Thursday September 22nd September saw St John’s transformed into a sea of colour, excitement and flair as the MFL department hosted the European Day Of Languages on behalf of the Catholic Partnership. Ten schools along with ten of their top Year 8 or 9 linguists converged on St John’s for a day that will live long in the memory. Students and staff were met with a hot chocolate and croissants and a welcome talk by Mr Robertson, Head of MFL, describing how languages open doors throughout life and how important it is to ensure we continue to develop linguists of the future despite the decision to leave the EU. Students were separated into mixed groups which were named after key cities in Europe, to show respect and solidarity for those who have suffered terrorism in previous years. The number of sessions on offer gave everyone an incredible experience of not only European languages but world ones too. All students spent time studying Portuguese language and culture, French via Fairy tales and children stories, Japanese language, craft and tradition and Spanish music and culture, not to mention a beginner’s guide to Russian. One of the most impressive parts of the days for everyone at St John’s was watching students from all corners of the region come together and celebrate languages as one, making new friendships along the way. Finally, St John’s Sixth Form MFL students who had been following groups around the sessions provided names of the top linguists and these students were awarded a prize for their outstanding effort throughout the day. The final act of the day was to take some group photos to keep as a reminder of what was a special day, not only for St John’s as hosts, but also every student and member of staff involved. We can’t wait for the next one!
European Languages Day
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