By J1 Reporter Martha Engel

A package of gummy candy and a deck of cards lays on the desk as a group of students play games. Mahjong tiles and dominoes are stacked next to an open bag of candy. A student across the room smiles as she wins a round, cheered on by the students around her. It was a normal morning meeting with the World Language Club. 

Marian’s World Language Club has continued to develop their program after being formed just two years ago. The separate French and Spanish clubs, along with the Mandarin program, joined forces after COVID to bring students a variety of experiences from different cultures. Coming out of COVID, the club programs needed a reboot, and the World Language Club was the brainchild of the language teachers. 

Spanish teacher Sra. Amanda Pritchard said that the language teachers realized, “let’s just come together, share the load and combine, why not?” This gives students the opportunity to experience multiple cultures under one club, and allows the teachers to collaborate. Beyond this, “We have great ideas and just have fun together,” Pritchard said. 

Since the club merger, the club meetings have picked back up. Because the club encompasses multiple languages and cultures, there is a wide variety of events planned.  “We sat down at the beginning of this semester, and planned out the dates that they would be,” Pritchard said. This process of planning meetings allowed time to plan the events, as well as focus on making meetings fun for all who wanted to participate. 

There already have been three meetings this semester, and there are more coming later this year. The first meeting was about the celebration of the Chinese moon festival, led by Ms. WenLi Rapkin, the new Mandarin teacher. The next event was also centered around a day of celebration, the Day of the Dead. This was led by the Spanish teachers, and students watched the movie Coco. The game-themed meeting, where students tried different candies and got to play games from around the world, will be followed by a Christmas caroling event. This holiday themed meeting will feature songs in different languages, and will be a fun way to celebrate Christmas! Next semester, there are a variety of fun meetings planned for the World Language Club. 

At the heart of the World Language Club is the desire to bring different cultures to students, and make it truly a fun experience for all involved. Each meeting is planned with this in mind.  Pritchard sums it up perfectly: “Now, it’s kind of fun to bring the languages together!”

Please join the Christmas caroling event for the sisters on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 3:15 – 4:00 pm! Students should meet in room 313 to walk over to the convent.