On Monday, March 24, students in Spanish and French classes at HHS came together to inform the community about the languages and cultures they are currently studying. International Night is open to the community and brings in lots of family, friends, and classmates from the presenting students. Upon entering the high school, visitors were given a passport to bring along with them as they visited the presentations the foreign language students had put together. As visitors moved from station to station, their passports were stamped by the students. Serigo’s Mexican Restaurant catering was also set up and available to purchase for dinner. 

The students in Mr. Recuero’s Spanish II classes researched important figures from different Spanish-speaking countries. They weren’t just asked to find “famous” people: rather, those that had significant positive impacts on their communities, countries, and the world at large. The people students researched included musicians, activists, scientists, actors, educators, athletes, and politicians. Mr. Recuero’s Spanish III and Spanish IV students investigated specific cities or cultural expressions of Spanish-speaking countries. These expressions included the food, dance, music, architecture,,e and festivals of different cultures.  These research projects consisted of the students researching their topic and creating an informative slideshow which they shared with the class. Following their presentation, the students took the information and imagery from the slideshow and made it into a poster board display for International Night. Mr. Recuro said, “ International Night serves as a fun, interactive way to break down the barrier of the ‘unknown’ that separates ‘us’ (the people/cultures you are familiar/comfortable with) from ‘them’ (the people/cultures you aren’t familiar/comfortable with). I believe learning about cultures and people from other countries allows students, and the community, to gain new perspectives on life and an insight into how people from different backgrounds positively impact our world.”

Mrs. Estes’s Spanish students were required to research a topic and create a presentation with a poster board and a game/interactive activity to do with the visitors. Many of her students worked with a partner, which allowed them to learn and improve their collaboration and communication skills. Students in all of the foreign language classes received a grade for their efforts on the projects/presentations. Señora said, “Mr. Recuero, Mr. Ampomah, and I are very proud of our students and the growth they gained in their language study and culture!”

Caden Green (12), a four-year French student, said:  “Us French students were able to choose a person to research and do a biography over.  I chose to cover Albert Camus, an Algerian author and philosopher.  After we had finished the research and slides, we presented our person to the French class.  I loved being able to share my passion for Camus and learn about other people’s interests and passions, like Charles Messier.  I think the study of foreign languages, cultures, history, and the like is so important and I’m so happy to attend a school that attempts to vitalize these endeavors.”

Mr. Ampomah, Herrin’s new French teacher, shared his thoughts about International Night.  He said, “I did enjoy leading my students to put great works together to bring all the world in one place in one night.  Events like this are a beautiful reminder that we’re all part of a global community, and they provide a wonderful opportunity for us to learn from different cultures. International Night is an invaluable opportunity for students to dive deeper into the cultures of the language they are learning and bring out interesting discoveries and perspectives to the entire Herrin community. Their displays, costumes and narrations were a beautiful experience to have shared. I look forward to a lifetime of International Night celebrations at HHS.”

International Night is an annual event at HHS and will take place again next year. Highlighting the foreign language classes and students is vital to the community. Bringing the community together for a night of fun is a great way to showcase the different cultures that may be blended into our community. Supporting the multiple foreign language classes at HHS is important because the high school is one of the few that offers multiple languages to its students. International Night keeps that friendly reminder alive for the community the school lies within.