Celebrating Carnival Season

   The European carnival season reached its climax on February 28. To celebrate, foreign language classes met in the large group instruction room to celebrate Fat Tuesday, more commonly known by its French name of Mardi Gras. Carnival music from an assortment of countries was played, and students of all languages were given the opportunity to interact together. One student, freshman Isaac Auger, found the celebration intriguing.

   “It was interesting,” Auger said. “It showed some dances and songs that they have in different cultures.”

   Beyond celebrating Fat Tuesday, the celebration also had an educational focus for students of all foreign language classes to learn more about the cultures of other countries. Students could get a better understanding of the culture behind the different languages by seeing how each one celebrated. Auger, a German student, was able to learn more about the cultures of Spanish and French speaking countries.

   “Carnival in the LGI room was a good learning experience to learn about Spanish, French and German culture,” Auger said. “Teachers should mix in culture because it tells you about the places the languages come from.”

   “It’s important for language students to learn about carnival because learning about other people’s cultures is one of the ways we show we care about people different than us,” French teacher Lindsey Van Groningen said. “Half the time in doing so, we find commonalities along the way, like celebrating the same holiday, even if it’s done in different ways. I hope the celebration is something the students remember for a long time.” Story by Hayden Sisemore.