Last modified: Friday, June 12, 2009 2:21 AM EDT Say oui to foreign languages in North BY MOLLY HILLIS and KEATON WHITE NORTH ATTLEBORO HIGH SCHOOL For too long, the North Attleboro school system has been forced to cut back in all areas, with dramatic effects on its students and teachers. Few of these effects have been for the better: Music teachers have been lost and dreaded budget cuts have made pink slips a yearly tradition. But now, the economic crisis has led to a startling new cut - the demise of the Foreign Language Department. Clearly, with less funds available for this school year, cuts must be made. We appreciate how difficult these decisions have been, particularly for the superintendent, Dr. Rice. However, as passionate language students, we feel that French and Spanish are equally as vital to every student as the "main" courses offered by schools. While it has yet to be officially determined, the stage that has been set for the 2009-10 school year is looking pretty bleak. In the Middle School, it appears that the number of foreign language teachers will be halved, from six to three. Sixth graders will be educated in French for one year and then "progress" to a 12-week rotating schedule of Spanish in grades seven and eight. Since this will not be sufficient to complete a full year in French and Spanish Level I, the courses will have to be taken by all students once they have reached high school. In theory, it seems simple enough. But in practice, the negative effects are virtually endless. With this uneven education in languages, students will not only be unable to choose their own language to take, but will not receive the same standard of education previously offered. Starting a new language "officially" in high school will place students two years behind in their experience, which will not help them compete for colleges with students who have received a higher level of education. By losing access to foreign languages, they may lose some of the other benefits, including a better level of comprehension of the English language, or better job opportunities. After eliminating Latin from the Middle School three years ago, and from the High School this year, another change will impact the language program even more. The other effects will actually involve students currently in the Spanish and French programs at the High School. Currently, there is only one French teacher there, who offers French Levels II-IV and will soon take over French V, now offered by another teacher. However, if there is a need to offer French I, which will require two class periods, and another teacher can't be hired, some classes will have to be cut, starting with the higher level classes, Levels IV and V. Do the math and it adds up to students taking French II this year being denied French V in their senior year, and current eighth graders not even making it to French IV. Now that communication between countries is more important than ever before, language barriers must be overcome, and cutting down on available courses will not help. As freshmen at NAHS and students in French II, our future in foreign language education is dependent of you, the people of North Attleboro. Raising awareness of the situation is simple, and can be achieved simply by attending town school committee meetings. With your support, the issue will become known by the entire town, and may even cause some small benefits to occur for the program, even if not a complete change. While many surrounding towns are facing similar issues, they are also finding new solutions. We truly hope that North Attleboro will not be one of the first to fail to do so.