Language
Languages in the Upper School
Students in the Upper School have the opportunity to study Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin and Spanish. The requirement for graduation from Bolles is the successful completion of two consecutive levels of one language. However, many students continue with the language, even to level VI, and several students undertake the study of more than one language. Honors classes are offered in all languages starting in level two, and advanced placement courses are offered in French, Latin, and Spanish, preparing the students to take the language examinations for college credit ..
In the spoken languages, our major goals are to provide our students with the necessary communication skills in the foreign languages and to prepare them for subsequent courses in the college environment. This preparation will also give students a practical knowledge which will allow them to put the language into use in travel or in their chosen profession. Our program specifically involves working with students in the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing, while developing an awareness of and sensitivity to the cultural aspects of the target language. Students practice listening and speaking skills one period a week in the language laboratory.
The language program in Latin approaches the language as a historical, written language. While some elementary conversational skills are taught, greater emphasis is placed on vocabulary skills and derivations in modern languages.
Students may become members of language clubs, compete in local and state competitions, take national exams, and qualify for membership in the different foreign language honor societies ..
LANGUAGE CLUBS
Each of the languages on the upper school campus has an interest club. The purpose of these clubs is to celebrate the language and culture of the language being studied.
Asian Cultures Club
The Asian Cultures Club meets regularly to discuss Asian cultures. One of the highlights is the delicious egg roll sale!! Speakers and performers are brought in to highten the awareness of these cultures. The club also puts together a Chinese New Year celebration display for students.
French Club
The French club is instrumental in helping to organize the wonderful annual celebration of National French Week. National French Week is Nov. 3- 7. Pétanque contests and the wonderful food competition are among the great activities students and staff look forward to each fall. Contact Mme Head or Mme Nan for information.German Club
One of the main events of the year for the German Club is Oktoberfest. A wonderful celebration of German food and music, this experience is held on the River Campus during fourth and fifth periods. All are Wilkommen!! Frau Stewart can give you more information.Japanese Club
The Japanese Club gets together to enjoy various aspects of Japanese culture and language. A wonderful way to practice the language and to learn more about Japanese culture! Sensei Braren can answer any questions.Latin Club
A wonderfully popular annual event sponsored by the Latin Club is Saturnalia. Questions? Contact Ms. Greenland, Mrs. Sitz.Spanish Club
The Spanish Club, under the guidance of Señorita Machado and Senor Montes, is involved in the organization of the annual Hispanic Week celebration. National Hispanic Week is Sept. 29- Oct. 2. From piñatas to dominos competitions to a scrumptuous Hispanic-theme lunch, this is a week packed with activities. The Spanish Club meets regularly and undertakes service projects as well as having ethnic dinners that are very well attended. Contact Srta. Machado or Sr. Montes with any questions.League of International Students – Now the Multi-Cultural Awareness Association (MCAA )
This group celebrates the various ethnic backgrounds of our very diverse population. One project is to translate materials for the Ronald McDonald House so that international families have these important documents more readily available to them. Students are also available to the Ronald McDonald House for translation and interpretation when necessary. We will also be working on setting up a mentoring program this year!
For more information, contact Mrs. Moya Marks or Mr. Matthew Parks.
COMPETITIONS AND CONTESTS
There are various competitions in which students may become involved at the local or state level. These may be called competitions and contests, but the students have a great time!!!!
Congrès
Congrès is the State of Florida French Competition. It was established in 1953 to raise the interest of high school students in Florida in the study of the French language and its culture. Each spring, approximately 100 middle and high schools take part in Congres. Congres is March 18-20 in Orlando
Each school may bring up to twenty contestants ñ four per level. Students show their skills by taking part in several competitions, among which are Declamations (Recitations), Discours (Speaking), and Lecture (Reading Comprehension).
Students may also enter any team competitions such as Scenette (a skit), Piece (play), Casse-tête (brain-brawl), or help with an album representing the activities of the French students at Bolles throughout the year.
