LANGUAGE

The Williston Northampton School’s Language Department inspires students to communicate in new ways, to make meaningful connections, to expand their world view, and to enrich their communities.

Williston’s language program is committed to developing the linguistic and cultural literacy of our students and encouraging them to become active citizens of our increasingly multicultural world. As students learn language through reading, writing, speaking, and listening, they also experience how the study of another language opens doors to a greater understanding of others and of themselves. We teach language actively and place students in the central role. Our teachers blend traditional and contemporary teaching styles to provide students with a variety of ways to develop their fluency and ease of expression.

All modern language courses, whether beginning or advanced, prioritize students’ oral proficiency in the language. In all four languages and at every level, we encourage our students to examine and understand the ways of thinking that make each culture unique. Students implement their language skills through culturally rooted projects and presentations to foster a broader understanding of the cultures that speak the target language.

Williston’s location in the Pioneer Valley and our ties with the Five Colleges provide our students with invaluable opportunities. Latin students attend the Pioneer Valley Classics Association’s annual Classics Day at the University of Massachusetts, where they participate in workshops and contests that deepen their understanding of Roman culture. Members of the Toumani Diabaté Symmetric Orchestra and Malian musician Rokia Traoré have visited French classes to speak about their music and culture, and students later attended their concerts. Chinese students have enjoyed Taiwanese dance performances at the Fine Arts Center of the University of Massachusetts.

The Language Department also supports and encourages travel abroad. French students may visit the Québec Winter Carnival, and excursions to France have provided students with homestay opportunities and travel throughout the country. Latin students have taken trips to Italy to see firsthand the physical monuments of classical culture. Chinese students have traveled to China to experience the language and culture, all while visiting iconic sites such as the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Language students can also embrace travel opportunities through School Year Abroad, an interscholastic program that sends students to Spain, France, Italy, or China for the summer, a semester, or an entire school year.