World Languages

Ambitious. Lively. Empowering. Fun! These are just some of the words to describe World Language classrooms at The Hill School. Through immersive and in-context teaching methodologies, our students learn interpretive, interpersonal and presentational language skills — while also developing cultural and global competency. Hill students quickly gain the confidence to listen, speak, and negotiate for meaning as they achieve proficiency in their target languages.

Group of World Languages students at The Hill School — World Languages students at The Hill School

Beyond the Classroom

At Hill, opportunities to experience authentic language exchanges on campus are limitless — and our multilingual instructors take full advantage of this unique boarding school benefit. Throughout the year, there are exclusive language tables in the Dining Hall, international festivals, cultural celebrations, cooking and music parties, and more.

And… if your Spanish teacher also happens to be your tennis coach, well, get ready to play the game in Spanish. Vamonos!

School Year Abroad (SYA)

SYA provides an opportunity for Hill students to extend their learning beyond campus to locations in China, France, Italy, and Spain. These immersion programs focus on experiential learning, feature home-stays in authentic cultural contexts, and allow students to complete an American-style year of education in preparation for the college admission process. There are similar opportunities for Arabic students in Jordan and Morocco.

World Languages Offered at The Hill:

Arabic

Arabic | Arabic is a critical-need language. The Hill's Arabic program begins with a Level 1 introductory course that is intended for students who are new to the language. At Level 2, an honors track is added for those students wishing to accelerate their learning, and the honors track continues at all levels. Currently there are ﬁve levels, Arabic 4 & 5 being seminar courses taught at the college level. They are designed to prepare students for the NEWL Exam, an exam used as a predictive assessment for continued Arabic language study beyond high school.

The process of learning Arabic requires critical thinking and creativity and can help students increase their cognitive abilities. Although the language may seem intimidating, it is actually logical, and its grammar is straightforward to learn. The pedagogy and methodology used to teach Arabic at The Hill is interdisciplinary and experiential, allowing students to thrive in the language starting in their ﬁrst year.

Arabic Courses

Arabic 1
Arabic 2
Arabic 2 (Honors)
Arabic 3 (Honors)
Arabic 4 Seminar (College Level)
Arabic 5 Seminar (College Level) This course prepares students for the National Examination in World Languages (NEWL) proficiency exam.

Chinese

Chinese | Chinese is a critical-need language. The Hill School's Chinese program is nationally renowned: For more than 19 years, it has been a model for other schools. As one of only four “Confucius Classrooms” in Pennsylvania, the program oﬀers courses through the AP level and beyond. Chinese is an eminently learnable language, and while the writing system is both beautiful and challenging, the grammar is simpler than many other languages. Additionally, the tonal nature of the language engages parts of the brain that non-tonal languages do not.

Beyond the practical and career-oriented beneﬁts of learning Chinese as well as the social and cultural aspects, the cognitive and meta-cognitive skills that accrue from this learning process are invaluable.

Chinese Courses

Chinese 1
Chinese 2
Chinese 2 (Honors)
Chinese 3
Chinese 3 (Honors)
Advanced Chinese 4 (Honors)
Chinese AP (College Level)
Chinese 5: Business and Communication Honors (College Level)

French

French | The French program begins with a Level 1 introductory course that is intended for students who are new to the language. At Level 2, an honors track is added for those students wishing to accelerate their learning, and the honors track continues at all levels. The School requires three years of language study in a single language, and at the conclusion of Level 3, students are prepared to take the SAT-II Subject test in French. With 94% of our students enrolled in a modern language, it is clear that Hill students often exceed the requirement.

Advanced French 4 Honors offers students an opportunity to enhance their communication skills in a way that prepares them for the AP Language course. It is presented as a two-year sequence, is arranged thematically, and allows for some grammar review. French 4 AP Language prepares students for the College Board examination. French 5 Senior Seminar is offered to students of native, or near native ability who wish to continue their study of French with a concentration on literature.

French Courses

French 1
French 2
French 2 (Honors)
French 3
French 3 (Honors)
Advanced French 4A (Honors) and Advanced French 4B (Honors)
French AP (College Level)
French Seminar Cinema (College Level)
Senior French Seminar (College Level)
French 6 (College Level)

Spanish

Spanish | The Spanish program enjoys the strongest student enrollment within the World Languages Department. Course sequencing is identical to that of the French program, with two notable exceptions. The Department continues to offer the College Board approved Spanish 5 AP Literature (no longer offered in French), and the Department offers Spanish 6, a college-level course comprised of native, heritage and near-native speakers.

Spanish Courses Offered:

Spanish 1
Spanish 2
Spanish 2 (Honors)
Spanish 3
Spanish 3 (Honors)
Advanced Spanish 4A (Honors) and Advanced Spanish 4B (Honors)
Spanish Seminar Cinema (College Level)
Spanish Language and Culture AP (College Level)
Spanish Literature AP (College Level)

Critical Need Languages:

The Hill School is one of a few select boarding schools in the United States to offer two full-program critical-need languages (Arabic and Chinese) to its students.

Learn More About Critical Need Languages