The French Honor Society successfully hosted a holiday painting party as a part of the Elite event program. Inspired by the French art style of Impressionism, students created whimsical and original works of art, while sipping hot chocolate and sampling delicious French pastries. Seniors Ty Chang, Kim Nadler, Iris Pineda, Noah Mach and Catherine Henderson were instrumental in organizing the event. Comme c'est amusant!
The Department of World Languages would like to congratulate this year’s NYS Seal of Biliteracy recipients. These students completed a rigorous process to demonstrate a high level pf proficiency in English and one other language. This included an oral presentation of research in the target language! Special thanks to advisors, Ms. Feldman, Ms. Lo Monaco, and Ms. Qiu who worked with these students and guided them through the steps to attain this prestigious recognition.
The French Honor Society proudly made a $250 gift to the Eastern Congo Initiative to help empower women, support economic development and advocate for local communities in the French-speaking nation. After an informational session in February, with Mepham sophomore Branche Duval about the geopolitical challenges facing her home country, students were inspired to host a series of bake sales in order to fundraise for ECI. Junior Vladimir Mkrtchian was instrumental in organizing and promoting the events: "We wanted to start a global dialogue. My work with Branche and our consistent fundraising efforts were a huge accomplishment. But more importantly, our efforts served as a wake-up call—highlighting the generational strife in the Congo that most of our school was unaware of, invaluably broadening our school’s perspectives." The donation was made in honor of Duval's mother, Catty Khumon, who dedicates herself to humanitarian efforts and social change in the Congo.
Students in Ms. Feld's Spanish 4 Honors class participated in their own "Tanque de Tiburones" (Shark Tank) to culminate what they had learned from the "El Comercio" (business) unit. For this project, students worked in groups to develop an innovative product to help solve problems in their everyday lives. It was fantastic to see the creativity and effort from the different groups. The products included a teleportation device, a carbon footprint tracker, a modern stress ball, a pill to help with nutrition, a mattress with a built-in alarm clock, and a suitcase that shrinks down in size! The class voted on winners and it was a fun time had by all!
In an effort to become more empathetic, aware and global citizens, students from Mepham's French Honor Society, LEO Club, Model U.N. and Equity Alliance attended a cultural presentation by Mepham sophomore Branche Duval, on Monday afternoon. Duval spoke about the rich culture of her home country, the Congo, a French-speaking nation in Central Africa, and the regional conflicts that has plagued it for years. Her moving and informative presentation was followed by a Q&A session in which many questions were asked about the steps we could take locally to have a greater impact worldwide. The Eastern Congo Initiative was identified as a humanitarian aid organization the clubs will fundraise for.
The Mandarin Honor Society created a Chinese wishing tree in Mepham’s courtyard in which students wrote and hung all of their New Year's wishes and resolutions. In Chinese tradition, the wishing tree serves as a conduit for aspirations to blossom and flourish in the coming year. It is a celebration of optimism, unity, and the boundless possibilities that the future holds. Xīnnián kuàilè!新年快乐
World Languages celebrates the Holidays!
This holiday season, Mepham's French, Italian, and Spanish Honor Societies exemplified the spirit of giving.
Mepham's French Honor Society held a toy and clothing drive for the Ethical Friends of Children organization. This organization is an outreach program of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island that assissts children and their families by providing them with the winter and holiday items they need. The students were able to collect many toys and clothes for local children. Mrs. Hayes and French Honor Society would like to extend their thanks to all of the staff, students and families who donated.
Ms. Montuori and The Italian Honor Society fulfilled Christmas lists for eight children through the BMUST Community Cupboard Holiday Wish list program.
The Spanish Honor Society, under the leadership of Ms. Feldman and Ms. LoMonaco, kicked off the holiday season by Cartas de Agradecimiento (appreciation letters) to the staff/faculty at Mepham in Spanish. The letters were left in mailboxes on the Monday prior to Thanksgiving. Students enjoyed writing to their teachers, coaches, principal, and building staff. The Spanish Honor Society utilized money raised through various fundraising events to help fulfill holiday wish lists for families during the holidays. In an effort to spread some holiday cheer, members of the Spanish Honor Society, along with their advisors, went shopping at Target to purchase gifts for eight members of the Community Cupboard, along with two families through the Holiday All-star Wish list. Students enjoyed the afternoon selecting gifts to satisfy the desired registry, that will be shared with the families during the holidays!
