In the next school year, South Windsor High School will be offering a variety of new language classes.
South Windsor already provides students with a broad variety of world language classes, including different levels in Spanish, French, Italian, and American Sign Language, which are all provided through classic student-teacher learning. However, in the 2024-2025 school year, online language classes will be offered to broaden the variety of classes.
“Online language classes next year is a direct result of our strategic plan at South Windsor because one of the things that we’re committed to doing is continuously increasing our diversity of courses,” K-12 World Languages Curriculum Specialist , Dr. Stoj explains.
Next year, should a student choose to take a virtual language course, they will be taking the course through Virtual Language Lab or Edgenuity. These technologies have allowed South Windsor High School to offer language courses that don’t necessarily require an in-person teacher. However, students will be placed in a classroom with a teacher to be supervised while they are learning.
Edgenuity is an online learning resource available for school districts that provides courses in Spanish, French (including French III), German, Chinese, Latin, AP Spanish, and AP French. Starting next year, students at SWHS will be able to take French one, German one and two, Latin one and two, Mandarin one and two, and Spanish one utilizing Edgenuity.
Through the Virtual Learning Lab, students will be able to study American Sign Language three which isn’t currently offered through student-teacher learning. To qualify for American Sign Language three, students will need to have completed American Sign Language one and two, which is offered with an in-person teacher.
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to take an extra Italian class in-person at the high school, something currently only offered to French and Spanish students. South Windsor High School already has 4 levels of Italian classes in the honors or college preparatory level, but now students will be able to study the AP Italian language on an intermediate college level.
Through this course, taught by Ms. Zaccardelli, students will learn or expand their knowledge of Italian speaking, listening, and writing and how it relates to family and community, personal and public identity, beauty and aesthetics, science and technology, contemporary life, and global challenges.
As the page slowly closes on this year and students start thinking about the next, the world language department is eager to continue expanding and evolving.
