Wimbledon High recently held Languages Week – a celebration of our international community and the power of learning another language. This year the theme was ‘Connections’; exploring the linguistic and historical connections between different languages.
The Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) department organised an array of fun activities for students to get involved in, including:
- Learning Chinese calligraphy
- Form Time Race Across the World
- MFL Treasure Hunt
- International Friday Jammin’ – singing a song in another language!
- Themed lunches, featuring food from different countries and cultures
- Completing language-themed activity booklets to win house points, certificates or other prizes
Students also published the first edition of Linguistica for this academic year – complete with a Languages Week theme. It features an exploration of the Renaissance period and the connections created between Italy and the rest of the world; poetry translations; and French, Spanish, Mandarin and German word puzzles. The edition also saw the launch of the new Linguistica podcast, with the debut episode hearing from Mrs Gartrell and alumna Tilly, who is currently studying German at New College, Oxford.
Tilly, Class of 2024, returned to WHS during Languages Week, spending time with students in Year 8 all the way to Year 13. She spent a day helping in lessons, answering questions in a Q&A session and recording the Linguistica podcast. Hosted by a panel of Linguistica Editorial Team members, Tilly discussed what it is like to study a language at Oxbridge, the transition from A level to degree-level study, sharing advice to students wishing to study Languages at university, and her aspirations for the future. Tilly was a WHS Academic Scholar and was recently awarded the Merlin Thomas Travel Award by New College, Oxford in July 2025.
From modern languages to ancient…
Alumna Florence, Class of 2024, is currently completing a degree in Classics at Magdalen College, Oxford. Florence met with Classics students to discuss what it is like studying a classical subject at Oxbridge. During her time at WHS she studied A levels in French, Latin and Classical Greek, receiving A* grades in each.
Interested in learning more about languages at WHS?
Make sure to follow Linguistica, WHS’ entirely student-written and run languages publication, for regular reviews, news articles, quizzes, podcast episodes and more.