Foreign Language Department

The underlying principle of requiring the study of a second language is to promote cultural understanding through language and, in this case, an understanding of other cultures through the study of other languages. BSGE offers French, Mandarin, and Spanish. 7th and 8th grade students will study Mandarin and switch to either French or Spanish in their 9th grade year. 9th grade students may have a choice between French and Spanish and are expected to continue with the same language from ninth to twelfth grade so that they are able to communicate fairly well by the time they graduate (due to scheduling constraints only one option may be available on a given year). This also ensures that students acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the IB courses. The main focus of the courses is on language acquisition and the development of skills. 

The BSGE Language department shares its goals with the IB Diploma program and aims to:

Encourage, through the study of texts and through social interaction, an awareness and appreciation of different perspectives of people from other cultures.

Develop students’ awareness of the relationship between the languages and cultures with which they are familiar.