Celebrating Excellence and Progress at Language Performance Day

This week, Parker’s oldest students in Upper School advanced language courses came together to share with each other and celebrate their journey in language comprehension as their time at the school draws to a close.

Students from Spanish IV and V, Latin IV, Mandarin IV and French IV had lunch incorporating food representing the cultures of their respective languages of study to set the stage for this joyous cross-cultural sharing. Then the real fun began as each group performed a piece to celebrate their progression in each program and share dramatic interpretations of various artistic works in the original language.

French IV students read excerpts from original children’s stories they’d written for Tisha Johnson’s JK class, whom they visited throughout the year. Latin IV students performed a scene depicting Caesar’s death, which they had translated from Shakespeare into Latin. Mandarin IV students wrote and presented a skit about classmates reflecting on favorite moments at Parker. Spanish IV students offered dramatic readings of poems by Federico García Lorca and Antonio Machado. Spanish V students showcased dramatic recitations of a poem written by Pedro Neruda and read poems that they had written to Parker as a farewell to the school, and Caroline Polsky read a poem that her grandma (who had Cuban origins) wrote to her mom.

Languages and Cultural Studies Department Co-Chair Cynthia Marker said, “Our language performance day was inaugurated last year to celebrate the successes of our most advanced Upper School students and to serve particularly as a special send-off for our cherished seniors, who we hope will take the joy of their language learning into their college years and beyond!” And Co-Chair Liz Villagomez expressed, “What a beautiful way to bring closure to their four years of Upper School language studies, showcasing their language skills in a creative and fun way.”

This heartfelt event allowed language students to share their successes and progress in language and cultural comprehension through years of study and also look back at what their time at Parker has meant to them.

Click here for photos.