During the week of March 3, BSM will be participating in World Language Week. This week has been a staple in the community for the past 20 years, but its popularity has grown over the last seven years. Throughout this week, there will be various activities and events held by the Spanish, French, Latin, and Chinese classes in hopes of enlightening students on different cultures around the world.

A unique lunch menu will be offered to the student body this week, exposing Taher regulars to the meals and cultures of various countries. Also, homeroom prayers will be said in a different language and there will be a trivia contest during the first half of the week, testing students’ knowledge on the four core languages BSM offers. Each language department at BSM will host activities that showcase different aspects of that language’s culture.

Chinese classes are putting up posters about languages around the school as well as doing G?ngfu, a form of martial arts. The Latin department is providing students with an opportunity to experience Latin in a unique way by going on a field trip and see a play. Additionally, Latin students will be participating in the National Latin Exam this week. French students will be able to converse with Elvire, the French amity scholar, during their lunch period. They will also get the opportunity to learn more about French culture in an interactive way by making crêpes and learning how to fence.

During this week, Spanish classes will have the opportunity to speak with Javier and Lucía, the Spanish amities, at lunch, as well as receive a lesson on Catalán, a Romance language native to northeastern Spain, by Javier. Lucía will teach students how to make maté, a drink similar to tea, and a tortilla-making lesson will be given by Mrs. Ochoa, the mother of students Silvia and Andrea Ochoa. On Friday, March 7, students in Spanish 5 and AP Spanish will have the opportunity to visit the Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis to see The Sun Serpent. This play is about the Aztec culture, specifically the legend of the Sun Serpent, as well as the conquest of Mexico.

Throughout The Sun Serpent, three different languages are spoken: Spanish, English, and K’iche‘, a Mayan language. The play is performed through the view-point of the Aztecs during the conquest of Mexico, giving the advanced level students a different perspective than that of the spanish conquistadors. Because this is a multilingual play, Spanish teacher Ms. Mary Murray feels that viewing this performance will be a great opportunity for her students to experience the Spanish language in a new way. “I hope the students gain a greater appreciation of languages and diversity,” Ms. Murray said.