International Languages & Cultures Institute Awards Ceremony
Students from Ms Mereus' Creole class performing their skit.
The International Languages & Cultures Institute (ILCI) at The College of The Bahamas opened its doors to customers anxious to learn a foreign language less than two years ago. Yet, in that short space of time, it has become a very well known part of The College landscape and its acronym, ILCI, synonymous with enjoyable learning opportunities and first rate teaching.
Under the energetic and selfless leadership of Dr Irene Moss, ILCI has expanded to offer classes in French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Haitian Creole, not only to the general public but also to Ministry of Tourism and Bahamas Union of Teachers personnel. In addition to classes, there are the regular screenings of foreign movies, diverse evenings showcasing different cultures and the annual, large scale events such as Oktoberfest and A Merry Multicultural Christmas which offer opportunities for ILCI students to demonstrate their newly acquired language skills.
On April 22nd, ILCI hosted a pleasantly informal and very well attended first awards evening to present certificates to students from the various language classes that recently concluded. The students also had the chance, along with their lecturers, to perform songs, skits and poems in their target languages.
Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Executive Vice-President Academic Affairs and visionary behind the establishment of the Institute, introduced the proceedings, paying tribute to Dr Moss for her hard work and describing the rapid growth of the Institute.
There followed a number of presentations from the students and their instructors in French, Haitian Creole, Spanish and Mandarin, followed by the actual presentation of the certificates. The highlight was a skit performed by Ms Mereus' Creole class that emphasized the real need for more people in the public service to learn Creole. Set in a public clinic, it showed the problems encountered by non English speakers when they try to find assistance if staff members do not speak their language. Other memorable performances included songs in Spanish and Mandarin and Teddy Russell's impersonation of Louis Armstrong singing "Wonderful World".
Clearly, ILCI has made an indelible mark on the language learning vista of the country and, even more importantly, the staff and lecturers have inspired their students to learn in an atmosphere that is both mutually respectful and friendly.
If you would like to learn a language at the International Languages& Cultures Institute or would like to arrange for special group opportunities, please call 302-4584 or 302-4587.
The Mandarin choir from Professor Xu's and Ms Sheng's classes happily sing their Chinese song
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The College of The Bahamas
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