World Languages

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” - Rita Mae Brown 

In alignment with the District’s vision of creating scholars that will contribute to a global culture of collaboration, through innovation, and engagement, grounded in recognition and appreciation for all people, the MVCSD World Language Dept. advocates for ALL scholar's choice of the world language offerings in grades 7-12.  

The goal of the World Language Department is to provide scholars with world language offerings that will enable them to reap the benefits of being multilingual. The MVCSD currently offers Spanish and French to students in grades 7-12.  

The following is just an introduction to the importance of becoming multilingual and earning the Seal of Biliteracy upon high school graduation: 

1. Learning a world language opens global opportunities for employment. 

It’s no secret that learning a foreign language can improve your employment prospects. More companies than ever are doing business in several—often dozens of—countries around the world. With globalization in full swing, our scholars will find themselves working with colleagues whose first language isn’t English. Being able to communicate in other languages increases marketability and asset value to an employer as well as having that competitive edge.  

2. Grows your brain’s superpower. 

Research has shown that there are cognitive benefits of learning another language. These studies have shown that bilinguals tend to have bigger brains, better memories, are more creative, better problem solvers, etc. The ability to quickly switch between tasks is especially important in today’s busy multitasking world. Bilinguals can switch between tasks much faster than their monolingual counterparts and can handle many more tasks at once.   

3. Studying a foreign language makes you more open-minded 

To educate is to lead out—to lead out of confinement and narrowness and closemindedness. Learning a world language and getting soaked into an entirely new culture and worldview is the surest way to become an open-minded, understanding, tolerant individual, and that is absolutely priceless. It also deepens appreciation for your own culture, language and traditions.