On the field trips, students had the opportunity to interact with native speakers without the help of a teacher, which was useful in allowing the French or Spanish students to use the language genuinely on their own.
Spanish 1 and 2 students travelled to Senior Antonio’s or El Paso, local restaurants, while Spanish 3 and 5 went on an art field trip to Cincinnati. A group of French students went to a student’s home to experience the making of traditional French desserts known as crepes.
The Spanish 1 and 2 classes divided and went to restaurants on Tuesday the 21st and Thursday the 23rd of April. The students had to order their meals and communicate with the waiters completely in Spanish. Megan Buskirk, a current sophomore said, “It was an interesting experience; it was cool to hear people use their Spanish skills.” Many students agreed with Megan’s thoughts.
“It was weird being in a restaurant where you had to speak only Spanish, but the food was good,” stated junior Courtney Dickinson. I was able to take part in the field trip as well, and the group of students that I sat with can attest to the fact that the food was extremely good.
Profe Montgomery’s Spanish 3 and 5 classes ate at El Paso, a local restaurant, before heading out to the Cincinnati Art Museum. Once at the Museum, students were able to view a Surrealist art exhibit with works from many Hispanic artists on display.The students had mixed feelings concerning the enjoyment of the trip. Danny Arsenault, a sophomore at WCHS, stated that “I found it surreal and distorted” He went on to explain that he felt this way because the piece that he was referring to was a toilet.
However, Blake Miller, a junior, thought that the exhibit was very interesting, noting that “it was a new outlook on what the world goes through when tragedy happens.” He went on to explain that Surrealism came about in part due to the great loss of life and the general destructiveness of WWI.
The French students went to make crepes at Alex Johnson’s house. Nikki Kuisel, a junior, said, “There were tons of fresh fruit and toppings...the girls made theirs perfectly, but the boys were a little messy!”
Nikki went on to say that the guys on the field trip decided to pour half a bag of chocolate chips and lots of chocolate syrup onto the crepes! In the end, she stated that the event was a huge success and had a very “French feel” to it, mainly due to all of the authentic food.
One of the French 2 classes went to the French restaurant “La Chatelaine,” owned by a French family in the area. “They all enjoyed trying authentic French food with the ambiance of a French country inn,” stated Mrs. Kettering; “some ordered delicious patisseries, others French soupe à l’oignon with a tasty salade or sandwich.”
Mrs. Kettering went on to say that the whole group had a great experience enjoying the French culture in such an authentic environment as La Chatelaine. All in all, this French field trip was a huge success.The Worthington Christian language program has given its students many opportunities to dive into the culture, and to learn far more than can be taught within the confines of the common classroom.
