In the span of about a week, several of our world language students embarked on local field trips in order to connect more deeply with the language, community, and culture that they are studying. Check out the trips our Spanish, French, and Mandarin students enjoyed below!
Spanish 550 & AP Spanish Field Trip
On Tuesday, April 9, Spanish 550 and AP Spanish students went to Washington University in St. Louis to speak with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Spanish, Dr. Joseph Barcroft, as well as a student study abroad ambassador and resident assistant who spent this past summer in Madrid, Spain. They were able to learn about majoring and minoring in Spanish, what linguistics is and what its courses look like, what it is like to study abroad and live with a host family, and the dos and don’ts of freshmen roommates. While at WashU, students also attended a Spanish class, the highest level that they can test into as incoming freshmen. To prepare for this class, our Rams Spanish students were assigned the same homework as the WashU students. Next, they went to lunch at Cocina Latina, a Peruvian restaurant in the Central West End. Students in Spanish 550 are currently wrapping up a unit on Perú. In it, they have learned about some of the roots of different dishes and then tried some of them. In addition to Peruvian food, some students opted for fajitas (Mexican) or empanadas (Colombian); both were from countries/cultures that they studied in the fall semester. Lastly, they rounded out the trip with walking to Club Viva for a private salsa lesson, which helped our seniors warm up for prom this past Saturday. Overall, this excursion is a culminating experience for the seniors, a celebration of their dedication to Spanish during their careers here at MICDS (some started Spanish in Junior Kindergarten!), and a preview of what is to come in their next chapter: college.
“Through this trip, we hope students will see the possible paths forward for the Spanish skills that they have worked so diligently to acquire, whether those paths are academic or social in nature,” explained Sarah Elliott-Vandiver, Upper School Spanish Teacher. “And, of course, we hope they see that fun in Spanish isn’t limited to the classroom but something they can pursue in their leisure time.”
Elliott-Vandiver was pleased with how the students did in the college-level class. “I was so impressed by our students’ active engagement during the lesson at WashU,” she reflected. “They were excited to share their takeaways from the homework assignment, as well as their perspectives on the role of protests, the respect for the right to protest in various countries, as well as the role of media and social media when it comes to reporting opinions vs. facts vs. falsehoods. And they did all of this in Spanish! Looking around the classroom, I could see how interested the WashU students and professor were to hear our students’ perspectives. They are certainly ready to take their Spanish skills to the university level.”
Fellow Upper School Spanish Teacher Kelly Weidenmiller said, “This trip was a wonderful opportunity to combine the seniors in the highest levels of Spanish at MICDS as they share their passion for the language and its cultures. It was important for them to see how successful they could be in a high-level college Spanish class and celebrate their interests by immersing themselves in Spanish-speaking cultures through food and dance. This trip is not only a celebration of their dedication but also hopefully plants a seed of how they can continue to hone their intercultural competence and language proficiency beyond their time with us at MICDS.”
“We just overall had an amazing experience,” said Alex Kellner ’24. “We started the day off at WashU and got to walk around their extraordinary campus and experience what it is like to pursue Spanish in college as we were lucky enough to join in on a college Spanish class. The day continued to get even better when we traveled to Cocina Latina, an authentic Latin restaurant, and we ended our day with some very fun Spanish dance lessons!”
“I definitely learned a lot about the structure of Spanish classes in college and all the different opportunities you have to be immersed in the language,” shared Bridget Clennan ’24. “My highlight was learning how to salsa dance because it was a lot of fun, and it was cool to learn something new.”
Ameer Hajji ’24 added, “I thought the field trip was an awesome way to explore options for continuing Spanish education in college. Also, I had a ton of fun learning salsa at Club Viva! It was a great experience.”
“I had a really great time on the field trip—attending the WashU class was interesting and definitely made me think about how Spanish fits into my life going forward as I move on to college; it was fun getting to participate in a real college class. I also enjoyed the Peruvian restaurant and the dance lesson we had at Club Viva!” said Shivani Devrapally ’24.
French 400 Field Trip to Sainte Genevieve
Last Thursday, April 11, our French 400 students traveled to Sainte Genevieve for a field trip orchestrated by Upper School French Teacher Steven Crumb. Dr. Crumb takes his upper-level French students on this trip every year to study French history in the Midwest. His class also studies past and present French-speaking communities in South America, the Caribbean, and Canada, but this local experience fosters a wonderful connection to all things French here in Missouri.
On the trip, our French students were exposed to some of the best-preserved French creole architecture in all of North America. They visited the current exhibition at the Centre for French Colonial Life. Following the trip, they shared their own digital souvenirs (memories) in French that they compiled in a slideshow with French descriptions.
