The World Language Department celebrated National World Language Week throughout the district on March 2 - March 6. This year’s theme was “One World, All Voices”, highlighting the diverse voices and languages that come together to enrich the Bellmore-Merrick community. Students participated in the annual poster contest, with themed posters displayed in each building. Enjoy highlights from each building below. 

 

Middle School 

At Merrick Ave Middle School, Rams Connect activities included Wordle, Connections, and trivia, while World Language classes featured flag trivia, human bingo, and a Duolingo streak competition. 

ENL and multilingual students celebrated our linguistic diversity by delivering morning announcements in multiple languages: Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Italian, Russian, Swedish, Greek, and Czech, coordinated by Mrs. Schleith. 

Students explored global culture through a variety of classroom activities. In Señora Steinhaus’ classes, students learned about the famous soccer rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona and designed their own athlete cards inspired by El Clásico. In her 7th-grade Italian classes, students explored Italy’s Serie A by creating player cards featuring statistics, skills, and team colors. 

Sra. Yaltzindeg’s and Sra. Cohen’s classes completed a language-themed escape room, solving challenges related to world cultures, languages, and history before discovering the final message: all languages are beautiful. 

Sra. Kelly’s classes celebrated with their own Juegos Olímpicos, competing in daily challenges including a Geography Bee, Murder Mystery, Duolingo contest, Music Madness poll, and a cornhole tournament. In recognition of International Women’s Day, students also honored inspiring women in their lives and learned about Diana Trujillo, a Hispanic aerospace engineer whose work has inspired many young people to pursue careers in STEM. 

Students in Mrs. Schleith’s French and ENL classes celebrated languages by dressing in the colors of the day and learning fun facts about languages around the world. French students also explored the traditions of Chandeleur and Mardi Gras by flipping crêpes, making masks, and tasting King Cake. 

Finally, students in Srta. Koehl’s classes explored culture through music, listening to songs in Spanish, French, Italian, and Mandarin before voting on their favorite. They also tested their knowledge of world flags through a trivia challenge. 

Students also showed generosity by donating oatmeal, pancake mix, and syrup to support the Community Cupboard and Bethany House. 

At Grand Avenue Middle School, over 60 students and staff members engaged in Duolingo language learning. This year’s top users had streaks of 752 and 2,063 days learning Spanish and Portuguese! The entire building enjoyed posting their progress to brag about their current streaks! 

Participation extended across the school during CARES Connect Advisory and within world language classrooms. Advisory sessions were packed with activities. Students participated in a world culture trivia game, interactive activities such as "Two Truths and a Lie” to get to know the building’s world language teachers, Wordles, and travel-based "Would You Rather" discussions. A fan favorite was “Fun with Flags,” especially the competition between two groups led by Mr. Mollica. 

 

World language classes also had a week of fun and engaging learning opportunities. For a culture-sharing activity, students spoke about their family heritage and customs. Many told stories or brought in meaningful family items. For example, classes heard about St. Joseph’s Day and La Befana traditions, learned about the game Scopa, and talked about an important bridge in Slovenia. Students participated in trivia games and created their own modern-day renditions of famous paintings. Thank you to art teacher Mr. DiNucci for serving as the artwork exhibit’s “curator” this year. They also learned that many of their favorite celebrities and athletes are multilingual!  

 

High School 

At Calhoun High School, students took part in daily activities over the course of the week. Ms. Maldonado and Ms. Dand shared “Dances Around the World”, a cultural presentation featuring a different cultural dance each day. Students also participated in a daily trivia challenge to compete for daily prizes. Wordles and Connections games were a part of each lesson and a travel-related slideshow was displayed throughout the building all week.  

 

At Kennedy High School, students participated in Wellness Week activities connected to Languages and Cultures. Morning announcements included a wellness tip with a cultural connection. Students in Mrs. Carlo’s classes and Ms. Glick’s classes created a presentation displayed for all students to learn a new word in another language. Mrs. Cooper’s class collected data about different languages represented in our community. 

At Mepham High School, the week was celebrated through music, with daily music videos and trivia in World Language classes, organized by Ms. Bursky and Ms. McNeil. 

The entire building participated in a Mystery Speaker contest, where students and staff guessed the identity of a different speaker each day. Special thanks to Ms. Feld and Ms. Bursky for organizing the contest and to our mystery speakers: Ms. Cogelja, Ms. Castellano, Mr. Vogel, Ms. Partap, and Mr. Delrosario. 

The World Language wing featured informational posters on global musical styles and a display honoring famous female musicians for International Women’s Day. Special thanks to honor society advisors Ms. Bursky, Ms. McNeil, Ms. Montuori, Ms. Hayes, and Ms. Qiu. 

In classrooms, students explored culture through engaging projects. Ms. Lo Monaco’s AP Spanish class researched and presented on influential Spanish-speaking artists and figures, analyzing their styles, historical context, and cultural impact. 

Madame Hayes and the French Honor Society hosted a crêpe-making event for over 40 students, including a presentation on French culture and a demonstration by Chef Anne Hayes. 

Ms. Bursky’s Spanish 3 classes examined global celebrations of International Women’s Day and honored inspiring women, while Spanish 2H students created biographical posters on notable Hispanic women. 

Ms. Feld’s and Ms. McNeil’s Spanish 2 classes explored Colombian culture through Encanto, focusing on traditions, geography, language, and family values. College Spanish with Ms. McNeil studied the life and legacy of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, reflecting on her cultural impact and perseverance. 

The special events culminated in the celebration of Italian Night on March 11. Ms. Montuori’s Italian Honor Society hosted an evening filled with families from the community, members of the Giovanni Caboto Sons of Italy lodge, as well as many faculty members and their families.  This night was in its 21st year, and to celebrate that, the honor society officers, Bianco Mayo, Kailey Harrison, Nicole Saraceni, Lia DiPreta, Salvatore LoBrutto Jr., and Francesca Adipietro, presented details and facts about the celebration of Carnevale in Italy. Guests were served an Italian meal, and for entertainment, Nicole Saraceni and Salvatore LoBrutto Jr. recited poems about the unique celebration of Carnevale. To finish the evening, guests enjoyed desserts while playing a favorite Italian game, Tombola, which was led by Salvatore LoBrutto Jr and Luke Fischetti.   

These activities provided an opportunity for the entire school community to explore different cultures and the importance of studying other languages. Thank you to the students for their participation and to the department teachers for organizing the week’s events.