Learning about the world

Bok, bonjour, hoi, hallo, ciao, ohayoou, salve, hola—all ways to say hello. There is a club devoted to the study of other cultures and ways of life around the world.

The International Club meets on the first and third Monday of every month after school in room 815.

“[We] hope to give the students a place to learn a little about places and languages that are not part of the curriculum,” staff sponsor Becky Richards said.

Being a part of the club can spark field trips to local cultural events and international food festivals.

“This year we have explored places like Italy and Egypt and topics like sign language,” staff sponsor James Wacker said.

The club does not have any trips planned at this time but members will still get chances to interact with people from all over the world. Including, but not limited to, study abroad and being a host family to an international student.

“I’d like to see the club members host exchange students,” Richards said. “We had a representative from the exchange student division of EF Tours and plan to have local residents and exchange students come and share their experiences.”

Every month, the club chooses a new culture or language to study.

“We eat food, watch videos, listen to music and learn basic phrases in other languages,” Richards said. “[We] hope to sponsor an international bazaar or other community-wide event in the 2012-2013 school year.”

Keeping up with international affairs and being able to communicate with people all around the world, the international club has a plan to expand and continue learning.

“We hope to learn more about the countries and cultures beyond our borders,” Wacker said.