There have been many great opportunities for students at Gorham High School this year that weren’t available last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Notable among these are the many field trips that have been taken by classes in the World Languages Department.
Very few field trips were possible last school year. This year, Latin, Spanish, and French classes have all been able to visit local places around Gorham and southern Maine. In addition to being fun, these trips allow students a chance to practice speaking another language while doing everyday things, like ordering food.
Earlier this year, Spanish IV classes visited Azul Tequila, a Mexican restaurant in Gorham. All the students had to order and communicate with the servers in Spanish as a way of learning real-life applications of the language.
“We learned that even grammatically incorrect sentences are still understandable to native speakers,” said Sam Reasoner, a GHS senior from Spanish IV.
Together, Latin IV and French IV classes went on a trip to The Portland Museum of Art this year. There, they took a short tour focusing on art related to their foreign language. This was supposed to show them how the culture they were learning about still influences our world today.
“We saw pieces that had Greek and Roman influences,” said Emma Mullin, a GHS senior from Latin IV. “It was very interesting to see newer pieces that had traditional influences.”
Finally, a few different French III classes visited Sullivan House Bakery this year, which is located near the center of Gorham. They saw a few types of food that would typically be found in France and had the chance to practice ordering.
“The environment was so warm and friendly,” said Rachel Cummings, a junior at GHS who is in French III. “I really felt at home there. I also highly recommend the cinnamon rolls.”
All three of these field trips were successfully enjoyed by the students.
Hopefully with COVID-19 cases on the decline, more of these will be made possible going into next year.
“With less uncertainty surrounding restrictions and protocols, I would love to plan more trips around the community,” said Colleen Chausse, who teaches Latin at GHS. “Whether more trips to museums or interacting with people who use the languages in their everyday life, getting out into the world and seeing the influence of the peoples and cultures we are studying will help deepen our knowledge and make it meaningful.”
These field trip opportunities will be available for all of the foreign languages students next year. They are a great way for classes to get out into the world and see the language and culture they are studying in class.