Unforgettable Experiences for Language Students
It has been a term of unforgettable encounters and enriching cultural experiences for our Modern Foreign Language students.
Catherine Wilks, Head of Modern Foreign Languages, reports.
Meeting Marcel Ladenheim
Our 6.2 French language students met local resident Marcel Ladenheim, who escaped the Holocaust in war-time occupied Paris thanks to the courage of two very brave and very glamorous sisters. Esther and Olga were dancers at the Moulin Rouge, who looked after the young Marcel when his parents were rounded up and transported to Auschwitz. The sisters gave Marcel a loving home in extraordinary circumstances. Marcel’s emotions were still raw at the thought of the suffering endured by so many, and the students were moved at his testimony.
Marcel spoke to the students for an hour in French, and they asked questions about his experiences. The photos and Marcel’s story helped them understand and get a feel for the realities of life in Nazi-occupied France, one of the themes we study for French A Level.
French and German Trips to the BFI
Students of French and German took part in study days at the BFI on London’s Southbank. The magnificent NFT 1 large screen provided an appropriate venue for an intense and packed morning learning about cinematographic techniques, all in the language studied, and accompanied by clips from a selection of classic French or German classics, from the Nouvelle Vague to the present day. Students learn to write critical essays in the language studied in which they analyse and evaluate a film in the language studied, so this day of activities provided inspiration and understanding in approaching this demanding task.
Spanish trip to the Cervantes Theatre: La Casa de Bernarda Alba
6.2 Spanish students gained an invaluable experience to help them understand the 6.2 text studied. The Cervantes Theatre is an intimate venue which feels like a little piece of Spain in Southwark; the students were able to experience this visceral drama through powerful performances at very close quarters, and of course entirely in Spanish.
Online conference: Migration in Spain
The Spanish assistant, Carmen Pascuale, provided 6.2 Spanish students with an invaluable opportunity to hear at first hand the experiences of migrants arriving in Spain in small boats, and of those who provide support for them both in Spain and in the migrants countries of origin. Students participated in an online talk and Q and A. Moved by what they heard, students set up a successful and delicious cake sale to raise funds for support organisations.
Read more stories in our Spring Newsletter.
