St. Patrick students from grades 1-4 competed for the first time at the 32 annual Italian Language Competition at Youngstown State University on March 15. The students competed against three local elementary schools as well as a school from Pennsylvania. For the competition students were divided into groups of six to eight students. Each is then given a number and assigned to a room that has several judges in it. Each student then go before the judges one at a time and recite the poem that the was chosen for the students prior to the competition. The students are then judged on pronunciation and interpretation. Some of the students had learned the hand gestures that go along with their poem. St. Patrick school began teaching Italian in grades K-4 in the 2007-2008 school year. The school is able to bring the language program to the students thanks to a co-operative effort between Youngstown State University and the NOI Foundation. NOI stands for Nuovi Orizzonti Italiani,, which is the educational arm of the Italian Consulate based in Detroit Michigan. Funding for the program comes from he Italian Ambassador in Washington, DC. The foreign ministry funds programs like the one at St. Patrick School to stimulate interest in the Italian language and culture abroad. The NOI-funded teachers used to be graduate students from Italy who are were attending YSU and participation in the program was a requirement for them to teach in the field. The program is now open to under graduate Italian majors who are int rested in teaching. Dr. Iole Checcone chooses all of the students who go into the schools to teach. the students who go to the schools are not paid, but they are reimbursed for gas. Dr. Iole Checcone, associate professor in the foreign language department at YSU who helped bring the program to St. Patrick School said the there is a physiological window of opportunity for language development that closes between the ages of 10 and 13, depending on the individual. She said that individuals who learn language during those early years can do so without an accent, while those who learn after the window closes will have an accent now matter how well they master the language. St. Patrick school has taught Spanish to students in grades five through eight for the last 14 years. When students graduate form the school they will have one high school credit in Spanish if they successfully complete the program."Dr. Checcone said that Spanish and Italian are very similar languages and it would be a smooth transition for fifth graders heading into Spanish after taking Italian for several years. According to principal Rita Gontaruk "The teachers will teach the students the basics, such as numbers and colors. the program will be cumulative, but will not be so intense that new students won't be able to catch up. Students and parents are very excited that the program has been brought to the school and look forward to continuing their relationship with YSU and the NOI Foundation for many years to come.
