Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, April 26, 2010

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Instructors signed "passports" after the Persian folkloric dance demonstration at the World Language Festival. Students got their passports stamped as they made their way around to various activities.

Students showcased their language skills and sampled a variety of cultures at the school district’s annual World Language Festival, hosted by Bryan Station High School.

They completed proficiency assessments, tried hands-on activities like calligraphy and mosaics, sat in on Arabic and Farsi mini-lessons, perused artwork, tasted international foods, and watched dance and other cultural demonstrations.

“I’m really interested in origami, and the German dancing was fun,” said Samantha Bruce, an eighth-grader at Beaumont Middle School.

In the back hallway, Indian dancers talked about the discipline and precision required for rhythmic expression and described their elaborate costumes – sometimes with 100 bells on each ankle. Princess Jackson, a sophomore at Bryan Station, was particularly impressed by their Bollywood performance.

In another classroom, an expert offered tidbits about Russia, highlighting its geography, holidays and traditions like berry picking.

“Our etiquette, our culture, our language – most of our traditions come from Greece,” said Elena Masterson, who shared a slide show. “It’s definitely a European nation.”

Earlier, students from Liberty Elementary performed in Spanish, and a group from Crawford Middle School presented Chinese songs and dances.

The April 17 all-day event was the first Saturday festival. Previously, it was an after-school affair. The festival has simply outgrown its original format, according to Alicia Vinson, the world language specialist for Fayette County Public Schools. This year, she received 973 entries – up from about 800 last spring.

During the proficiency segments, judges assessed students’ skills in reading, recitation, dialogue, writing, and oral and listening ability. The languages included Japanese, French, German, Chinese, Latin and Spanish. In the cultural assessments, students put forth their best efforts in such areas as chorus, dance, drama, costuming, art and video productions.

Watch for the districtwide results under “latest news” at www.fcps.net.