Language, Culture, and Community

Upon returning from a restful Spring Break, the World Languages Department welcomed the community back to campus with the School’s annual World Languages Week. The week celebrated global cultures and the languages, providing immersive experiences that focused on the courses offered at Marlborough in French, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.

“As a department, it's important for us to have our students see language outside of the classroom,” World Languages Department Head Andréa Fuentes shared. “World Languages Week is really our time to expose students to different cultural activities and have fun with the languages.”

The week began with a stunning and delicious treat honoring Chinese language and tradition featuring 糖画 (tánghuà) or sugar painting. Artist Xianglin Yu designed intricate and beautiful treats created with melted sugar that hardens and is connected to a stick. The craft is a traditional Chinese handcraft with over 500 years of history. Students enjoyed the sweet treats in the shape of animals from the Chinese zodiac or other common Chinese characters, like the symbol for good fortune: 福 (fú).

On Tuesday, students and staculty gathered to hear from Laura Franco and Darlene Franco, members of the Wukchumni Tribe of the Central Valley, as they shared their community's inspiring efforts to revitalize their native language and preserve their cultural values. This special Pushing Perspectives connected to the 7th Grade curriculum in International World Languages where they explore what it means to learn a language and the mechanics of doing so. Students and staculty were able to practice phrases and sentences in Wukchumni and learned more about the important work the Tribe is doing to preserve their heritage.

For Wednesday’s activity, the Brittain Bradley Family Plaza transformed into a Korean Food Marketplace to celebrate Korean culture. Students poured out of classes and grabbed a plate, eager to enjoy the Korean foods: kimbap, tteokbokki (spicy rice cake), kimchi jeon (kimchi pancakes), goguma twigim (deep-fried sweet potato) and ojinguh twigim (deep-fried squid), sotteok sotteok (skewer with sausage and rice cake), and hotteok (sweet pancake). 

“These markets are such an essential part of Korean culture, offering not just food, but a shared, lively experience,” Korean Instructor YoonJu Lee explained. “Through this event, I hoped students could engage with Korean language and culture in an authentic and joyful way—greeting each other in Korean, enjoying music, and connecting over food. It was incredibly rewarding to see that vibrant energy come to life during lunch!”

On Thursday, students immersed themselves in French food by taking part in a crêpe-making workshop. As they mastered swirling thin batter across hot griddles, they learned and appreciated the delicate art of the tasty treat. It was a sweet and memorable way to honor French language and delicacies.

To cap off the fun-filled week, the department hosted an arts and crafts day in the Alumnae Garden, a cultural marketplace for crafts and community time. Students made bracelets in the “Bad Bunny Bracelet Making” station while enjoying his music, or practiced the Korean dongshim knot as they designed and decorated their own keychains. They could also make their own shàn or Chinese lacquer fan by dipping a blank fan into vibrant colors or play the French outdoor game pétanque as they enjoyed French sweets.

“More and more, what we’re seeing because of our 7th Grade International World Languages class is that students are really opening up to all of the languages that we offer at Marlborough,” Profe. Fuentes explained. “Now we’re seeing more students take two languages once they see what other possibilities exist for them. This week is a great way for students to be exposed to different cultural practices and foods in a fun way.”

The week proved to be more than just fun for students and staculty alike. It was an opportunity to bring the community together through different customs and languages outside of the classroom. By moving beyond textbooks, the World Languages Department fostered a sense of global curiosity, giving the community a broadened perspective and a deeper connection to the diverse cultures that make up our world.