Upper School World Language Overview

The world languages program works to produce scholars who are open-minded, sensitive, curious, independent, and motivated. Students broaden their worldview through the study of language, and we want them to be comfortable taking risks as they learn their second (or third) language. We hope our students will use their functional language skills to engage in a global community.

In the Upper School, we offer five languages: French, Spanish, Chinese, Latin, and Ancient Greek. There is an emphasis on authentic language use. In the classroom, faculty emphasize the four language skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students practice and demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways through both written and performance-based assessments, as well as individual and collaborative projects and activities. We are a nurturing community of teachers and learners and can provide individual support as needed.

We offer honor societies in Chinese, French, and Spanish. Trips abroad and exchange opportunities are also offered. The study of poetry in our world languages classes is celebrated during the biannual Birgit Baldwin International Poetry Festival.

For those with a passion and skill in languages, we offer the World Languages Certificate. Learn more about this certificate.