Second Language

The school’s emphasis on early second language instruction means that when students join the upper division, they have acquired a firm foundation in the second language of their choice—French, Spanish, or Mandarin. In seventh grade, Latin is added to the program.

Upper division language classes meet three to four times a week, depending on the grade. Each class becomes a well-established unit, as the students grow together and with their teacher over the course of five years of language study as a group. Students learn to read, write, converse, and translate with increasing sophistication each year. Many of our graduates place in advanced sections in high school and continue their language studies in college.