UNC Mirror

Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Jade DeGood High school students were able to come and perform different cultural talents during Foreign Language Day on Wednesday. Loveland High school was one of many schools that competed in the Dramatic Cultural Entertainment category, where they performed a play along with song and dance.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies sponsored Foreign Language Day on Wednesday and packed the University Center with high school students from Colorado and Wyoming.

The event provided high school students a variety of workshops and competitions, all centered around promoting language study and cultural awareness outside the classroom.

Malitta Wagner-Heaston, coordinator for the Foreign Language Day, said it is one of the largest university outreach events because it draws a large crowd to the University of Northern Colorado campus.

"We average at least 1,000 students," Wagner-Heaston said.

Foreign Language Day is an event that has been at UNC for 35 years. According to Wagner-Heaston, one of the best things about the event is its connection with UNC alumni.

She said many individuals who attended the event when they were students are coming back and helping UNC reach out to prospective students.

"This has come full circle," Wagner-Heaston said. "They were actually involved in putting on Foreign Language Day when they were here in the '70s, and now they are bringing their students here."

Diane Kelly, an administrative assistant for the School of Modern Languages, said the event also offers high school students the opportunity to see the UNC campus.

"It's a good tool for recruitment," Kelly said.

Some high school students who attended the event said they were more than happy to be out of their classrooms for a day and excited to be setting foot on a college campus.

Jacob Klug, a freshman at Smokey Hill High School in Aurora, attended Foreign Language Day with his German class.

"We're here to just expand our foreign language knowledge," Klug said.

Teachers spent much of the day keeping track of their students and engaging in foreign dialogue. Some said they enjoyed the day as much as their students.

Debbie Singer, a German teacher from Monarch High School in Louisville, has attended the event many times in the past with her students. Singer said she cannot say enough about the positives of Foreign Language Day.

"We've come for years," Singer said. "It's a great way to show their stuff. They really enjoy it."

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