FLAND NEWS
March, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(click on titles to view or scroll down)
Foreign Language Week Essay Contest Results
Spring Conference Program, Jamestown College
Central States Conference Opportunities
Spring Conference Registration Form
Spring is here – somewhere between the blizzards and the floods! So relax for a minutes and sit down and read the news from the Foreign Language Association of North Dakota! This short newsletter will provide you with all the news and updates on our fast approaching Spring Conference at Jamestown College April 24-25. On to the news…..
FLAND Foreign Language Week Essay Contest
Essays were submitted by 50 students representing 11 teachers and 6 schools. Each student wrote an essay in English (> 300 words) that expressed his/her interpretation of this theme. Essays are evaluated using the following categories: use of the theme, development of ideas, organization, creativity & originality, word choice & vocabulary, grammar & mechanics.
Division I - Grades 9 & 10: (22 entries)
1st place & $25: Keremy Huber, Bismarck HS, Mary Ann Crow
2nd place & $15: Alec Redmann, Jamestown HS, Jay Nitschke
3rd place & $10: Nick Erlandson, Bismarck HS, Val Kling
Honorable Mention: Jade Glasgow, Jamestown HS, Dianne Strand; Matt Kessler, Bismarck HS, Kling; Laura Kraft, Jamestown HS, Dianne Strand; Jaden Materi, Bismarck HS, Kami Yri; Holly Millican, Bismarck HS, Kami Yri.
Division II - Grades 11 & 12: (28 entries)
1st place & $25: Paige Hayer, Fargo South HS, Lisa Cordova-Nemer
2nd place & $15: Elle Weisenberger, Fargo South HS, Courtney Lalonde
3rd place & $10: Katie Schalow, Fargo South HS, Courtney Lalonde
Honorable Mention (Students are in alphabetical order along with their school and teacher): Allegra Berglund, Fargo South HS, Lalonde; Alaa Koleilat, Bismarck HS, Kling; David Reimers, Jamestown HS, Strand; Laurel Striegel, Fargo South HS, Cordova-Nemer; Daniel Wobbema, Wilton HS, Sandy Meidinger.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS, PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR DEDICATED TEACHERS!
The following are the first-place winners for the Essay Contest:
Division II Winner: Paige Hayer, Fargo South High School – Lisa Cordova-Nemer
One World
Many hands, many voices, one world… together the concepts make an outstanding trio. Each piece makes the puzzle fit together and brings people together.
With many hands, there are people being helped and understood, friendships created, knowledge gained, and broken ideas mended. If every capable person just lent a hand to people around them and the world, not just their own communities with their own ways of life, so much more will be attained. There will be much more respect and understanding. The more hands that are working together, the more we can get better at communicating and helping each other out. Gathering many hands is key!
There are so many different languages in the world, it’s hard to comprehend! Together they make the world remarkably unique. All of these voices make up beautiful cultures and ways of communicating. Learning different languages is so beneficial to any person because the more languages that a person knows, the more people they can communicate with and learn about. Understanding more than one language can turn a naïve person into a worldly one. Using many voices is the perfect way to gain knowledge about the world around us.
The idea that everything, such as many hands and voices being put into one, single, beautiful world, shows how people in the world can unite. People around the world can meet, gather, and talk with each other which really boosts the strength and aspects in the world. With many hands, many voices, and one world, we can do anything.
Division I Winner: Keremy Huber, Bismarck High School - Mary Crow
Many Hands, Many Voices, One World
Across the globe there are many hands, many voices, but one world. At first glance you may only see a plethora of nationalities, languages, and cultures. If you step back and examine the big picture, you will realize that our similarities outweigh our differences.
Our world has many hands, both literally and figuratively. Our "hands" work, play, and assist others regardless what language is spoken. A friendly wave of the hand brings a smile and a responsive wave in every corner of the Earth. Our "hands" are also represented by entire communities and nations as they reach out to their neighbors in
times of need.
The many voices of our world do not only refer to the sheer number of people, but also to the multitude of languages, ideas, and opinions of Earth's inhabitants. While our spoken dialects appear to erect a virtual wall among nations, there are many similarities in every language. Music has also provided unity for the masses, proving it truly is the universal language. For example, in the 1980s a song titled 99 Luftballoons was released by a German band in their native German language as well as English. The German version was actually more popular in the United States, proving that language was not a barrier.
