History. Culture. Travel. Communication. Linguistics. English. Memory. Insight. Is there a class that incorporates all of these elements, a combination of the past and the future to come? The only downside to this grouping is that when taking one of these classes, you are actually quite far from the origin—it would take a ship or plane to get you to the place of the myths, of the stories, of the language. Spanish, Chinese, German, and French—all four are offered at Lakewood High School. Passionate teachers bring their stories of travel, adventure, and self-discovery in different parts of the world. They inspire their students to explore new realities—beginning with speech and continuing through the culture. These are not merely language lessons but gateways to a different way of life. Take foreign languages at LHS.
Each language program has its own rhythm and way of embedding itself in students’ minds. Yet, there are common threads. How exciting they are for our student body, the positive endorphins pass when we can correctly recite a sentence, verbs, and the correct conjugations. It is not just memorization in the classroom—it is games, videos, stories of culture, stories of another country, and the language that ties to it. Matt Heslep, the Spanish three, four, and five teacher, tells the stories of the developmental times he lived in Ecuador and traveled to so many Spanish-speaking countries and places, including the Amazon Rainforest.
“I think as US Citizens and living in such a big country, we can sometimes stay in our own bubble and [travel] helps break all of us out of that bubble,” Heslep said.
Fittingly, Heslep is also one of the advisors for Travel Club, where last year’s students, many of whom were taking his Spanish class, had the chance to go to Spain. In Spain, they got to use the language skills they learned in the classroom and see culture come to life. In general, a lot of students end up taking the languages just because it is fun; it is a unique part of their day and becomes something they look forward to. Junior Owen Hill shares how important Spanish is to him.
“[There are] so many opportunities to use it in Lakewood, Ohio,” Hill said. “Spanish has taught me that I’m stronger than I think. At first, learning a language seems daunting, but when you’re surrounded by a supportive environment, it comes with ease.” Taking it since eighth grade, he shares stories of all of the people and friends he has met, saying, “It feels more like a family than a class.”
Moving to another continent of the world is Asia—this language is brought to our students through the Chinese program. In Chinese, students are tasked not only with learning spelling and diction but also with learning characters—the way of spelling and writing. Junior Paisley Norris says that she chose Chinese because of the language’s creativity and usefulness.
“I’m gonna learn,” Norris said. She has grown to love the characters and says, “They combine to make a story that tells you the words.”
Norris describes how interesting it is to be in this “mode” where when she leaves the class her brain works in Chinese, the diction, the characters—they have become a part of her. Each student has their own reasons for choosing the language they did. Maybe they want to travel to the country one day, and perhaps they love media from that country—the music, the books, the movies.
Teachers have their reasons for teaching too, of course. Piwen Ku, the Chinese one, two, and three teacher at Lakewood High School shares how she got into teaching—it was not always a smooth path. Born in Taiwan, she originally went to school to be an Engineer, it was the love of kids and working with children that guided her path. Years later, after moving to the United States, she went back to school and got her license. She said her favorite part of teaching this language is “the cultural connections” and how students will learn about the places she is most familiar with, sharing something special.
Foreign languages are first offered at the eighth-grade level in the middle schools—at this point, this is something entirely new for their everyday curriculum, and they get to choose which one to take. It is exciting. Sometimes, students will choose a language and realize into the year that they may be more interested in another.
“It spreads diversity and [you should] take it because it’s super fun,” said freshman Sophia Kovach, a first-year German student.
Just stepping into the German room or any of the foreign language classes, you are overcome with a feeling of joy—students working together at tables, videos on the screen, and the alphabet above helping to sound out pronunciations. It takes a lot for a teacher to passionately teach a language, one that most students have no experience with before taking it. Gregory Sent, the German teacher who has been teaching for twenty-seven years, shares that originally, he was a chemistry major, and his love of the language connected him to his present career. Growing up with German culture impacted his passion for the study—in college, after taking just one education class, he realized kids too were a part of his passion and something he wanted to explore.
For Sent’s student teaching assignment while obtaining his licensure, he was given the opportunity to study in Germany on a U.S. Army base— “It was such a good experience.” Sent shares that when he runs into old students of his they constantly say, “I might not remember all of the language anymore but I remember that unit where we talked about Renaissance art or when we talked about classical music or we visited the art museum—it makes me feel like there is a reason I’m here.” To him, language goes beyond the basis of words; there are stories, history, and art—something all of the foreign language teachers at Lakewood High School highlight throughout their classes and decorations. “It is me,” says Sent—the language is not something he teaches, it is a connection to himself.
Finally, with its national honor society and club, the French class taught by Katherine Braquet is in its own unique corner of the world. With new vocab lists, many art projects, and various conjugation practice games, the French students are in for an intriguing experience.
“It’s a really fun class,” junior Abby Peck said. “We do lots of skits and a lot of fun little activities.”
After sticking with a language past the three-year mark, students typically start to feel more confident in their abilities, more freedom is displayed within the classroom and genuine personal interest takes over. Teacher Madame Braquet says it was always about the kids, which is her favorite part of the job. From the very beginning of her own kids’ lives, she has incorporated travel, spending every summer in France. She says sharing her traditions with students “often brings me back to family times.” She shares a huge part of herself with students, and it is incredibly important to her.
To Madame Braquet, language is a way to be “more accepting of cultures, be more open, more curious, and loving to the people—” something so necessary in today’s society. Through art projects, like the “new year goals” sculptures, students can feel the French culture at their fingertips.
Take foreign languages at LHS. It is not merely a memorization of verbs or a lesson on conjugations. It is years and years and generations of families, songs, movies, traditions, dances, meals, travel, books, and much more. Take the inspiring teachers, Mr. Heslep, Mrs. Costello, Mrs. Ku, Mr. Sent, and Madame Braquet, as prime examples of all that language can do for someone—they have all traveled, seen the world for more than what it is, and now they get to inspire students every day with their experiences. Their stories are no different from mine and yours, except these are just told in another language. If student involvement is any reflection of how entertaining and unique these classes are, then tell everyone you know to sign up today; it is never too late.
