As students entered the Multi-purpose Sports Complex on Friday morning, they were greeted by an exuberant volunteer.
“Welcome to 284 Airways!” she said.
They were then asked to prepare their passports and boarding passes for their travels.
During the two-day Foreign Languages Immersive Extravaganza, primary and secondary school students visited displays from Spanish- and French-speaking countries and territories to practise their language skills and learn about other cultures through games, music and food.
The event, which was the first of its kind in the Virgin Islands, also gave them a taste of the process of travelling outside the territory.
Each student had personalised their “passport” beforehand, adding a picture and filling in their name and other details. On arrival at the sports complex, they also had to pass through “security,” first by waiting in the “airport lounge” and then going through “immigration” by showing their boarding pass and getting their passports stamped.
“So far, it has been a tremendous success with the students,” Education Officer for Languages Janice George-Harris said Friday, the event’s second day. “I believe in learning: active learning.”
Attendees pose for a photo as they learn about Mexican culture at the Foreign Languages Immersive Extravaganza. (Photo: ALLISON VAUGHN)
Featured countries
Four countries, one United States territory and a French department were featured at the event: Mexico, Spain, the Dominican Republic, France, Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe.
As students visited the displays, they practised their language skills while playing games and conversing with volunteers. They also posed for photos with various props and tasted foods and drinks specific to each location.
The treats included freshly made churros from Mexico; virgin coquito cocktails from Puerto Rico; mini pain au chocolat from France; and non-alcoholic sangria from Spain, among many others.
Many also had their faces painted, most with a flag from one of the featured countries. “The excitement is there, and the students are totally immersed, engaged and having fun,” Ms. George-Harris said.
Performances
At the end of their visit, students came together to watch performances from each country, which included dances, music, skits and the hitting of a piñata. A soloist sang a French song. Two students, one dressed as a matador and the other dressed as a bull, reenacted a bullfight to showcase Spanish culture. And students and volunteers got some audience members involved in a traditional dance from the Dominican Republic.
Ceska Laventure, an eighth-grader at Elmore Stoutt High School, said she enjoyed the dancing and seeing the different ways people celebrate.
She and a classmate, who have been studying Spanish in school, had their faces painted with the Mexican flag.
Khealoni Chung enjoyed herself as well.
“I like how the dancing was,” she said. “I really have enjoyed, and I like to see they have different foods and different cultures.”
Photo: ALLISON VAUGHN)
Foreign language bowl
The event was held in lieu of the usual foreign language bowl, which will return next year followed by a 2027 extravaganza with a new set of countries, according to Ms. George-Harris.
“The foreign language bowl does not give a majority of the students exposure,” she said. “It’s usually for a limited number of students to come to the bowl and participate and even view. So I wanted something that would actually impact a larger student population and also generate interest in the languages — and also immerse them in an environment where they would be comfortable to speak the language.”
