Last year, the Patriot welcomed a new addition to the Arts and Entertainment section known as the Language Corner. The Language Corner was created in partnership with the foreign language department at Mendham. Students who excel in writing in their foreign language class are featured in the quarter paper as well as on the Patriot website. The Language Corner encourages students to devote time to projects outside of class to strengthen their knowledge in the foreign language as well as their affinity for it. 

Señora Ruiz, a Spanish teacher at Mendham, spearheaded the creation of the Language Corner and reached out to Ms. Cadden, the advisor for the Journalism Communications class, last year due to the usual advisor, Mrs. Shannon’s maternity leave. This new section added a fresh new take to The Patriot and widened the demographic of our readers on the Patriot website and paper.

Students who are interested in producing content for the Language Corner have gone above and beyond in doing so. Not only are the students producing articles, but also visual content like videos and audio recordings. The students publish a variety of content, from movie reviews to poems. For those who are bilingual or simply want to gain some practice reading in their foreign language, the Language Corner is the place to check out!

The Language Corner is an up-and-coming section, so we welcome any submissions from students who are bilingual, take a foreign language, or are simply interested in contributing content to the Language Corner. We would also be open to podcasts in a foreign language. The Arts and Entertainment section has a few running podcasts, but the Language Corner would certainly appreciate the additional contributions from those who aren’t interested in writing in their foreign language.

Suppose you aren’t interested in creating new content to submit for a chance to be featured in the paper under the Language Corner section. In that case, your foreign language teacher may handpick an assessment or classwork that they thought you did exceptionally well in. You could even prompt your foreign language teacher to see if you could use one of the classwork pieces you really like to submit to the paper.

No matter the length or the level of proficiency in the writing of the article, any submissions are welcome. Articles submitted to the Language Corner are used as a learning experience for students to enrich their ability to either speak or write in their foreign language. A student can write about any topic of their choosing, and it doesn’t even have to necessarily be in a foreign language. Although it is encouraged to write in a foreign language, students can also write about the benefits of taking a foreign language and their personal experiences with language in English. We hope you enjoy the Language Corner!