Serving others and learning the language were two of the goals achieved by the Spanish Club in the 1981·82 school year. The group decided to stay with the traditional format of previous years with regards to activities and therefore made their major efforts a language festival and a dinner for The French Connection It was 16 years ago that Dorothy Wright moved to the Harding community from France. She came with her hus· band, who was to start the Modern Foreign Language De· partment and be its primary instructor. Now, with the pro· gram's immense growth, she teaches too, and because of her excellence in the classroom was named distinguished teacher of the year 1980·8L Mrs. Wright's love for the sub· ject she now teaches, French, began early and was the result of her parents work for the American government in France. After attending Harding Academy and then Harding Col· lege for two years. she set off to enroll in Sorbonne, the Univer· sity of Paris. Her ultimate de· Spaniards. The language festival, which took place April 20, was held for high school students in the Searcy area. Its goal, said spon· sor Ava Conley, was cultural enrichment, and this was provided through a Spanish movie and various skits. Toward the end of the year, - John Radcliffe gree was received from Abilene Christian University because of their established French pro· gram. During this time, Winfred Wright, Harding's present Mod· ern Foreign Language Depart· ment chairman, was deeply involved with the French langu· age too because of his desire to do mission work in Belgium. Eventually the two met and were married. The official ceremony took place in Belthe club sponsored a dinner for the Spanish·speaking people of Searcy. There were around 20 active members who joined together in their common language in· terest. Of this number, each lik· ed Spanish for different reasons ....One member, Andrea Clonch, planned to use her knowledge in bilingual educa· tion and missions. She said, 'The dub makes you more aware of the cu lture and helps you enjoy the language study more too." ~ Harding's French Club started organizing late but clos· ed with a flurry and spread cu ltural enrichment within the foreign language department well . The group did not become a working unit until the spring. The first major project of the spring was assisting in the Bible Department's Taste of Culture. From there, the club headed for the Foreign Language Festival. gium but a church wedding was staged in Paris for Mrs. Wright's family and friends. The couple then spent their next seven years as mission· aries in the French·speak ing countries of Belgium, Switzerland and France. After a brief return to the states, the pair was off to France again for five more years on the field for God. One day Harding beckoned and the two came to Searcy as the foundation for a Modern In this endeavor the group worked with the Spanish Club to give the entire campus a look at their respective cultures. A trip to New Orleans high. lighted the year as the French students vis ited famous sites about which they had studied. "The club gives the students a group identity," said sponsor Winfred Wright. ' 'Within that group, the members can share their knowledge and interest in the French language outside of a c}~ssroom setting." ~ 1. STUDENTS broaden their knowledge of the French language under the instruction of Dr. Winfred Wright. 2. FRENCH CLUB. Front row: Eckerberg, Perkins, Earnhart, Seal. Humphrey. Back row: W. Wright·sponsor, Neill. McAfee. Blasingame, Davis . S. Wrigh t. 3 . SPANISH CLUB. Front row: Williard. Hennig, Eckerberg. Earnhart. Back row: Walkup. Conley-sponsor, Crownover. 4. DR. DOROTHY WRIGHT thoroughly enjoys teaching the French language to her students. Foreign Language Department. Now they both teach . . . and teach well. "My goal here is to prepare students for whatever field they enter," said Mrs. Wright. "Of course, I want to encourage them to enter that field which will help them serve the Lord best." "I want to use the language as a tool to interest people in mission work," she offered. "I think that can be done without sacri· ficing academic excellence." These days the Harding pro· fessor does more than teach French. For instance, she washes . cooks and sews while generally serving as momma for her three girls - Sharon·20; Susan·17 and Sandy·5. "Searcy and Harding have both grown so much over the years," she mentioned. "You knew everyone when I was here as a student." "I have been very happy with this environment as a place to raise our family and give them the varied experiences they need," she said. A perfect setting it seems - a teacher glad to be teaching here and students glad, to be listen· ing. ~ -JimmyAllen Fo rei gn Languages - 97 l
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==