For the final day of enrichments at Cottage Lane Elementary School, Language Lab participants traveled around the globe to a variety of Francophone countries through presentations they had prepared. Participants shared cultural dress, holidays, foods and flags for nations including France, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Morocco and Senegal.
The activity was the culmination of the spring session of Language Lab in which students were introduced to the French language and culture by English as a New Language teacher Valery Gabriel, who developed and leads the Language Lab enrichment. Students learned to introduce themselves, express their likes and dislikes and greet others, as well as basic vocabulary terms, such as colors and days of the week.
“It was great to see students challenge themselves and learn to think differently,” Gabriel noted. “Learning another language enable us to see the world in another perspective. It’s amazing that that they have the opportunity to participate in this enrichment.”
“It is important for students to find something that they’re passionate about. Enrichments enable kids to connect with others who share their interests and makes everyone feel like school is a place where they belong,” said Principal Karen Scarth, Ed.D.
CLE offered 35 before- and after-school enrichment activities over the course of three, 10-week sessions this school year. Eighty-one percent of all students participated in at least one trimester-long program.
