With World Language Week just around the corner, BSM will be promoting acceptance, the learning of different languages, and becoming more culturally and globally aware. 

The language department tries to change things up each year, so this year’s World Language Week will include an essay contest. There are three separate essay prompts, one for seventh and eighth grade, one for ninth and tenth, and one for eleventh and twelfth. “The topics are specific to culture, bilingualism, travel, being a good steward, and not being a rude tourist. It’s really about our mission statement at BSM and how we can be a global learner and how we can use what we learn in our classes to be culturally aware in the world,” Spanish teacher Senora Mary Murray said. 

Each essay question will have one winner that will receive a prize. “The prizes are $20 gift cards, and right now the plan is to have them from Target,” Murray said. 

Students should keep an eye out for an Instagram contest on BSM’s page @bsmredknights. “The Language Department is working with the Marketing and Communications office and we are going to be launching [the Instagram contest] for students, faculty, and staff, and that’s a bigger prize,” Murray said.

There will be prayers in the morning in different languages, and the bells for passing time will sound different international music. “We are going to continue doing different prayers in the morning, so we’ve got kids that are doing different prayers over the announcements,” Murray said.  

Decorations will be displayed to promote World Language Week throughout the freshman hallway. “We are also going to draw on the windows in the Freshman hallways so people kind of know where the language classrooms are,” Murray said. 

Another thing to look forward to is the meals that Taher has planned for this week. To name a few, pulled pork with spaetzle, Sechuzan fried rice, Tajine couscous, Chicken banh mi, and Pancit noodles with shrimp will all be a part of next week’s menu. Taher will also be hosting a free fried rice demonstration for students and teachers to take part in on Tuesday, February 25. “Taher always does a great job with World Language week, so there are going to be different menus every day, and this year they are actually doing some brand new stuff that they’ve never tried before,” Murray said. 

The anticipated World Language Week Kahoot game will once again make an appearance, as well, but this year, there will be a little twist. “Every class will do the same Kahoot at the same time, and this year it will be a little bit different because now Kahoot lets you have a Youtube video as part of a prompt, so I found videos of people speaking different, exotic languages and I’ll ask people what language they’re speaking,” French teacher Madame Frederique Toft said. 

Concordia Language Villages along with other presenters will be coming in throughout the week to talk a little bit about different camps that they offer in Minnesota among a few other topics. “For French classes, Alliance Francaise, a French organization, will offer a presentation in the theater about how young people communicate in French today,” Toft said. 

The excitement for this week is growing as it becomes nearer. “I’m really excited for World Language Week this year because I think it is a great way to explore different cultures,” senior Sarah Luong said.