By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

The North Syracuse Junior High School’s Language Learners Club will give the community a peek into the cultures of more than a dozen countries at its second annual Festival of Nations, which takes place April 5.

The Language Learners Club was founded in October 2015 by then-eighth-grader James Corl III. After learning Italian on his own, Corl started the club to share his love of language and other cultures with his classmates.

“Language learning is a must-have skill for the 21st century,” the club’s brochure reads. “With an economy interconnected more than ever, speaking a second language is a must.”

Since its inception, the Language Learners Club has grown from an average of 15 to 20 attendees at last year’s meetings to between 25 and 30 members this year. English Language Learners (ELL) at the junior high also have taken an interest in the club, Corl said.

“The club members and I have learned a great deal about the world, and what lies beyond our country,” Corl said. “Each meeting, we discuss other cultures, watch foreign language videos, and occasionally have a guest speaker. Through these meetings members have become more aware of international traditions and cultures.”

Corl said the club has welcomed guest speakers from Germany, France and Austria to tell club members about their cultures and what life is like overseas.

The club is not just about learning foreign tongues, although members have studied languages such as Italian, Dutch, Korean, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. Corl said the Language Learners Club has established a connection with the Northern Onondaga Public Library so the club can volunteer for NOPL and collect foreign language books for children at the library.

“Last year, we planted the seeds we needed to create a relationship with NOPL, as well as our school library,” Corl said. “Our focus for this and last year was preparing for the Festival of Nations. Upon having the necessary resources, then our priorities will be our library and doing volunteer projects with NOPL.”

This year’s Festival of Nations will highlight at least 15 countries. Club members will create booths with facts about each country, and they’ll make food representative of each nation. Some of the ELL students will be participating as well.

“The countries represented are often close to the hearts of the club members; their heritage is rooted in that country, or they are taking a language that is primarily spoken in the country,” Corl said.

In addition to the food and facts, this year’s festival will also feature Syracuse Orange Bhangra, a student-run dance team from Syracuse University. Bhangra is a type of dance that originated in the Punjab state of northern India. Corl said dancers from St. Sophia’s Greek Festival also may be in attendance to teach festivalgoers a few steps.

As Corl wraps up his ninth grade year at the junior high, he plans to bring the Language Learners Club and the Festival of Nations with him to Cicero-North Syracuse High School. He said the community can help further the club’s mission by attending the festival and rejoicing in their own roots.

“In addition to coming to the festival, the community can help by digging into their family heritage, and share these finding with their children and/or grandchildren,” Corl said. “Sharing not only where we are, but where we have been, is very important in helping the future generations realize that we are part of something bigger than just our own house or community. We are a part of a global society.”

The Festival of Nations will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the junior high. Admission is $1 and food tickets cost 25 cents each.