Awards are presented to individual students based on the scores they earn in their competitive events. These ratings are Supérieur (Outstanding), Excellent (Excellent), Bon (Good), and Mention Honorable (Honorable Mention). The top four schools from each classification (depending on school population) also receive recognition at the awards ceremony.
Several scholarships are available to the seniors: The Suzanne Carrell Scholarship, the Carroll Naves Award, the Alliance Française Scholarship, and the Richelieu Scholarship. In addition, the French Government is sponsoring four summer immersion scholarships: Connaissance de France. Each school may present one candidate per scholarship. These students must complete an application by the end of January.
The competion this year will take place on April 3 - 5, 2008.
Mme Head and Mme Nan can answer any questions you may have.Le Grand Concours: The National French Exam
The National French Exam (Le Grand Concours) is a national test sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). The test is an excellent instrument to measure the students’ ability at and knowledge of French at their levels. The exam consists of 80 questions that include Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Grammar, and Culture. Last year, 88,640 students around the United States took part in Le Grand Concours.
The students placing in the top eight in the nation receive prizes. Students in French I and all of the honors classes will take the exam in March during school hours. There is a fee of $3 to cover the test materials.
For additional information, please contact Mme Head or Mme Nan for upper school, and Mme Edwards for middle school.
Sábado Gigante
Sábado Gigante is the local competition for Spanish students in the Northeast Florida area. It follows a proficiency-based format, with each student participating in three individual contests. Contests consist of the following events: Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Grammar, and Culture. These contests allow students to apply their language skills in a variety of new situations.
In addition to the three individual contests, each school may enter 2 teams (up to 4 students per team) in the Rompecabezas competition, a competition very similar to Brain Brawl. Each school may also enter a banner contest.
Individual events are rates, with students being awarded Sobresalient (Outstanding), Notable (Excellent), Bien (Good) or MenciÛn HonorÌfica(Honorable Mention).
Duval County rules limit each teacher to a maximum of 10 students. Registration for participation in Sabado Gigante includes lunch.
The National Spanish Exam is between March 1 and April 10 (TBA later)
Congreso
Congreso , also known as La Conferencia de Español del Estado de la Florida, takes place every year in Orlando. The purpose of this conference is to bring together those students who have demonstrated a knowledge of the Spanish language and who have expressed an interest in competing in 2 of the three following areas:
Impromptu Speeches: Each students gives a two-minute discourse on a given topic.
Declamation: A maximum of five delegates may compete in a three-minute oral presentation of a poem, monologue, or other suitable material.
Dramatic Presentation: Each school may enter one skit or short play.
Two judges rate each delegate on the basis of diction, interpretation, and over-all performance. Each entrant is the awarded one of four assessments: Bueno (Good) Excelente (Excellent), Superior ( Superior), or Sobresaliente (Outstanding).
In each of the school size groupings as defined by the Florida High School Activities Association, an outstanding school is named in each division based on total points accrued by its delegates. Bolles consistently brings home top honors!
Individual students may also choose to participate in the native costume and/or entertainment (singing, dancing, musical instrument) competitions at the banquet for personal awards, although these scores have no bearing on the outstanding school award. Each school may also enter one scrapbook and a poster depicting the conference theme.
A senior essay competition brings together seniors from all over the state of Florida to write on a prescribed topic. Congres is April 16-18 in Orlando.
Contact Mrs. Marks or Srta. Machado for additional Information.
FASG State German Competition
The FASG Convention is the statewide competition for the Florida Association of Students of German for all students within the state. It follows a proficiency-based format with each student participating in at least two individual contests. Contests consist of the following events: Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Grammar, Culture, and Recitation of Poetry.
These contests allow students to apply their language skills in a variety of new situations. In addition to the two individual contests, each school may enter one team per level (up to four students per team) in the Wettbeweb, a Brain Brawl type competition. Each school may enter a play, and students may also enter the Spelling Bee.
Each school may also enter banners, scrapbooks, and various table art and costumes pertaining to the annual theme of the convention. The National German Exam is Dec. 11
Individual events are rated, with students earning individual awards. The students are rated as follows: Hervorragend (Outstanding), Ausgezeichnet (Excellent), Sehr Gut (Very Good), and Gut (Good).