Together these many hands and many voices combine to form one world. Our World would not be complete if everyone conformed to one language, one way of doing things, or a singular way of thinking. Our differences may separate us at times, but they are also the ties that bind us together. We all have something unique to offer our world. We must always remember that our planet is comprised of an abundance of cultures that are diverse and yet surprisingly similar.
WANTED: YOU!
At the Spring Conference we will need to elect a number of people and find new folks to fill a number of other positions with FLAND. We need to elect: 2nd President-Elect (normal election), 1st President-Elect (to fill a vacant position) and a Secretary-Treasurer. Charlene Voigt will be moving into the position of President, but she cannot do it alone! In addition, we need to find someone to take over the job of Newsletter Editor (now much shorter and done mostly on e-mail!).
FLAND cannot function without the dedicated volunteers so please consider taking on one of these jobs!
SPRING CONFERENCE
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed . . .
We've got a deal for you!
Tentative Schedule – April 24-25 -- FLAND
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009
2 – 2:30 Registration
2:30 – 4:30 “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed”
Presentation by Charlene Nemec, Susan Devine, Kami Yri, and Gina Solemas.
3:30 – 3:45 Break – View exhibits, Swap Shop, Silent Auction, Book Sale
4:30 Announcements
5:30 Dinner at Buffalo City Grille (101 1st Avenue South, Jamestown, ND 58401)
SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009
7:30 – 9 Executive Board Business Meeting
9 – 9:30 Registration
9:30 – 10:15 Concurrent Sessions:
- Using German Film in Conversation/Composition Courses in German (Kate Stevenson, Associate Professor of German and French at Jamestown College)
-Accessing and Using the FLAND Wiki (Ryan Pitcher, Professor of Spanish at BSC in Bismarck)
10:15 – 10:30 Break – View exhibits, Swap Shop, Silent Auction, Book Sale
10:30 – 11:30 Concurrent Sessions:
- Ideas for using the SmartBoard in the Foreign Language Classroom (Claudia
Schoellkopf, German instructor at Bismarck High
- French Heritage in North Dakota (Dr. Virgil Benoit, Professor of French at UND). Dr. Benoit’s research is on French heritage in North America. Throughout his career he has studied, published, lectured, organized public events, and established 2 non-profit organizations for the understanding of the cultures of France’s 3 colonies in North America, which are Acadia, Louisiana, and Quebec. He is especially interested in arriving at a better understanding of historical heritage, cultural identity and North American history through study, teaching, and community organizing.
11:30 – 12:45 Lunch at Jamestown College: Please order by April 15
Pasta Bar- Salad, Pasta, Meat and Alfredo sauce, breadstick, dessert, coffee and water. $9.50
12:45 – 1:45 FLAND Business Meeting
1:45 – 2:00 Break – view exhibits, Silent Auction, Book Sale, Swap Shop
2:00 – 3:00 AATF, AATG, AATSP, ACL, Indigenous Languages
`
AATF – Discovering French Polynesia: An Introduction to the Stories of Alex DuPrel – presented
by Kate Stevenson, Associate Professor of German and French at Jamestown College.
Hotel information for the Spring Conference in Jamestown, April 24-25
Holiday Inn Express: 15 rooms blocked for FLAND for April 24 at the conference rate of $95 per night for two queen beds per room, non-smoking. The hotel has pool, hot tub, weight room, big continental breakfast and internet access. For reservations call: Holiday Inn Express (701) 251-2131. Ask for the FLAND block of rooms. Cut-off date for reserving rooms at the conference rate: April 10
Minutes of the Fall FLAND Meeting (24 October 2008)
Call to Order: 11:08 A.M. South High School Fargo, ND
Secretary’s Report: Correction: unfinished business: JNCL: our contribution is $350. Motion: Jay; 2nd by Val Kling; passed.
Treasurer’s Report: 13-month CD due to higher interest rate, 3.65%; renews in November 2009; Motion: Sandy M. 2nd: Jay N.; passed.
Committee Reports:
Historian – not/available
Public Relations – comes up under newsletter
Curriculum Council – Kami’s report will come in Spring
TOY – Mary-Kay Ralston is off this committee
Silent Auction – Maria has resigned; Maila volunteered.
ProLingua Award – Dawn needs 2 people to help read nominations and make decision on winner. Nominees should not be teachers of foreign languages. Jay and Val volunteered.
YOL Advocacy – Discover Languages, Discover the World. There is a podcast contest. Go to the website to find out about it.
