World Language
We believe that global literacy prepares our students to engage with diverse people from around the world as together they identify and solve 21st century challenges.
This requires a deep and authentic understanding and appreciation for the arts, culture, economics, geography and languages of those with whom they work and serve. The Summit aims to produce graduates with strong proficiency in French, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese. Our Latin instruction has produced one of the most active Latin clubs in the state which not only has brought home state and national championships but the deep understanding of language and civilization has broadened our Latin student’s perspective for life.
We begin by introducing Spanish at 18 months as doing so capitalizes on the elasticity of the developing brain by stimulating the growth of neural connections related to language. Research shows that bilingual and trilingual students have higher achievement rates in the areas of Math and Language Arts. To further capitalize on the advantages of early exposure to world languages, all Summit sixth graders study Latin as they continue their work with French and Spanish. In grades 7-12, our students choose to study French, Spanish, Latin or Mandarin Chinese as a core course.
Our commitment to global literacy calls for a commitment to the world’s languages. The competency our students achieve not only gives them an advantage as they enter college and their professional lives, but it also fosters a deep appreciation for the art of communication and a profound respect for the diverse cultures of the world.