Foreign Language Program
We are proud to offer our students a complete and professional language learning experience. Our program includes foreign language classes in four languages.
The goal of our program is to provide each student with a working knowledge, a practical usage, and an insight into the culture of each foreign language studied. We accomplish this by developing in the student the fundamental skills of listening, speaking, writing, and reading the language with accuracy according to a carefully planned sequence of activities and learning strategies as outlined in the National Standards for Foreign Languages.
We offer a complete 5 year sequence in FRENCH, ITALIAN, LATIN, and SPANISH. We offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses in all four languages.
We also offer an Introduction To Languages course for students who require some knowledge and practice of how to study another language.
All OCHS students are required to complete 2 years of the same foreign language. College-bound students are encouraged to complete at least 3 years of the same language. All students are encouraged to study more than one language during their high school career.
The OCHS student is also provided with thc opportunity of traveling to foreign lands through a program sponsored by one of the various Departments in the school, but not necessarily the Foreign Language Department. In the past, students have traveled to England, France. Spain, Mexico, Italy, Russia, China, Greece, Brazil, the Fiji Islands, Australia, and Switzerland. An eligible student may also take advantage of special summer institutes and study abroad programs sponsored by neighboring colleges and universities.
All incoming freshmen are eligible to take the following courses:
First Year French, Italian, Latin, or Spanish; Second Year French, Italian,
Latin, or Spanish, if they successfully pass a first level proficiency exam.
On rare occasions a student may place into a third level course.
To read nformation about the contents of the Proficiency Exam for each language click on the “Placement Exam Guidelines”.
All incoming freshmen are also asked to choose on a scale of 1 to 4 which of the languages we offer they wish to begin studying on the high school level. We try to honor the student’s first choice, but class size and scheduling may not make this possible. Many students who have studied one language in elementary school opt to begin a different language in high school. This gives them a fresh start and a new outlook, while taking advantage of the skills they learned in their previous language.