Middle School School Foreign Language Week a huge success
The annual Middle School School Foreign Language Week was great success again this year. There were many moving parts and last minute changes with the modifications to in-person learning, and the flexibility by all parties involved was greatly appreciated.
The Middle School PTA says thank you to the following people and groups who assisted with and participated in this year’s festivities.
1. The virtual speakers: Judy Battista with her musical volunteers Jubilee Multicultural Arts; Peilin Tian/Alison Chen and the students from the Fei Tian College of Middletown; Ms. Ruth Trovato from the High School. The foreign language students thoroughly enjoyed the meets, music, dancing, and cultural learning.
2. Local Warwick restaurants that provided desserts for 400 7th and 8th grade language students for the end-of-the-week celebration: Fortune Cookies from Hunan Garden; Baklava from Opa Greek Grill; Fudge & Biscotti from Wolfies; Sablees from Jean Claude’s Patisserie. All the restaurants worked diligently to package the desserts individually for the students and deliver them directly to the District in a short time frame. The feedback from the students is that the desserts were delicious!
3. The WVCSD Food service Department, including Lois Radon, Julie Helmich, and the cafeteria staff, who provided students with the various multicultural cuisines on the MS school menu for the week. They also provided detailed guidance for current regulations and allergy considerations for the packaging and distribution to the students. Under short notice, this team assembled a total of 2,000 desserts in individual tasting bags for each foreign language student to take home.
4. WVMS administration, including Principal Mrs. Georgianna Diopoulos, Associate Principal Chris Radon. Thank you to our foreign language teachers — Andrew Sheets, Amy Neumann, Rachel Heller, Michael Justiana, and Ping Moroney — who assisted in coordinating with volunteers, setting up the Google Meets, and doing in-class cultural activities for the students. They were also direct communication liaisons for the week’s schedule changes. 5th and 6th grade students also participated in the celebration with in-school activities during the week.
This event is a yearly favorite of the WVMS students and staff, and the PTA was happy the week-long event could be celebrated again this year. We thank everyone who assisted along the way. There is no reward greater than the smile on the faces of the students.
We look forward to next year!
Warwick Valley Middle School PTA
Nicole Gujar, WVMS PTA
Laure Ragans, Co-Chair