Girl Scout talks up studying foreign languages

+ Girl Scout talks up studying foreign languages
For her Girl Scout Gold Award, Natasha Grabowski, a junior at Cardinal Mooney High School, designed a program called Language Fair to inspire elementary-school students to take foreign languages in middle and high school.

The fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for grades three through five and 11 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. for kindergarten through second-grade students Saturday, May 15, at the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Council Event and Conference Center, 4740 Cattlemen Road. Sarasota County foreign-language teachers will be present, along with student volunteers who will immerse students in three languages of their choice through a variety of activities.

“Language is important to me because I see a lot of high-school students these days only taking minimum requirements, and I feel (it is) important for students of the future to take at least four years of languages to help with fluency,” Grabowski said. “I hope that these kids will be encouraged to take language in college. I plan on majoring in Spanish with a double minor in Italian and French.”

The registration deadline is Friday, May 7. To register, e-mail [email protected] or call 321-7857.