Spanish Immersion Day & French Immersion Day | Graphic by Rose Taylor | The Wright State Guardian
By Julia Kirk and Emily Mancuso
Wright State University recently hosted its annual immersion days, welcoming high school students from across the Dayton area for a unique cultural experience centered around the Spanish and French languages. Students engaged in immersive activities designed to enhance their language skills while deepening their understanding of the associated cultures.
French Immersion Day
On Thursday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., students attended a merry-go-round of French immersion activities. They centered around the theme “Notre Dame,” after the famous cathedral that encapsulates the spirit of France. The chosen theme was very timely, as the cathedral will reopen to the public this December.
Complementary t-shirts sport the theme, reading “Journée D’Immersion Jeudi 24 Octobre 24” under an illustration of the cathedral titled “Notre-Dame de Paris.”
Clad in their themed wear, students began with a flag parade around the Apollo room, a show of the flags of French speaking nations, concluding with the French national anthem.
The French Faculty welcomed students in the French language: this faculty included Kirsten Halling, Pascale Abadie, Karine Daddah and Jean-Michel Lamoine.
Dean of CoLA Gary Schmidt and Chair of SoSSIS Laura Luehrmann were also in attendance to welcome the students.
The same faculty ushered groups of students into separate rooms. Each room had a special theme for students to enjoy: “Food in the Middle Ages” with Daddah , “Notre Dame of Paris, the musical” Lamoine, “A dance (Évidemment de La Zarra)” with Halling and Trivia with Abadie.
“It's usually a pretty high energy day, because, you know, these are teens, and you want to make sure that they're always engaged. And so all of our activities, I think you could probably see, are interactive,” Halling said.
Every student experienced each station in 15-minute increments, engaging with each other and the French faculty solely in the French language.
To conclude the day, students and volunteers partook in French-inspired food, such as a French fruit tart.
Overall, 195 students and 14 teachers from 12 high schools attended: Springboro, Allen East, Wayne, Fairmont/ Kettering, The Miami Valley School, Alexander Local, Anna, Kenton Ridge, Stebbins, Sycamore and Seven Hills & Urbana.
Spanish Immersion Day
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, Wright State held the second immersion day, focused on the Spanish language.
The day was planned with different activities and presentations where students were able to practice their Spanish. Some of these activities included tours of the Student Union in Spanish, making an ofrenda, raffles and more.
Students learned about an ofrenda, or an offering, which is a Mexican tradition to celebrate Día de los Muertos. They were able to participate in creating one at the event, learn about the history of the holiday and celebrate loved ones they may have lost.
WSU students who are in advanced Spanish classes helped volunteer and lead the event.
As visiting students received their tour, WSU students were in charge of leading them, having to follow the same pledge to only speak in Spanish.
Melissa Doran, a Spanish professor, shared her experience with her students.
“The students from my Spanish Conversation and Writing class designed, wrote, and practiced their tours on their own as part of our class and they really did a fantastic job,”
Shared Goals and Community Impact
When high school students come to WSU, the goal is always to help them learn in an environment that they feel comfortable in.
Dr. Ksenia Bonch Reeves, the Associate Chair of the School of Social Sciences and International Students, was in charge of planning the event, and she shared her hopes for the students.
“We want to immerse high school students in the Spanish culture in a low-stress environment so they can learn and still have fun,” Reeves said.
The French Faculty agreed.
“Students, looking at their faces, they're all excited. They had a great time. And I think that's the best reward of all the hard work we're doing,” Abadie said.
Emma Mills, French teacher at Stebbins High School and WSU alumni, reflected on the impact of immersion for students.
“The whole idea is to kind of create a community with the other French speakers that are in the area, to connect the high school students with the college professors. I'd like to let them know that, you know, they can continue their studies if they want to,” Mills said.
The faculty carefully plan the immersion days, meticulously arranging the volunteers and the delicate communication with over a dozen schools. The Ohio State University contacted WSU wanting to do its own immersion day, inspired by the success of WSU’s.
While Students may struggle to only speak in their immersed language for the day, the program offers great benefits that motivate the faculty to continue it every year.
“It's hard, it's difficult because it's very frustrating, but I think that's how I learned. I think that's why you learn. That's how we all learn. Immersion can be frustrating, but that's the only way the brain works and how still our students are becoming so proficient,” Abadie said.
The immersion experience allowed for students to develop a deeper understanding of the culture and language that they have been involved in throughout high school. As usual, the event ended up being a resounding success.