ACTFL: Ryan Pitcher will go to Orlando as our representative. He will no longer be funded after this year. Maila is willing to ask for funding from MSU. There is $300 from FLAND to help with expenses. November 2009 meeting is in San Diego, CA.
CSC Delegate – March 19-21, 2009 in Chicago; funding for Susan Devine is under consideration by her administration.
JNCL-NCLIS – dues have been paid for the year, $350. We are part of a coalition with Arkansas and Illinois. JNCL offers FLAP grants for language programs for languages that are essential for national security. European languages are not included.
Herb Boswau Memorial – funded by book fair, silent auction and donations. Committee members are LeAnne Tracey, Sandy Meidinger, Pat Taylor, David Volk, Barb Beach. They are looking for ways to raise funds for this CD. John Wageman won the dues certificate, but donated it back to the fund, because his dues are paid for by his university.
Old Business: Mari Rasmussen is the Modern Language contact person at DPI. She receives all questions regarding Modern Languages, although her focus is English. She has suggested that we need a person just for Modern Language issues. Watch for emails after Jeanne contacts Mari.
CSC TOY – Susan Devine will apply for this award.
New Business:
FL Week Essay Contest – Many Hands, Many Voices, One World Deadline: February 1, 2009
Members who are willing to read essays: Dianne Strand, Faye Miller, Susan Devine.
Spring 2009 Conference: Kate Stevenson hosting at Jamestown; April 24-25, 2009.
Spring 2010 Conference: Val Kling and Susan Devine – Susan has begun writing the grant; deadline is January 15, 2009. Decision is made at Central States Conference.
Motion: Sandy moved that FLAND contribute $600 to Minneapolis bus; second Faye Miller. A budget must be submitted with the grant. Jeanne moved to amend the motion to $1000; second Pat Taylor. Faye called for the question on the amendment. Vote on amendment: passed. Motion as amended is to give $1000 for bus to Minneapolis; passed.
Newsletter: need a chairperson. Sandy and Jeanne will take care of it for one more year. Should be sent out September 15th with conference information, dues reminder, approximately 4 pages for a standard stamp, especially for members without internet access and for those in small schools and for those in larger schools, one person would receive the letter and then copy it for the other members of the department. Another issue January 15th with reminder about awards, the budget, minutes from fall meeting, contest deadline and any other information; another mailing March 15th with information on the spring conference from the 2nd president elect. Sandy is working on an updated roster of foreign language teachers from DPI in ND. DPI roster doesn’t have emails, so Sandy has sent out 100 hard copies. Need reps for cities: Maila will take Minot; Kami – Bismarck and Mandan; Martina Wolf - Grand Forks. Jeanne will draw up guidelines for the editor.
Join the FLAND Wiki; picture is optional. Kate Stevenson will maintain the website.
Justin Wageman, teacher education at NDSU – conducting study of professional development needs for language educators in ND; asked for FLAND support. Maila moved to support Justin’s study; second by Kami; no discussion. Passed.
Motion to adjourn by Jeanne. Maila second; passed.
Central States Opportunity: The Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages will be held in Minneapolis, March 4-6, 2010. The FLAND organization is hoping that many North Dakota teachers will take advantage of the opportunity to attend this fantastic conference while it is so “close” to home.
We are also encouraging you to showcase the talent that we have right here in North Dakota by being a presenter at this conference. Most presentations are one hour long, although it is possible to present a 3 hour (half day) or 6 hour (full day) workshop. You may prefer to work with a co-presenter (or co-presenters). Our ND schools have many excellent language departments that could team up to provide a valuable session. Should you choose to do this, your school may be willing to provide financial support.
Each state is also asked to put together a “Best of …” from their state. North Dakota does not usually have a “Best of North Dakota” session at CSC. We most definitely want to sponsor this session in Minneapolis. If you are interested in being part of the “Best of” presentation, please contact me Sandra.Meidinger@sendit.nodak.edu by April 1.
If you want to learn more about how the conference works and what kinds of sessions are available, the program for the 2009 conference in Chicago can be viewed at the CSC website http://www.csctfl.org/. Click on conferences and then on the Chicago conference and the program will be one of your next options.
The theme for the 2010 CSC is “Developing Global Competence.” The deadline for submitting proposals is April 15, 2009. Go to the website and click on the link that deals with submitting proposals. I invite all of you to check this out and consider being part of a presentation. Please keep me informed of proposals that are submitted from North Dakota. Submitted by Sandra Meidinger, FLAND Public Relations
Important dates to mark on your calendar…..
