For Bishopians with eagle eyes, the clues were scattered throughout the week. Cryptic proverbs like “The world is a handkerchief,” “A fall into a pit makes you become wiser,” and “Better alone than in bad company” began appearing in the library and hallways — breadcrumbs leading the way to the celebration of International Mother Language Day.
The Bishop’s celebration of International Mother Language Day, established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to “promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism,” culminated on Friday, March 20 with a series of themed festivities.
During both middle and upper school lunches, two small red tents were set up in the center of the Rohr Terrace by Global Education parent volunteers, with a gallery of proverbs from different languages placed between them. One tent offered bookmark-making, while the other hosted an international candy-tasting experience, featuring flavors from tangy Korean orange to sweet roasted rice and even Chinese durian flavors.
Thanks to the organization of Global Education Director and Religion & Ethics Teacher Dr. David Moseley, Spanish Teacher Dr. Marda Rose, and many Global Education parent volunteers, a video was assembled with 49 clips of the various mother languages of Bishop’s community members, such as Vietnamese, Flemish, and Armenian. Overall, the video contained seven more languages and dialects than two years ago.
Dr. Moseley compiled clips of students saying, “I speak the language of peace” in their mother languages. He called the video a “passion project” of his, as it was a way of celebrating the “many, many different backgrounds and cultures that are represented on our campus.”
For Dr. Rose, this holiday is about visibility and education. “International Mother Language Day is a way of recognizing the importance of all of the places we come from,” she explained. “We can’t possibly celebrate everyone every year. This is a way of saying that where you come from is important, where your family comes from is important.”
“Language is one of the ways we express ourselves. It’s a way in which we construct the world,” said Dr. Moseley. He hoped that, above all else, the activities would emphasize the “diversity of language” in our community.
After eating lunch, Zhizhen Chen (‘29) noticed the bookmark-making stand and decided to get one for herself. “What stood out to me was that there are just so many ways my name can be expressed,” she said.
At the other stand, Eliot D’Argenio (‘29) highlighted the variety of candies. “I tried a lot of new candies from areas of the world that I didn’t know about,” he explained, describing the candies as “a vessel of culture.”
Inside the tents, Ms. Jina Kwon, mom of Ines Hernanz Kwon (‘32), managed the international candy bar. She watched as students stepped out of their comfort zones to try exotic candy flavors.
“The vibes have been great,” she commented. “People have been really receptive to trying candies that they haven’t seen before. My favorite moment has been seeing people try different types of candies… and seeing their reactions.” For her, the motivation for volunteering is simple: “You can learn so much from other cultures through food and language and traditions.”
At the neighboring tent, Ms. Susan Lee, mom of Elaina Lee (‘29), Ms. Yan Pang, mom of Candice Ding (‘31), and Ms. Sutthisiri Towry, mom of Brianna Towry (‘30), stayed busy by transcribing students’ names into different scripts in Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Ms. Pang noted that because many students grow up speaking English as their native language, it is vital “to find more opportunity for them to get to know their parents’ language, or even grandparents’ language,” such as International Mother Language Day.
“Everyone has been really, super enthusiastic about learning how to write their names,” Ms. Lee said. “I was really surprised to find that, particularly for Koreans, some non-Korean kids already knew how to write and read it.”
This year, the Bishop’s video theme word was peace. “We really wanted to focus on peace and togetherness, especially with the current political climate,” Dr. Rose said.
Jas Chan (‘27) submitted a recording for Hong Kong Cantonese, which she picked up from her parents and grandparents. She explained that the language allows her to communicate with her family, since her grandparents, who live in Hong Kong, do not speak English. “It’s a language I’ve spoken all my life… It’s part of my culture,” she said.
Another student, Ayelet Ron (‘30), submitted Modern Hebrew. She shared that her parents immigrated from Israel to the United States. To communicate with her extended family, she has to speak their language. To Ayelet, Hebrew is a part of her culture that represents “family and connection.”
Chair of Visual Arts Ms. Elizabeth Wepsic submitted Flemish, a language she learned as a high school exchange student in Belgium. Describing it as an “old medieval Dutch,” Ms. Wepsic had to learn Flemish naturally through immersion. Like Jas and Ayelet, Ms. Wepsic finds her language to be an unshakable part of her identity. “It’s kind of integrated into who I am… I can’t imagine never speaking it again,” she said.
Dr. Moseley hopes that participation in the video will increase in the years to come. His goal is to reach 50 languages, concluding, “I’m gonna keep plugging away until I get [there].”
While Dr. Moseley will no doubt continue to “plug away” toward his goal, the event highlights a specific strength of the community: that “bicultural people understand bicultural people better,” as Dr. Rose said.
For Dr. Rose, who first brought the celebration to Bishop’s after being inspired by a sociolinguist at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), the event is “important to recognize where we come from and value it,” she noted. “Our diversity is what makes us strong.”
