The world is flat! While that theory was disproved by explorers centuries ago, Thomas Friedman used that catchy phrase for his best selling book title. He went on to explain that globalization was the future of the world and the playing field was leveling off between companies and countries. He argued that to remain competitive, the US workforce needed to keep updating its work skills to make it more adaptable and the employees more employable. His words are as important today as they were 20 years ago. To help our students be competitive and have marketable skills, we are proud to note that one of the strongest and most exciting areas of study offered in Montville Township Public Schools is World Languages and Culture.

The French National Honor Society motto is “one who knows two languages is worth two people.” This motto also applies to all of the students who are enrolled in a world language. Montville Township Public Schools (MTPS) offers Spanish at the elementary schools; Spanish, French, Italian, and Mandarin at the middle school; and the previously four mentioned languages plus American Sign Language at the high school.

Last month, I attended the Montville Township High School (MTHS) World Language National Honor Society Induction Ceremony where I witnessed 132 juniors become inducted into their respective society. In addition to this crowning achievement, many MTHS students enroll in the New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy exam annually. If a student passes the exam they are then recognized for attaining proficiency in at least one language in addition to English. Over the past two years, 79 MTHS students have proven they are proficient in a language other than English, and 7 are proficient in two languages in addition to English. MTHS students passed exams in 13 different languages.

“Learning another language is most important for self-growth,” junior Arda Bayram recently shared, “and has given me hope that once I learn Italian, I can learn an additional language. I am filled with hope that I will be able to connect and help those who know Italian but are in a foreign country.”

“A superpower,” is how Dr. Tamar Spitzer, Supervisor of World Languages and English as a Second Language, describes knowing more than one language. She explained, “The purpose of learning languages has truly changed over the course of my career. Students of 2025 learn languages to understand the perspectives of others through language. In a time when understanding each other is more important than ever, I would argue learning languages could be the most important part of a student’s academic career.”

“Knowing more than one language is an important quality/skill in today's world,” shared Christine Gordon, the MTHS American Sign Language (ASL) teacher. “ Knowing ASL created so many opportunities and opened many doors for me. I wanted to pay that forward and give that to others.”

Douglas Sanford, Principal of MTHS, shared at the World Language National Honor Society Induction Ceremony that being multilingual allowed the students to “break barriers and build bridges.”

“I teach a language to share new experiences, cultures and worlds with students,” added Jessica Weston, MTHS Spanish teacher. “By learning a language, students are able to empathize with and gain new perspectives with different people from all around the world. Through teaching a world language, I have the privilege of teaching students how to communicate and think in new ways and how to participate in a global community."

Zishan Huang agreed. “I teach Mandarin because it opens doors for students to explore a rich culture, develop critical thinking, and build essential communication skills that prepare them for a globally connected world.” Huang is the MTHS Mandarin teacher.

Colleges also value language and overseas experiences. So much so that they provide students with many different opportunities, from four weeks to a full year, to study in countries all over the world. Nearly 300,000 US students annually take advantage of these offerings to broaden their horizons. Many immerse themselves in the global community. While learning a language and culture, many students also study diplomacy, business, medicine, and more.

For summer 2025, MTHS has two overseas trips planned. To study the languages and cultures, 31 students will be traveling to Greece, Italy, and Madrid. The focus of the MTHS trip to Dublin, Ireland, is to study entrepreneurship. And a third trip will be bringing students to Germany in spring 2026 on a historical tour to study the Holocaust.

"In general, I feel as though learning another language is important. I have been able to better understand the Spanish language and culture overall,” said MTHS freshman Mary Guinelly. “Not only do I learn the language of Spanish, but I have gained more knowledge about Spanish-speaking countries and their culture. I have gained an awareness of places that differ greatly from the United States, which I feel is important.”

"Learning another language, like Spanish, is important because it gives us the opportunity to learn about new cultures and other people's traditions,” MTHS freshman Jillian Abelson added. “The feeling of being able to understand and even speak in a new language is so rewarding because it makes you feel like you are connecting with new people."

Along the same lines of helping students succeed when they do not understand a different language, MTPS will again offer a Multilingual Learner Summer Academy. As a reference point, more than 45 languages are spoken in the homes of students and 22 are actually spoken in the Multilingual Learner Summer Academy. This month-long enrichment program is designed for kindergarten through grade 12 students in our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. The Academy, which is in its 3rd summer, is designed for students who have moved to our community from another country. Led by certified ESOL instructors, the Academy provides a camp-like environment where students strengthen their English speaking skills through a blend of academic instruction, creative activities, and play. This supportive setting fosters social interaction, communication development, and language acquisition, helping students at all grade levels to build confidence and prepare for continued academic success.

Understanding a world language helps give a cultural perspective to the students. With the many and varied issues in the world today, and with the world, while not flat but definitely smaller, these future emissaries of tomorrow will have a better grasp on how to solve global challenges by breaking barriers – and bread – with others from around the globe.

The "Superintendent's Column"
by Dr. Thomas A. Gorman also appears in "The Citizen" newspaper and on-line at "MontvilleTAP"