2020-21 Academic Bulletin fall

WORLD LANGUAGES
Solebury School’s World Languages Department offers courses in Spanish and French. The goal of our
department is to prepare students to communicate successfully in another modern language. Teachers
stress active communication and work to develop students' skills in cultural awareness, listening,
speaking, reading, and writing. All courses offered in World Languages fulfill a global studies program
credit.
Solebury School students are required to complete French III or Spanish III (with a passing average) in
order to graduate. At the end of their three-year requirement, students should be functionally proficient,
able to address basic needs and express themselves in straightforward social situations in the target
culture. Any student with at least a B- average is strongly encouraged to continue their language studies
beyond level III, since many competitive universities expect four or more years of language study.
Our advanced levels (IV and higher) allow students to pursue advanced communication skills and more
in-depth cultural studies, including literature, film, and various media. Our Advanced Placement
curricula have been approved by the College Board, and in many cases a successful year in an AP
language class will afford a student some college credit while still in high school.
Language-Centered Trips: We at Solebury School believe that practical, real-life language experience is
the perfect complement to the classroom. In addition to regular trips abroad to gain practical experience
with the languages and cultures that we study in the classroom, we partner with the Haut-Lac Bilingual
International School in St. Légier, Switzerland and St. Paul’s School in Barcelona, Spain to provide an
extended study abroad experience for interested students. In recent years, Solebury School students and
teachers have also gone to Quebec’s winter carnival, to Costa Rica, and to several different regions in
France (Paris, the Loire Valley, Normandy, Brittany, Provence, the Pyrenees, and Champagne).
Solebury Language Societies and Model United Nations: The Solebury Language Society and the
Model UN groups meet on a semi-regular basis to promote culture on campus as well as to connect
Solebury to the global community. The Language Society sponsors events during and outside the school
day, such as an International Movie Night to explore and celebrate the art of cinema in other languages,
Language Table Days in the dining hall to practice casual conversation, and several other cultural
holidays on campus. The Model UN group studies international affairs and participates in regional and
national Model UN events.
If you have any questions about Solebury School’s World Languages Department, please contact
department chair Helen Matthews:
E-mail: hmatthews@solebury.org Call: (215) 862-5261
FRENCH
Why learn French? Aside from the beauty of the language and culture (the food, fashion, art, and
literature), there are many practical reasons to study French. French is one of the most commonly used
languages on the web, and one of the most important languages in the business world. It is useful and
often required for careers in science, technology, medicine, and government. French is one of only two
working languages (the other being English) at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the
International Labor Bureau, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Red Cross. French is
the first or second language of 49 countries and is spoken by over 220 million people in the
world. Finally, France is the number one tourist destination in the world—visited even more than the
U.S.
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