Students in Ms. Hayes' French classes joined their peers across the country to celebrate National French Week 2023. They had many opportunities to interact with the language and culture outside of the classroom. French music ranging from classical to pop to hip hop introduced the morning announcements each day. On Monday afternoon, a bake sale of croissants and macarons was hosted by the French Honor Society. On Tuesday, over 40 students participated in an art workshop about French Pointillism connected to Mepham's CommUnity Day. On Wednesday, students competed in a building-wide scavenger hunt to learn about Francophone countries and celebrities as well as the influence of French on the English language. The week wrapped up with the much-anticipated Trivia Contest sponsored by AATF (American Association of Teachers of French). The French Honor Society continues to host its month-long collection of books, toys, games and children's clothing to benefit Long Island's Ethical Friends of Children and wishes to say Merci to all who have already donated. C'est amusant!
Students in Mrs. Hayes' French 3 Honors class enjoyed the opportunity to create French-language videos showcasing "A Day in the Life at Mepham High School." This served as a culminating project for a unit on teenage life and school. After learning about a typical day at a French middle school, students teamed up to highlight their favorite spots around Mepham, including classrooms, the cafeteria, the library, the gym, the counseling center and the courtyard. Students took turns narrating and acting out scenes, depicting different activities around campus and giving advice for incoming high school students. Then, they edited their videos to add transitions, sound effects and even blooper reels! They had the opportunity to learn well while moving and creating. This activity strengthened their interpersonal intelligence by learning to communicate and collaborate with others on a group project. C'est amusant!
World Languages has a strong start to the school year!
The school year is off to a wonderful start for the Mepham World Languages Department! During the first week of school, students in Ms. Lo Monaco's AP Spanish classes enjoyed a team building jigsaw puzzle activity as an ice breaker. Upon completion, a special message from their teacher was revealed! Students in Ms. Feld's Spanish 4 Honors class chose their word of the year- a word in Spanish that they aspire to represent throughout the school year. Our teachers strive to make the classroom a warm and inviting environment where students enjoy learning language!
In the spirit of giving back to the community, the Italian Honor Society sponsored 13 young people this holiday season. On Monday, November 28th, members and their advisor, Ms. Kristen Montuori, shopped for the holiday wish-list items for BMUST's annual outreach project to benefit the Community Cupboard. Thank you to the Italian Honor Society for this worthwhile and generous undertaking!
The Spanish Honor Society sponsored an "Attitude of Gratitude" activity by commissioning Spanish language students to share a note of appreciation with a staff member. Students wrote letters in Spanish that were left in teachers’ mailboxes. The goal of these messages was to spread some joy and give students the opportunity to show their appreciation and gratitude to teachers and staff. The Spanish Honor Society wishes everyone Feliz Dìa de Acciòn de Gracias!
The Department of World Languages would like to congratulate the participants and winners of our sixth annual district-wide language contest. This year’s themes focused on the ideas of personal identification, communication and cultural awareness. We wish to thank all of our students who participated and the teachers who served as judges and helped make this event a success.
French AP Poem French Essay 4H
First Place- William Barlowe- Ms. Hayes First Place- Riley Fried – Ms. Hayes
Second Place- Cara Trenkle- Ms. Hayes French 3H Poem
Third Place- Surina Ramoutar- Ms. Hayes First Place- Gizzeth Chavarria- Ms. Hayes
Mandarin AP Poem Mandarin 4H Essay
Second Place- Brenna Camacho- Ms. Qiu Third Place- Bailey Marfisi- Ms. Qiu
Third Place- Julianna Rosenthal- Ms. Qiu Spanish AP Poem
Mandarin 3H Poem Second Place- Mark Thomas- Ms. Lo Monaco
Second Place- Stephania Calin- Ms. Qiu Spanish 3H Poem
First Place- Fiona Zheng- Ms. Qiu First Place- Liana Calderon-Lopez- Ms. Langevin
Second Place- Stephania Calin- Ms. Qiu Third Place- Leanna Trefcer- Ms. Feldman
Spanish 4R Essay Spanish 2R Essay
First Place- Justin Reyes- Ms. Langevin First Place- Kelsey Giordano- Ms. McNeil
Spanish 2H Essay
First Place- Joseph Mordoff- Ms. McNeil
Third Place- Samantha Raikos- Ms. O’Neill
To continue our celebration of World Languages Week, the Spanish Honor Society, under the direction of Ms. Feldman and Ms. O'Neill, hosted a fantastic Salsa and Bachata class. Instructor and Mepham alumnus Anthony Mouras, gave step by step instructions to students and faculty for both dances of Hispanic origin. He also spoke about the history and evolution of each dance. A fun time was had by all! See photos below.
W.C. Mepham High School
2401 Camp Avenue
Bellmore, NY 11710