WEST ORANGE, Nj — The National Italian Honor Society at West Orange High School (WOHS) has been volunteering at Mt. Pleasant Elementary in a cross-curriculum enrichment program to teach basic Italian to 3rd grade classes. The 11 participants are seniors that have been pivotal parts of the Italian club from their freshman year to now, and many have executive positions in both the Italian club and Italian Honor Society.

The Italian club and Italian Honor society have led a multitude of initiatives to explore and appreciate the Italian culture and language. From enjoying the sweetness of a powdered sugar-topped Pizzelle cookie to learning traditional Italian dances with Miss Grimes from Montclair State University, the Italian Honor Society revels in the culture and shares their love for it with others. 

Ranging from Italian greetings to learning animal names, these lessons have transferred into the lives of 3rd graders. The interdiscipline use of technology such as SMART boards and Google Chromebooks that are assigned to the students have allowed interactive tasks to work their way into the Italian classroom. 

As soon as the seniors walk into the classroom, the class uproars in an emphatic “Ciao!” a greeting that they did not know a few weeks prior.

Students brought home holiday cards to their “mamma” with handcrafted “Buon Natale” adorned on the cover.

They also learned the dance to a wildly popular song, “Il Pulcino Pio,” to learn the animals in an interactive and fun way.

This cross-school and cross-curricular initiative gives the Italian Honor Society outreach opportunities into their community and additionally provides an opportunity to share the beautiful Italian language that they have been studying for 4+ years. This outreach bolsters their experiences within the Italian club and within the classroom and provides the seniors with a leadership position allowing them to use their education for real-life application. Love of the Italian language in children this early is influences a curiosity in foreign language that can last a lifetime.