On Friday Jan. 24, Westside High School’s Foreign Language Department held an “Eat & Greet” event for Westside Middle School students to attend after school, at 4 p.m. This event is designed to help middle school students learn about the various language opportunities offered at the high school, while giving them the opportunity to enjoy traditional food native to countries where the various languages are spoken.

Eighth grade Spanish student Jordan Nogg said he has enjoyed his time learning Spanish at the middle school and said he is excited to continue learning Spanish at the high school.

“[Spanish at Westside has] been good,” Nogg said. “Both teachers are always willing to help each and every student, and they have both really helped me. It’ll be interesting to go more in depth with it at the high school and see if it’s something I could have a future in speaking and speak fluently.”

Westside High School French teacher Anne Johnson said she believes that the event provides important opportunities for middle school students.

“It gives the middle schoolers a chance to come up to the high school, see the building, see where our language classes are held, and they also get to understand the long term goal of being at the high school and studying a language,” Johnson said. “[Studying a language] could help them in their career choice and just to familiarize them with all the opportunities being that we only have three languages down at the middle school but then we have that fourth offered at the high school with Latin; it gives them an idea of what is to come and what choices they have when they get up here.”