Missouri Southern students had a flashback of high school April 22.

Close to 1,000 foreign language high school students from around the region came to Southern to practice and compete in foreign language skills.

More than 60 Southern students helped coordinate the day-long event.

“Were introducing students to a new language,” said Jerry Jones, senior English major.

Jones, who has taken four semesters of Russian for his minor, helped run a booth offering information on Russia and the language.

“Most schools just have Spanish or French,” Jones said. “We’re trying to introduce them to Russian.”

Jones said some students might be reluctant to take Russian.

“Russian is a hard language to learn,” he said. “We’re trying not to scare them off.”

Events were scattered throughout the campus in Billingsly Student Center, Webster Hall and Taylor Auditorium. Students had the opportunity to read poetry, work on reading comprehension, touch up on vocabulary, perform skits and a culture bowl was held as well.

Rita Guzman, Spanish instructor at Southern, has helped coordinate the annual fair for two years.

“We’re practicing our communication skills,” Guzman said.

Guzman said events such as the Foreign Language Field Day offer a great deal of benefits for students and the schools involved.

“Students can hear different dialects and other accents,” Guzman said. “This is not just a classroom setting.”

On the third floor of BSC, high school students formed groups with Southern foreign language majors and practiced speaking their foreign language. If the high school students answered the questions right, they were awarded fake pesos.

Students used their play money to bargain for a variety of goodies, including pencils, stickers and erasers.

The most expensive gift was a Spanish hat.

“They try to speak in real-life situations,” Guzman said. “It’s always fun doing this.”

Jim Beuson, Spanish and French instructor at Joplin High School, brought close to 80 students to the event.

“The fair gives them real-life experience that reaches out beyond the class,” Beuson said. “They (students) are using the language. It’s a different style.”

Beuson has been involved with the language fair for four years.

He said he appreciates all the opportunities it brings.

“It continues to motivate them with the language,” Beuson said.

JHS students dominated many of the competitive events.

“You get to learn about the different cultures,” said Sarah Bollin, JHS senior. “You can only do so much in class.”