New to the field trip this year, Dr. Crumb had his students dig a little deeper into some of the resources created by the National Historical Park Service (NPHS). Dr. Crumb explained, “Since the NHPS took over a few years ago, they’ve done a ton of work to highlight the stories of folks who were previously underrepresented.”
Dr. Crumb also took the time to talk about how this trip deepened the learning of his French students. “I think [the trip is] a great opportunity for our students to use their French language skills and knowledge of francophone cultures to discover some of the lesser-known aspects of our own regional history. We tend to look past the smaller towns and rural communities of Missouri, but with a little digging, you uncover stories of this incredible melting pot of people that helped shape our current reality and directly connect us to places that now seem far-flung, like Québec, Haiti, and Normandy, France,” he said. “For our students who have participated in our bi-annual exchange trip to Caen, they can actually reach out and touch the traces of the same Norman architectural influences they saw in France, right here in Missouri, in the uniquely well-preserved vertical-log constructions of Ste. Genevieve. And thanks to the efforts of the National Park Service, who set up shop in Ste. Genevieve in 2020, we’re also learning many more of the stories that have not always been told: those of the local native populations, for example, and the enslaved people who built Ste. Genevieve and some of whom went on to gain their freedom and become prominent citizens, like Pélagie Amoureux. Besides giving students a break from an ordinary school day and a chance to visit a cute little town, I hope this trip helps them to see the place they’re from in a new and interesting light.”
What a fabulous trip!
Zach Krivonak ’25 shared, “We learned a lot about French architecture and the influence of French Canadian culture on southeastern Missouri. It was fun to see one of the oldest houses west of the Mississippi.”
“This trip was incredibly helpful in understanding French history and culture that exists in our country!” said Reagan Hamilton ’25. “Previously, I had no idea that there was a French-speaking community in our state and was pleasantly surprised to learn more about it. Learning about and seeing the rich history of the region was incredibly helpful in understanding the francophone roots in our backyard. One moment that sticks out to me was seeing the unique architecture of the historic homes.”
“I’m someone who is particularly fascinated with dialects of languages, especially those that I feel connected to. So learning that there is a huge history of an entirely different language here was eye-opening for me,” Abby Derdeyn ’25 said. “The field trip helped me enrich my understanding of Missouri Creole culture in a much deeper way than I had been able to beforehand. I especially loved seeing the architecture around the town with the context of what styles it’s a mixture of.”
Middle/Upper School Mandarin Field Trip
Approximately 80 students in grades 7 to 12 embarked on a field trip to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture and Mandarin language on Wednesday, April 17. The trip included visits to the St. Louis Art Museum, lunch at Lulu’s Seafood Restaurant on Olive, and Olive Supermarket near our campus. The trip’s goal was to provide students with an opportunity to explore the ancient and modern Chinese articraft by completing a scavenger hunt activity, which serves as a base for some trivia questions with prizes taking place at the Chinese restaurant. Students enjoyed a home-style lunch featuring an eight-course feast.
“The Chinese field trip provided a valuable and enjoyable learning experience for the students,” reflected Lily Childs, Upper School Mandarin Teacher. “It allowed them to practice their language skills in an immersive environment and deepen their understanding of Chinese culture.”
Zuowei Chang, Middle School Mandarin Teacher, added, “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the school (Administrative Team and chaperones) for their support in making the Chinese field trip possible, allowing students to broaden their cultural horizons through this enriching experience.”
Check out what students shared about their experience on the field trip:
- “The most memorable part of the trip for me was going to Olive Supermarket and seeing all of the different cultural foods. And the Arts Museum taught me a lot of Chinese history about different artifacts.” ~ Middle School Mandarin Student
- “I enjoyed eating at Lulu’s together! I love the community of Mandarin-speakers it builds across grade levels. It’s one of my favorite class traditions.” ~ Robyn Davies ’26
- “I was able to see many different Chinese pieces of art, and learn about different dynasties.” ~Middle School Mandarin Student
- “I loved going to see the swords after completing the scavenger hunt and seeing the artifacts from history; they were super impressive! The trip helped show the history that I already knew was super long and intricate in a new way because I have never really seen artifacts from China in person.” ~ Connor Paine ’24
- “The most memorable part of the trip is going to the museum and seeing Asian artifacts. It helped me understand the history of China through certain artifacts and paintings.” ~ Jeffrey Ge ’24
How exciting it is for many of our language classes to connect locally with the cultures and communities they represent. Thank you to our global learning teachers and chaperones who provided these pivotal experiences to our language-learning students!