By Jack Cahill ’17
THE ROUNDUP

Brophy offers very few languages, and because of the great things languages can teach us we need to change this.

Currently, Brophy only offers Latin and Spanish, and while Xavier offers French and Mandarin for Brophy students, few are accepted into these programs.

Our school prides itself on having many class choices and groups, so why are the language choices so limited?

Mr. Andy Schmidbauer ’88, the chair of the World Languages Department, explained why this is the case.

“I think that the majority of students coming in, their choice for language is Spanish, and the few that want to try something else have access to French and Mandarin at Xavier,” Mr. Schmidbauer said.

In my experience, many students want to try other languages.  When I first registered for classes, I applied for French, as did five of my friends. None of us were accepted.

Ms. Mackenzie Hopman, a French teacher at Xavier, said that “there are about five Brophy students in each French class.”

I understand that resources and faculty to teach additional classes are not unlimited, but this is a great investment for students. Furthermore, I believe that if Brophy offered more languages, then more incoming students would be willing to try a new language.

Most importantly, offering more languages would allow students to immerse themselves in new cultures. Learning unique languages is a great way to learn about other cultures and places.

Currently, nearby Central High School offers four language programs: Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and French.

Most high schools in the Valley are similar to Central in that regard, as many offer four or more language programs. If Brophy wants to continue to call itself a top high school, we should offer as many programs as other high schools.

Ultimately, we must expand our language department to open new doors for students.