Foreignlandia will be the fictional destination for about 300 foreign language students from area high schools scheduled to take part in the inaugural Amarillo College Culture Fair, an immersive learning experience on Friday, Feb. 21 at AC.
The event, co-orchestrated by the language arts communities at AC and West Texas A&M University, will be from 10-11:30 a.m. in the College Union Building on AC’s Washington Street Campus.
“Our goal is to give Spanish, French and American Sign Language students a fun, immersive experience learning about other countries and cultures,” said Sheila Barton, AC instructor of Spanish and lead organizer of the Culture Fair.
“We've invited students taking foreign language classes in area high schools to visit a land we’ve named Foreignlandia,” she said. “WT students will act as customs agents, examining passports and admitting the ‘travelers’ who will then visit booths representing various countries – booths created by either college students or our dual credit high school students.”
Visitors will have opportunities to sample native cuisine, barter and write postcards in languages appropriate to each country, and take selfies.
The languages and countries being represented, and the dual-credit schools creating the booths are:
Spanish: Cuba (Bushland), Mexico (Bushland), Spain (Hereford), Paraguay (Hereford), Colombia (Canyon), Costa Rica (WT), Puerto Rico (AC), Chile (Tascosa), Peru (Tascosa), and Argentina (Randall)
French: Morocco (Tascosa)
American Sign Language: Learn the ABCs and ABC Bingo (Miami and Canyon)
Additionally, schools that are not currently enrolled in AC foreign language dual credit classes but which have signed up to attend include: Boys Ranch, Childress, Claude, San Jacinto, Tulia and Wellington.
-Amarillo College
