In honor of National Foreign Language Week, March 6-12, known in Somerville as World Language Week, the Somerville World Language Department will be celebrating through art and music. Thanks to a Cultural Heritage Project grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the week will include a performance by Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE) at the Somerville High School Auditorium on Tuesday, March 8, during X-block from 10:05 to 11:00 a.m. JAE supports cultural equity and representation and promotes hope and healing through Haitian Folkloric dance and educational programming. The performance will be live-streamed, which will ensure that all classes at SHS and in the district can enjoy the performance.

The week’s events will also include an opportunity for all World Language students to create their own tiles after learning about the Arabic influence on tiles in French speaking countries, Italy, Portugal and Spain. This art project is supported by an Innovation in Education grant from the Somerville Education Foundation. Grant funds will be used to purchase art supplies for this activity. This year’s World Language Week theme is “Celebrate Humanity with Language.” These ideas and themes align with the World Language Department’s commitment to teaching and celebrating multicultural perspectives, including less commonly taught cultures.