Watertown Seeks to Add Arabic Language Classes Through State Department Program

The high school has applied to have a teacher from Egypt instruct classes there and at the middle school.

Watertown school officials have looked at adding a new foreign language to the high school, and they have a shot at doing just that through a program run by the U.S. State Department.

The high school is a finalist in the Teachers of Critical Languages Program and, if chosen, a teacher from Egypt will come to town and teach in Watertown, said WHS Headmaster Steve Watson.

The program matches schools with teachers of Mandarin Chinese and Arabic - languages the State Department considers as of growing importance. They teach for one year and their salary is covered by the program.

The high school currently does not offer classes in any non-European language courses.

Both languages were considered, Watson told the School Committee, but they decided on Arabic because there are more students in town who speak Arabic or have links to countries where Arabic is spoken.

Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the teacher would likely have classes both at the high school and middle school.

The school has not heard about whether it will be chosen for the program, Watson said, but he and other adminstrators recently interviewed a teacher from Egypt. He added that if the teacher and the school are a good match he hopes Watertown will be picked.

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