Oktoberfest will take place on the River Campus during 4th & 5th Periods on Oct. 16.
Please contact Frau Stewart if you have any questions.
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is an annual toga party held in the lobby of Bolles Hall. 150 students take part in a Jingle Bell contest and a costume contest. There are “slaves” waiting on Latin 1 “masters”, and as the grand finale, there is the pizza party, from Little Caesar’s, of course, and a traditional Roman ceremony with candles, cookies and coins.
Chinese
Chinese Week Feb 8-12, 2010
The Chinese State Championship is April 9-10, 2010
BOLLES GOES INTERNATIONAL – ON THE WINGS OF THE WORLD
The Department of Languages at Bolles offers five unique experiences through their study abroad programs. Not only are these wonderful experiences for students, but participation in these travel programs indicates a maturity and willingness to take risks that most colleges and universities find very attractive! Successful participation in each of these programs is awarded credit on the Bolles transcript.
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
The Department of Languages offers unique experiences through exchanges with schools in France and Japan. These programs offer the participants the extraordinary opportunity of living in a setting which permits them to gain an unequalled insight into the language and culture being studied. Each day they learn something new, be it of a linguistic or a cultural nature. Students attend school and go on field trips. They live life as a teen in another culture. Literally everywhere they go and everything they do is a learning experience, a learning experience which will change the way they see the world – and the way the world sees them.
Please contact Mrs. Marks for information about any of these programs.
French Exchange Program
Our exchange in France is with the Lycée St. Stanislas, a school in Jacksonville’s sister city of Nantes. This program was begun in 1991 and has brought nearly 150 students from Nantes to Bolles, and has sent nearly 70 Bolles students to Nantes. The trip to Nantes, France is June 2-18.
Every other year, 24 students from St. Stan arrive in Jacksonville accompanied by a group of teachers. While in Jacksonville, our French guests continue with their studies from France. Housed in their own classroom, the group studies history, mathematics, English, and science with the faculty from St. Stanislas. Special interest classes are offered to the group; Mrs. Matthews teaches a class on manatees each year before the group takes a field trip to Crystal River, where they swim with manatees, Mr. Hillenbrand offers a class on the Civil War in preparation for the group’s visit to the Reenactment of the Battle of Olustee, and the group visits Mr. O’Riordan’s World History classes to share ideas. In addition to these special classes, the students sit in on some of the American classes to get a taste of the American educational system.
A few years ago, due to the size of the group traveling from France, we invited Episcopal High School of Jacksonville to join us in the French exchange. This joint adventure has created a close bond between these two schools. Because it is difficult to locate enough host families to accommodate the French exchange students on an annual basis, we now have the French exchange on a bi-annual basis. For this reason it is important to plan ahead to take advantage of this wonderful experience!
In June our students depart for four weeks in France. They fly to Paris; there they see all of the sights they have studied about! Then, it is off via high-speed train (TGV) to meet their host families in Nantes. While in Nantes, the group goes on excursions in the region, visiting several chateaux, Mont Saint Michel, a winery, and many other places that the students will remember forever.
Questions? Contact Mme Head, Mme Nan, Mme Edwards , or Mrs. Marks!
Japanese Exchange Program
We are very excited to be in the 10th year of our exchange program in Tokyo. Our Japanese visitors arrive from Tamagawa Gakuen High School shortly after mid-year exams and stay for three weeks. Students coming from Tamagawa Gakuen High School have all chosen to major in English at university and have gone through a rigorous selection process to participate in this exchange.
At Bolles we also host students from Tamagawa Gakuen High School who have decided to spend their junior year abroad. These students join our student body in August and stay through final exams in May, taking part in our resident program on the Bartram and San José campuses.
Bolles students travel to Japan in June for a period of four weeks. In Tokyo, they attend classes at Tamagawa Gakuen High School and take trips in and around Tokyo.
