Do you ever wish you could travel around the world to experience the different cultures and languages of various countries? As amazing as it would be to travel to every single one of those destinations, individuals typically cannot explore all areas and cultures. However, Yorba Linda High School is able to bring a part of these experiences from around the world by offering some of the most diverse language classes. Oftentimes, high schools only offer their students the language options of Spanish and French, but Yorba Linda High School offers five languages: Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese! Explore the world at your fingertips and hear what some fellow Mustangs have to say about each language!

A tremendous amount of Mustangs will choose to learn Spanish as their foreign language  or choose to continue their Spanish studies after completing the first year in middle school. Over the years, this particular language has become increasingly popular and practical for individuals to learn and is widely spoken around the world. During various parts of their “language learning journey”, a majority of students integrate what words, culture, and phrases they have learned into their daily lives and speak with family and friends who know the Spanish language too. Terrell Shaffer (10), for example, says, “A lot of my family members speak Spanish, so I wanted to learn it better and communicate with them.”

Thousands of students dream of visiting the Eiffel Tower, viewing famous artworks in museums, and walking along the streets of Paris. These dreamers usually desire to learn French! Like English and Spanish, French is a widely spoken language throughout the world and is the second most learned foreign languages in  high school. Students in this language class enjoy learning this beautiful language and the cultural holidays that are associated with the country and language. According to Clara Duong (11), students last year learning French at Yorba Linda High School had enjoyed celebrating a French holiday that is “basically like April Fool’s Day, but you put fish behind peoples’ backs as a joke” instead of your typical American pranks!

Another European language not typically offered—but is offered at Yorba Linda High School—is German! German is one of the commonly spoken language of the European Union and is the official language in many countries. However, this language is not as commonly seen here in the United States. As a result, these students pursue learning this unique language for their ultimate benefit and to explore the culture not as commonly seen in the local community of Yorba Linda. “German pretzels and being on the board for German club have definitely been” Lauren Clauss’s (12) favorite activities while learning the German language and exploring the culture.

Japanese is yet another unique language offered to Mustangs at Yorba Linda High School! Many students have an interest in taking this language because it is different compared to typical languages offered at high schools. Others want to learn Japanese so that they can better understand the manga books and animes that they read and watch. Occasionally in the class, there are students, like Rachael Kinoshita (10), who already love the language, are familiar with most of it, and simply “want learn more and experience how other people would learn my language”.

Last but not least, Chinese is the fifth language that Yorba Linda High School presents as an option for language learning. Much like Japanese, Chinese is not a typical course that high schools have for students to choose. Although not typical, students definitely enjoy learning this intricate Asian language as well celebrate and embrace some of the deep-rooted traditions and holidays! Jasmine Yu (10), for example, states, “I just love how the class is like a family! It’s so much fun to learn with everybody, and it’s kind of different than a normal classroom.”

To put it briefly, Yorba Linda High School gives students the world at their fingertips through these five phenomenal languages and cultures: Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese. With knowledge about the world, culture, and languages so close around you, every individual student has the opportunity to enhance their lives in positive ways!