More than 30 teams of students from at least 18 area high schools will participate in the 22nd annual Academic High School Language Bowl at the University of Southern Indiana on Monday, April 16. Check-in is from 9 to 9:30 a.m., language rounds are from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., and a song competition starts at 11 a.m. in Carter Hall in the University Center.
The USI Department of Modern and Classical Languages hosts the annual event in which students test their skills in French, German, Latin, and Spanish. Dr. Silvia Anna Rode, chair of the department, said, “Students have great fun participating in the language bowl. It gives them an opportunity to use the language and gain confidence while interacting with students from other high schools. The event also provides an opportunity for USI language faculty to connect with high school language teachers to better understand and support their professional needs.”
High schools may bring teams of five students to compete. Question and answer rounds consist of 20 questions plus five tie-breakers. Questions may be based on language or culture-specific knowledge. In addition, students may compete in a song competition that inspires creativity and that demonstrates language skills in an artistic context. Student groups of no more than eight and no less than four sing in the language they are studying.
While the high school teams are on campus, they meet and talk to USI faculty and students. Foreign language faculty act as facilitators and USI students assist with registration, contests, and refreshments.
The awards ceremony is sponsored by the USI foundation.