If you have any question, please feel free to contact Sensei Braren or Mrs. Marks.
SPANISH STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM
The best way to describe this program is probably to include exerpts from Señor Montes’ “ Reflections on the Summer Abroad Program" printed in About Bolles.
Now that winter has begun to establish itself, I find myself reminiscing about the summer that has recently passed. Visions of warm weather, green foliage, and days at the beach all come to mind, but what really stands out is the study abroad program that was offered by the Bolles School. On numerous occasions, I have been fortunate to accompany Bolles students overseas for a student exchange program, or to study abroad, to places such as Costa Rica, the Balearic Islands, and Barcelona. But this trip was different. It was the summer of 2005, and we were going on a study abroad program for three weeks to a location on the northeast coast of the Iberian peninsula where I have been traveling and returning for the past thirty years-- my secret hideaway, my little slice of paradise. It is an area where the Cantabrian Sea and the Pyrenees Mountains meet. Where the local cuisine is considered an art form, and where the people, language and culture are of unknown origin--San Sebastian, Spain, the Basque Coast. A small, but lively city of 180,000, where walking is the main mode of transportation, ( it takes about 30 minutes to cover the entire city), and the views of the rugged coastline and elegant buildings abound in every direction.
It took but the first week for our contingent of Bolles students…to come to a solid conclusion. It occurred on our first venture out of San Sebastian. We went to France for a day excursion, and the general consensus was “ it was nice, but we really like San Sebastian a lot better."… They became accustomed to having lunch at 2:30 in the afternoon, and dinner at 10:00 in the evening. And when it came time for the nightlife, they enjoyed all that San Sebastian had to offer. There seemed to be a genuine fondness of the culture, the people they encountered, and above all the language ( Spanish, not Basque), which they studied at the prestigious Lacunza Language Institute five hours each weekday. Their afternoons and weekly excursions, organized by the school, also kept them busy and energized. They enjoyed kayaking in the bay, touring the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, soaking up the sun at the surfing beach of Zurriola, and visits to nearby historic towns in the Basque country. Not once did I witness any signs of homesickness, of longing for Moe’s food, or TV sitcoms. In fact, Jacksonville was seldom mentioned. A transcultural adaptation had taken effect and our students had immersed themselves totally.
I saw myself through them and reminisced at the positive impression San Sebastian had made on me, that first summer I traveled there 30 years ago. I have little doubt that the students had a rich and rewarding life long experience, and that also, there is the possibility that I might encounter some of them in San Sebastian, once they have graduated from The Bolles School… Agur , eta eskerrik asko ( Adios, y muchas gracias).
Sound intriguing? Contact Mrs. Marks or Mr. Montes for more information.
BOLLES TRAVEL PROGRAMS
German Trip
In alternate years, we offer upper school students of German the opportunity of traveling to Germany and Austria. This trip departs in early June and will lasts ten – fourteen days.
Please contact Frau Stewart or Mrs. Marks with questions.
Latin Trip
Each year, Ginny Greenland, a member of the Department of Languages, offers an educational trip to upper school students. As a Latin teacher, Ms. Greenland focuses on the ancient world.
LANGUAGE HONOR SOCIETIES
Each year, language teachers at Bolles tap students for membership in their respective national honor societies. The criteria for admission to these societies varies from language to language. For information, contact Mrs. Marks or your child’s language teacher.Bolles Language Faculty
Contact the foreign language faculty!
Chair, Moya Marks, Spanish and ESL
Carmen Adair, Spanish
Tanya Berrios, Spanish
Jessica Boylan, Spanish
Yukari Braren, Japanese
Ginny Greenland, Latin
Christiane Head, French
Elvie Machado, Spanish
Mihaela Nan, French
Pedro Montes de Oca, Spanish
Cheng Mei Rothschild, Chinese
Meredith Sitz, Latin
Mary Lynn Smith, French and Spanish
Adriana Sánchez Stam, Spanish
Steven Stam, English and Spanish
Abby Stewart, German and ESL, Spanish
Cathy V. Soud, Spanish