On May 1, Germantown Academy celebrated the induction of 18 exceptional students into their Languages’ Honors Societies for Spanish, French and Chinese.
These students, recognized for their academic excellence, leadership and positive attitudes within their language studies, participated in a ceremony highlighting their achievements and dedication to their respective languages.
“This tradition, this honor society, is to celebrate, honor, and recognize their dedication to learning language and to be successful, Upper School Mandarin Teacher Ms. Tsai said. “As a teacher, when I see my students be inducted into the Language Honors Society, I feel very proud of their accomplishments, so I think that this tradition is very important for students to feel a sense of pride looking back on their language journey.”
For the inductees, this event marked a significant milestone in their academic journey, showcasing their hard work and commitment to mastering a foreign language.
“I’ve worked a lot in French and improved my speaking abilities since I was in the first grade,” French Honors Society Inductee Laila DeHaven ‘25 said. “A lot of work has gone into it and it feels good to be recognized for it.”
Not only did this ceremony reflect on their academic achievement, but it also showed their understanding of different cultures through studying foreign languages. By dedicating themselves to be immersed in their languages, these students have been able to connect with people from diverse backgrounds.
“I think language is a way to communicate with other people. It’s a unique way to communicate, and I feel like learning Spanish really connects me to another culture,” Spanish Honors Society inductee Jianna Kim ‘25 said. “Being inducted into this honors society kind of solidifies how I’ve been participating in GA’s Spanish course,” Kim said. “And also how I’ve grown since I’ve started learning Spanish. I’m really grateful.”
Learning these languages has also motivated these students to apply their language skills in the real world, beyond their everyday life in the classroom.
“While I was working at my summer camp, I encountered a French-speaking camper and in speaking a foreign language I was able to make her feel more comfortable by engaging in French conversation,” French Honors Society inductee Charlotte Baughman ‘25 said. “Learning a foreign language really gave me a bigger understanding of the outside world.”
This induction ceremony into the language honors society serves as a testament for these students’ to showcase their hard work and linguistic achievements, encouraging them to continue their language studies beyond GA. Their language journey highlights the importance of language learning as it not only creates cultural connections, but also fosters communication across the language barrier.