See the FLAND website http://www.jc.edu/users/faculty/stevenso/FLAND/index.html.
and wiki www.fland.wetpaint.com.for details:
April 24 – 25, 2009 FLAND Spring Conference in Jamestown (See above) Registration forms below!
Oct. 21-23, 2009 FLAND Fall Conference at the NDEA Conference in Grand Forks
March 4-6, 2010 Central States Conferences in Minneapolis: FLAND is planning to take a bus to Minneapolis to attend this exciting, educational conference. What an awesome opportunity for personal and professional growth!
Oct. 20-22, 2010 FLAND Fall Conference at the NDEA Conference in Bismarck
President: Dr. Jeanne Hageman, NDSU
First President Elect: Charlene Voigt, Northwood High School
Second President Elect: vacant
Secretary / Treasurer: Julie Rohlk, Minot High School
FLAND Advisory Board:
ND-AATF Pres. Val Kling, University of Mary
ND-AATG Pres. Julie Rohlk, Minot High School
ND-AATSP Pres. Faye Miller, Midway/Fordville/Lankin High School
ND-ACL Pres. David Volk, Fargo Public Schools
ACTFL Delegates: Ryan Pitcher, BSC and David Volk, Fargo Public Schools
Historian: Barb Beach, ret., Grand Forks
Past President: Dawn Pearson, Rolla High School
Parliamentarian: Jaye Nitschke, Jamestown High School
Representative to Curriculum Initiative: Kami Yri, Bismarck High School
Public Relations Coordinator: Sandy Meidinger, Linton High School
Webmaster: Kate Stevenson, Jamestown College
http://www.jc.edu/users/faculty/stevenso/FLAND/index.html.
Editor of FLAND News:
Dr. Jeanne Hageman (September and March issues). Sandy Meidinger (January
issue)
Wiki Site: Ryan Pitcher, Bismarck State College and the WHOLE membership
of FLAND who will contribute to the new WIKI Blog.
www.fland.wetpaint.com
Other Announcements…..Reminders……
AAT- Members: Remember to renew your national dues. Go to the website if you have not received a mailing.
All language teachers: Please renew your FLAND membership for the 2008-09 school year. Dues are very affordable, and your contributions provide our organization with the necessary funds to plan conferences, promote foreign language education, and pay postage and other incidental expenses that are part of any organization. Use the dues coupon below to send in your membership information.
Barb Beach suggests the following site for anyone wanting newspaper front pages in practically any language: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/ Many of the front pages also include a link to the paper’s website if you want to read more.
IF YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO SHOULD BE RECEIVING THIS BUT IS NOT (A NEW COLLEGUE PERHAPS?), PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MAKE COPIES OF THIS NEWSLETTER AND SHARE IT OR SEND ME THEIR E-MAIL AND I WILL GET THEM ON MY LIST AND SEND THEM THEIR OWN COPY! jeanne.hageman@ndsu.edu
FLAND SPRING CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
APRIL 24-25, 2009
JAMESTOWN COLLEGE – JAMESTOWN, ND
Please fill out this form and send it in along with a check for the correct amount. We need lunch reservations by April 15th; the Buffalo City Grille is just a head count so we know how much space to reserve, so just let us know your tentative plans. Dinners and drinks will be at your own expense.
Name____________________________________________________________________
School __________________________________________________________________
E-mail for FLAND newsletter ________________________________________________
Home phone _______________________ School Phone _________________________
I will be attending JUST Friday (4/24) sessions at FLAND $10
I will be attending JUST Saturday (4/25) sessions at FLAND $10
OR
I will be attending both Friday and Saturday (a deal!) $15
AND
I would like to enjoy lunch at the College Saturday. $9.50 This MUST be received by April 15!
I will / will not be joining you for dinner Friday at the Buffalo City Grille.
If yes, how many? __________ (Spouses, Significant Others, Partners etc welcome)
I still need to pay my 2008-2009 dues! ________
(Foreign Language Teacher - $20; Student - $10;
Retired Members - Gratis)
TOTAL DUE ________
Send this completed form and your check to: Charlene Voigt, 1st President-Elect
FLAND
Northwood Public School
P. O. Box 250
Northwood, ND 58267-0250
Formatting Copyright © 2009 by Kate Stevenson; Contents
by Jeanne Hageman
Last modified 31 March 2009
FLANDNEWS/stevenso@jc.edu