At the high school, it often looks like only one language is spoken: English. The English language is a natural part of students’ everyday life, so it is easy to forget that it is only one out of the estimated 7,100 languages used in the world, according to Ethnologue. Moreover, many students know or have learned another language, showing how students have unique backgrounds and goals.
Some students have known another language for most of their lives, like HAHS senior Alondra Perez Cruz. For most of her early life, she spoke primarily Spanish due to her Puerto Rican descent. After moving to the US, she was taught English at the schools she attended as she moved between states. Furthermore, she took “English as a Second Language” classes throughout elementary school and became proficient in them with lessons and practice. She mainly uses Spanish to communicate with her Spanish-speaking family and friends, while using English for her English-speaking friends, homework, and general tasks.
Students sometimes use their resources to learn a second language. For instance, people at all grade levels have the opportunity to learn a language by taking one of the school’s language courses. HAHS seniors Morgan Riegel and Mackenzie Hoover are students who have been taking the school’s German classes since their freshman year and have become proficient in the language. Morgan chose to learn because she wanted to be closer to her family’s German roots, while Mackenzie wanted to try something new. Both use German daily, with Morgan using it at school to talk to her German friends, Mackenzie using it to watch German news and content creators, and both using it to listen to German music.
Language is a complex system that allows for communication between a range of people with different interests and cultures. Moreover, knowing a non-native language can help exchange ideas between groups of people. If students are interested in learning one at school, they can take the high school’s German or Spanish world language courses.
For more information, visit www.ethnologue.com/.
