Languages

Amali Hilton, Dorothy Choi, Alicia Ahn, Deblina Roy and Mia Credaro, Year 11

LANGUAGES

Languages Week

After weeks of planning and preparation in Terms 1 and 2, we all teamed up and brought the highly anticipated Languages Week to life. From Monday to Thursday, girls across all year groups in the Secondary School were encouraged to participate in a wide selection of cultural activities, including a Guess the Language Kahoot, a treasure hunt, Chinese calligraphy, Japanese origami and a screening of the beloved Disney adaptation Hercules. We had the opportunity to motivate girls in the younger years to continue learning a language or consider taking up Latin or Classical Greek. Needless to say, we felt the excitement in the air as we reached the end of the week, with students waiting for the arrival of food trucks featuring Thai chicken skewers and rice and, for dessert, American ice cream. Many students also enjoyed their pre-ordered custom Taiwanese bubble tea. The activities were a hit amongst the student body as all events were brimming with energy. Special shoutout to Madame Bussien and Mrs Centner for their guidance and everyone else who supported our events, we couldn’t have done it without you!

MODERN LANGUAGES

2021 was a year of persistence for the Modern Languages community at Pymble. As we navigated through another turbulent year of COVID-19 and challenges, we are proud to say it was a fruitful year filled with achievements and growth which deserve to be commended.

The activities were a hit amongst the student body as all events were brimming with energy.

Education Perfect Languages Championships

Kicking off the school year, girls across a variety of different year groups participated in the Education Perfect Languages Championships – a world-wide competition in which they competed virtually against other students at an international level of the same calibre. All students who participated, regardless of their result, should be very proud of their incredible efforts! Special congratulations to Jacqueline Wo, Year 8, Mikayla Tsou, Year 9, Emily Abadee, Year 8, Alice Kang, Year 8, Lara Albany, Year 11, Isabella Pettinato, Year 11, and Mulan Xu, Year 9. Well done girls for your exceptional results! As Modern Languages Captains and student leaders, this year gave us the amazing opportunity to connect with our fellow peers who have the same passion for languages as we do. It was inspiring to see their commitment and courage to have a go despite the obstacles we all faced. Though many of our plans were thwarted by COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown, we were glad we made the most of this year. We hope everyone enjoyed this year as much as we did, and we can’t wait to see the Modern Languages community flourish over the coming years!

Mia Credaro and Rene Liu, Captains of Modern Languages

Languages

The Birth of Athena by Jasmine Economou, Year 8

CLASSICS

Over the course of this year, despite the many challenges, our amazing Classics teachers and students were able to pull through and make the most of this year. We are so pleased with everyone and their engagement! Even with the complexities of a 15-week lockdown, these talented students were able to participate in many national exams and competitions, achieving a tremendous number of astounding results which they all should be proud of.

Our finalists and high achievers: Rosemary Davies Art Competition • Jasmine Economou, Year 8, The Birth of Athena

National Greek Exam Competition, run by the American Classical League • Annelise Koh, Year 10 Beginning Greek, Highest Honour Award • Aileen Hao, Year 10 Beginning Greek, High Honour Award • Alexandra Luxton, Year 10 Beginning Greek, High Honour Award • Rhedyn Wong, Year 10 Beginning Greek, High Honour Award • Emma Lau, Year 10 Beginning Greek, Merit Award • Sophie Christopher, Year 10 Beginning Greek, Merit Award

Caitlyn Tan, Year 10

• Martina Chin, Year 10 Beginning Greek, Merit Award • Cia Fotias, Year 11 Intermediate Attic Greek, Merit Award

National Classical Etymology Exam • Caitlyn Tan, Year 10 Gold Medallist

National Latin Vocabulary Exam • Caitlyn Tan, Year 10 Gold Medallist

Congratulations to all girls this year, we look forward to seeing how you all continue to improve and excel! Unfortunately, a few events, such as the National Latin Exam and the Senior Classics Dinner, were not able to go ahead this year due to COVID-19 restrictions; however we encourage Classics students to participate in these events in the new year.

Classics Captains

The role of Classics Captain provided us with the opportunity to work along with the Languages Department and develop initiatives for our fellow students. Despite setbacks regarding COVID-19, this role was a valuable learning curve and allowed us to grow as student leaders. We hope everyone had a great 2021, especially in Latin and Greek! We loved being so involved with our peers and hope they continue their love for languages. We can’t wait to see what the new year brings for Classics! Cia Fotias and Deblina Roy, Captains of Classics