What started out as just German Day has evolved into the fifth annual Language Day where high school students from all over Wisconsin compete to advance in their respective foreign language.
More than 250 high school students competed Friday in foreign language events such as skits, poetry recitation, T-shirt design, spelling, posters and conversations in French, German, Spanish and Japanese. The contest was held in both the University Center and Heide Hall.
"This [was] an opportunity for high school students to use the language they are learning at a high school level in a college setting," Vice President of the Spanish Club Ali Spankowsi said.
Each foreign language club was in charge of making Language Day a success. From sending out interest forms to high school foreign language teachers to scheduling the timetables of events and judging the contest, each club did their part.
"This [was] student run," Sheila Turek, assistant professor of French, said. "The staff facilitate but the [students did] pretty much everything else. This is a wonderful way to connect high school students with college students."
While the high school students were given the opportunity to show off what they know and build up their confidence the UW-Whitewater students become mentors to the students Turek said.
Students studying Spanish at Parker High School in Janesville were excited to be on the UW-Whitewater campus. Each student participated in the poem recital.
"I choose to study Spanish because it is a popular language in our country," high school sophomore Ashley King said. "It's fun to see all the different events and check out [UW-Whitewater] and get introduced to people that are learning a language other than what I'm studying."
When the high school students were not in a competition, the clubs provided activities for each to take part in. The Japanese, French and Spanish Clubs were hosting bake sales to help fundraise along with spread awareness of what their club has to offer.
"You can say this is a recruitment tool," Turek said. "We have had some students come [to UW-Whitewater] for studies because they see that learning a language is more than just taking test."
This was an all day event that started at 8 a.m. and ended around 3 p.m. The day ended with an awards ceremony where each student received a certificate for participating. After each individual winner was announced, the school that won the overall contest received a plaque.
If you would like to get involved with Language Day in the future, contact the foreign language clubs. All of the clubs are open to those who don't know that language but want to learn more about the culture.
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