Students participated in a nation-wide contest to create public service podcasts about the importance of learning a second language

On December 1, 2009, fifteen Blue Creek 6th graders in Mrs. Einstein's Russian Foreign Language Exploratory class participated in a nation-wide contest to create public service podcasts about the importance of learning a second language. This contest was sponsored by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). ACTFL will announce the finalists in February. Blue Creek sixth graders competed in the Middle School Category and will represent North Colonie in this contest.

Each podcast had to begin and end with the slogan, "Discover Languages! Discover the World!" and showcase the five "C's" of second language learning: Comparisons, Cultures, Communication, Connections and Community.

The Blue Creek Discover Languages Podcasts can be viewed at: http://ncolonie.com/elementary/flexpodcast.html

The dynamic Blue Creek students volunteered to stay inside during eight lunch and recess periods to write scripts and rehearse for this contest. Each student who participated in this contest was awarded a medal, a Discover Languages t-shirt and a Russian language children's book.

Mrs. Einstein and her students will be featured in an upcoming edition of the online ACTFL journal, The Language Educator.