandro Manzoni. Manzoni transformed the Italian language, leaving behind the old and difficult words and used instead a more modern language that was more understandable to many people. Now the Italian language is changing again!
Transformation of the Italian voice
Di Isabella Barbesino
(From Promessi Sposi di Alessandro Manzoni - Capitolo Primo)
Transformation
New streams of voice from the North
extend through those lands
In times in which they taught the country
how considerable is the advantage
And they never failed to spread
From the heights to the shores
https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/2022/04/14/ask-away-5-questions-for-a-future-aerospace-engineer-learning-french/
https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/2022/02/09/ask-away-5-questions-for-a-learner-of-french-and-hindi/
Check out these short films from students in Ms. Parrish's Spanish 5 Film and Conversation classes.
The attached slide show is meant to be a virtual theater experience -- click on the notable latinos on the red carpets or in the lobby to learn about them.
To navigate: either enter the lobby and click on a genre that interests you - that will send you to a room of posters and you can click on which film, then navigate back to the main lobby. OR you can click TAKE ONE in the lobby, scan the titles and students' names and choose a film that way.
Alejandro Montoya Marín spoke to Sra Parrish's Spanish 5 students about filmmaking, working under COVID conditions, and life as a latino filmmaker.
Each year, as part of a unit on immigration, AP Spanish students read the first chapter of the classic 1987 text Borderlands. The author, Chicana activist Gloria Anzaldúa, writes not just about the border between Mexico and the U.S., but also the borders between race, class, gender, and so many other elements of our identities. Students must then create an original piece of art that represents an important borderland in their own lives.
Mr. Casey invites you to take a stroll through a virtual museum that features the students' outstanding works. Next to each work, you can click on a flag to hear the artist explain their piece in English or Spanish. (The password for English videos is borders2021; the password for Spanish videos is fronteras2021). Be sure to take a "brochure" once you enter the museum so that you see the names of all the wonderful students who contributed their projects & how those projects have been organized in the museum.
They celebrated the work of the Italian students and explore all the wonderful things Italian culture has to offer!
There was live music, skits, crafts, demonstrations, booths on Italian culture and style, virtual tour on a Vespa, food tasting and Espresso “in tazzina”
"Salva Nuestra Planeta" "El Equipo Verde"
"Salva Las Tortugas" "Ayuden al Green Team"
Team España wins the World Cup in penalty kicks vs. Italia! Friday May 25
Congratulations to the French and Spanish Film & Conversation students.
Ms. Rankin publishes in the Language Educator. Rankin, Beckie. "Reflection Empowers Learners". The Language Educator, August/September 2017, pp. 34-36.
Beckie Rankin, French Teacher, is elected 2nd Vice President of the MA Foreign Language Association.
Ryan Casey, Spanish Teacher, and Beckie Rankin present at the MaFLA conference, October 20017.
LPS French Program receives the Exemplary French Program with Distinction award from the AATF. (2017)