Bilingual high school put their months of training to the test during the Foreign Language Field Day held April 18.

High school students from around the four-state area competed in what has been called the “largest competition” at Southern.

The students competed in a number of events ranging from language, culture and geography.

“This kind of competition is a healthy way to promote learning,” said Dr. Tatiana Karmanova, director of International Language Resource Center.

“This kind of competition really motivates [the students] to pursue their interests in a foreign language,” said Marilyn Seber, Spanish teacher at Joplin High School.

The all-day event began with registration, in which students picked up schedules, passports and ribbons.

“Every year the event grows,” Karmanova said.

“When I started, only 500 students participated. This year, we had over 1,100 students.”

Preparation for the high schools coming to Southern was extensive.

“We do post the schedule three years in advance,” Karmanova said, “because it is the largest competition on campus, we have to reserve a lot of space in order for the events to take place.”

Specific competitions included Vocabulary Recognition, Poetry Reading, Reading Comprehension, Geography Competition, Poster Contest, Skits and the Culture Bowl.

“This was opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge in the Spanish, French and German languages,” Karmanova said.

Some students had prepared for the Field Day as far back as September 2005.

“Every year we come out here and a have a great time at the Foreign Language Field Day,” Seber said.

“Unfortunately, we can only send a few students, but every year we take some of our best and enjoy the day.”

First, second, and third place ribbons, trophies and medals are handed out to the winners of each competition in each language.

“Many of the students that come out here take this competition very seriously,” Karmanova said.

The day wasn’t all about besting one another in foreign language competition.

Southern promoted socializing through many different workshops.

One activity included conversation stations, in which students could earn “money” for answering questions.

The stations also included a kiosk where students could spend their hard-earned “cash.”

There was also a Merengue and Salsa Dance Workshop, which was instructed by Joe Lesue from Ash Grove School.

Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian activities provided students with a deeper look into the cultures throughout the day.

“On the broader scale, we hope this event will contribute to their lifetime learning,” Karmanova said. “It’s becoming very important to know a foreign language in this world.”