You might think holding afterschool foreign-language courses would be about as popular with students as pop math quizzes.
But that’s not the case at St. Nicholas of Tolentine School, 913 Pierce St., and Fell Elementary, Ninth and Oregon.
Students at the two schools have gone wild for the afterschool clubs, which teach the basics of the Italian language in addition to cultural fun facts.
Funding for the program comes from the Italian Language Preservation Foundation, which has teamed with After School Activities Partnerships to give local youths an alternative to spending the afternoon hours aimlessly.
"We were shocked to learn that the peak hours for kids to get hurt or into trouble is between 3 and 6 p.m.," said Marciene Mattleman, ASAP’s executive director.
Mattleman, who has been helping ASAP coordinate all of the city’s afterschool programs and activity centers since the nonprofit agency was founded last year, contacted Italian Language Preservation Foundation president Anna Forte about starting a club. She was pleased to find that Forte and the foundation were more than willing to help.
"Helping these schools develop [Italian-language] programs has been a wonderful experience," said Forte, a native of 22nd and Tasker. "It is our hope that these programs will in turn lead the children to continue learning about the Italian culture throughout their lives."
The Italian Language Preservation Foundation has donated more than $300,000 to some 50 schools along the East Coast since 1999, often helping to assemble the required teachers and instructional tools.
The Italian government and various other Italian-American organizations provide funding for the foundation, Forte explained.
The organization falls under the jurisdiction of Dr. Lorenzo Mott, the consul general of Italy in Philadelphia, who stopped by the foundation’s office at 17th and Market last week to watch a video presentation of students in other states who have benefited from Italian-language courses in their schools.
He was pleased to see the look of enjoyment on the hundreds of young faces as they sung in Italian and danced to music from the country.
"It just makes you feel good to know that our culture and our language is still thriving, still growing," Mott said.
The students at St. Nick’s are now working on their Italian conversational skills after just a semester’s worth of courses, said principal Sister Mary Esther.
"When the teacher asks them what they want to learn, most of them automatically yell out, ‘Recipes!’" Sister said with a laugh. "On the whole, though, the kids are really enjoying the program. We have 18 kids involved right now, and plenty more want to join every day."
