On April 2, all language classes will be given the opportunity to go to Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) for a program by the name of Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society otherwise known as APPLES. This event will be the 31st APPLES language festival.

At the event, students will participate in different events under three categories: language proficiency, performing arts and art and culture. In able for a student to be involved in the event, they must sign up for one of the following: listening, reading, writing, speaking, literary recitation, drama, an original art piece, a reproduction of an art piece, constructing a model, t-shirts, dance, music vocal and music instrumental. 

“It’s a great opportunity to compete against other school districts. They always get in a friendly competition. For the ones that choose the arts, like the music or singing, they love to perform and this is just another way for them to perform. They even get to branch out the type of performing that they do because they have to choose a piece from the target culture,” German teacher Sandra Mitchell said.

Each event will have a limited number of students for each teacher able to participate. Three students will be allowed for both listening and reading, writing and speaking will have two students each, eight literary recitations, three students per school for drama, 12 for an original and reproduction art piece, six for a construction model, six for a t-shirt design and four for dance. 

The number of students involved in the event this year is fewer than in 2019. In the past, two buses were used to transport students, but now teachers are even debating if they need more than one. 

”I don’t know if it still has to do with COVID-19, but there are a lot less students for us. I don’t know if it’s the interest or it may be the lack of students being sure if they can do it because they had such a rough year last year with being virtual,” Mitchell said. 

Teachers presented a slideshow to their students in January with all of the information about the field trip. Upon arrival, students and teachers will be greeted by a breakfast buffet. 

Throughout the day, students will get to walk around independently and wait for their events to take place. At 8 a.m. students will start registration. 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. will be speaking and literary recitations. 9:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. will take up most of the events for music and art projects, and lunch will also take place. Around 3:30 p.m., students will gather for a closing ceremony where rewards will be given. Students will then gather onto the bus and head back to the school at the end of the day.

“I love when we’re driving home, and they’re showing off their ribbons. It’s one thing when they get good grades in the classroom, but it’s a bit of a validation of their hard work. You know that they’ve competed against other schools and other students…It shows them that they really know what they’re doing after being so nervous about it,” Mitchell said.

The APPLES program itself is a community for language teachers who pay a yearly fee of $15 in order to be involved in the festival. Other schools in the district are included such as: Greensburg-Salem, Central High School, Indiana Area School District, Greater Latrobe, Apollo-Ridge and the Hollidaysburg Area School District. The language teacher’s involved in the school are Mitchell, Veronica Skomra, Mark Petrarca and Dane Leone. This means that there are two teachers in each language who are attending. 

“The teachers are giving up their whole day for this…It’s the entire Saturday, so yeah it’s just something that we like to do because we can, and it’s something fun. We like to see student’s show off whatever skills they have or whatever passion they have,” Mitchell said.