Promoting Heritage Languages at the BBB and Taste of Greater Hartford
by Christi Moraga, CT Year of Languages Committee
September was the month dedicated to Heritage Languages on the 2005: Year of Languages Calendar. CT COLT found two golden opportunities to promote both heritage languages and classroom languages: The BBB (Boats, Books and Brushes with Taste) in New London from September 16 to 18 and Taste of Greater Hartford in East Hartford on June 11th. Connecticut teachers, students and parents volunteered their time and talents to inform the community about language learning through conversation, distribution of brochures, artistic cultural activities, entertainment on stage and a Story Character Procession.
The Ribbon Dance from Aruba with audience participation, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” in Flemish, a theatrical rendition of Napoleon, Spanish-speaking pirates, a sing-a-long in French and Spanish, dances from Russia, Peru, Ireland and the Dominican Republic.....these were some of the numbers represented on the stages at these two well attended events. And success at the booths? Our volunteers listened attentively to the requests of the community and tried to put them in contact with information about the languages of their choice. Most of the questions were about Spanish, French and Italian. However, one gentleman wanted to know more about sagas written in Old Norse. The two most frequently asked questions were:
“Where can I (adult) take learn _______(language of choice)?”
“Where can I take my pre-schooler to learn (language of choice)?”
This proves that members of the community are interested in learning languages in their adult years and also wish to sign their children up for classes.
Volunteers gave interested visitors brochures and flyers on 2005: The Year of Languages and explained how to go to the website to learn more. Show Boards displayed interesting facts about world languages, events hosted by CT COLT, such as the Rhyme Celebration, and copies of proclamations, including the U.S. Senate Resolution co-authored by Connecticut’s Senator Dodd, the Proclamation by Governor Jodi Rell, and a Proclamation from Eastern Connecticut State University declaring 2005-2015 The Decade of Languages. A loose-leaf notebook with information downloaded from two valuable websites (www.omniglot.com and the National Virtual Translation Center) proved very helpful to many people walking by. Children enjoyed participating in activities, such as making signs or stickers of “Bon Voyage” and “Bon Appétit” in many different languages and decorating Napoleon hats. Some children worked on a design for the Annual Button Contest hosted by CT COLT. Posters made by Connecticut children were given away for free with the slogan, “Languages Rock!”
The setting of the New London docks on a breezy day was ideal for the Story Character Procession in which about thirty children and young people, many of whom were dressed in imaginative costumes, marched past storytellers in tents and by the Coast Guard ship, “The Eagle.” Led by Year of Languages event organizer, Christi Moraga, they shouted with great conviction: “Uno, dos, tres. Learn a language!” Upon returning to the stage, the children and their parents stayed to watch Richard de Meij, from Aruba, lead the Ribbon Dance and explain his native language of Papiamento. They listened to Ricardo Moraga from Chile and Véronique Conti from France, sing in their heritage languages and accompanied others for three hours. Richard teaches Spanish and French at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford; Véronique teaches French at I.A.R. Middle School in Farmington and Ricardo teaches Spanish at the Mansfield Middle School and Annie Vinton Elementary School in Mansfield. Afterwards the Girl Scouts from Marlborough presented dances from Russia, Hawaii and Ireland. “Napoleon Bonaparte” wowed the crowd with songs and stories. The emperor was played by Mary Anders, teacher at Memorial and Rochambeau Middle Schools in Middlebury.
At both festivals, “Boats, Books and Brushes” and “Taste of Greater Hartford,” the dynamic duo of fathers in the Farmington school system impressed the crowds with their multi-lingual talents. Mr. Frederick DeBaeck, from Belgium, speaker of Flemish and French, along with Mr. Leander Adifon, from Benin, speaker of French, Italian and many languages from Africa, told anecdotes about the importance of speaking different languages during their travels both for business and pleasure. They both brought their families on stage to present multi-lingual songs. Their children take French in the Farmington school system. Also at both festivals, Pei Pei and Frances Champion, taught a few Chinese sounds through a holistic method that included the use of songs, props and gestures. Taste of Greater Hartford was graced with many children on stage singing enthusiastically songs learned in their FLES classes: Kathy Siddons presented her students of Spanish from Goodwin School in Mansfield, Nobuko Tsuji sang in Japanese with her students from the East-Hartford Glastonbury Magnet School, while Michaela Bertolotti showcased her students from the German School of Connecticut.
Both events were organized by Farmington French and Spanish teacher, Christi Moraga, with the support of Barbara Lindsey, Connecticut COLT President and Chair of CT Year of Languages Committee. The master architects of 2005: The Year of Languages, Christine Brown and Marty Abbott, volunteered in the tent and gave out information to passers-by. Richard de Meij helped out in many capacities at both of the events, preparing flyers, giving out information and presenting dances from Aruba and Cuba. Teachers Mary Tuohy from Waterford High School and Nancy Silander from E.O. Smith High School brought their students to help out in the booth. The Moraga family and friends included the Pirates of the Caribbean, volunteers in the booth and on stage. Kristen Vrabie, teacher at Marlborough Elementary School, brought her husband who recited poetry in Romanian on stage, thereby setting in motion a new friendship with a Romanian couple in the audience. Italian Resource Center Director, Carmela Pesca, prepared a showboard and flyers. She was present at Taste of Greater Hartford and sent students to help volunteer at the BBB booth and dance on stage. The Girl Scouts of Marlborough, Troop 5220, were versatile by helping out in the tent, on stage and in the procession. Two scouts in particular, Alison Ledwith and Maggie Boon, earned their “Interpreter Strip” earlier this year at the Scout Interpreter Assessment to be prepared at international jamborees. Both girls are to be commended for demonstrating the fifth “C” of the ACTFL Standards since they practice and promote languages in the Community beyond their RHAM High School language classes.
Other volunteers at the BBB included Glastonbury teachers: Jocelyn Tamborello, Elena Juan, Sarah Lindstrom, Coleen Kozma, Bristol teacher: Marcello Pellicioni, CCSU students, Gina Casano and Morella Mora, Waterford High School students Meghan Silva and Christian Klorczyk, E.O. Smith students: Alison Zulick, Cassandra Worthum, Lisa Young, Whitney Hosein, and Fanda Mama, UCONN alums: David Hoover and Teresa Pellet, ECSU alum: Max Moraga, the DeBaeck family, the Adifon family and the Raouf Mama family.
Community events such as The BBB and Taste of Greater Hartford are positive ways to reach out to the public to give them the message that we can all learn world languages, no matter what our age. Little by little, language teachers can create a positive culture of a population that will think it important and even vital to learn languages beyond their mother tongue. We hope the people of Connecticut are coming around to this belief. Beyond these two target Year of Languages events, CT COLT has been very active promoting language learning in 2005.Photos from the BBB
