HHS students take trip to Concordia Language Villages

The first weekend of Dec., a handful of students went on a weekend trip to Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji. These students were able to immerse themselves in a different country’s language and culture, without even leaving the state.

With Kimberly Foster, Spanish, and Kelly Dirks, German, leading their respective trips, students boarded a bus up North, along with Hopkins North Junior High and Blake students.

Olivia Gay, sophomore, was one of the students that attended El Lago del Bosque, the Spanish village. El Lago del Bosque’s focal country that the village was centered around this particular weekend was Mexico.

“The food and the activities were the highlights of the week for me,” Gay said.

This trip was Gay’s first time at Concordia, however Izabela Taylor, sophomore, has attended El Lago del Bosque for the past two summers.

“The immersion into Mexican culture made me more comfortable speaking the language. Most of the counselors were from countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, so I learned authentic phrases,” Taylor said.

According to the Concordia Language Villages website, Concordia has programs for learning 15 various languages and has been around for decades. There are programs for languages that are offered at HHS, such as Spanish, French, and Chinese. There are also programs for languages not usually offered in schools, including Portuguese, Danish, and Arabic.