3 Williams Students Win Language Scholarships

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College senior Elly Teitsworth, junior Jessica Harris and sophomore Brent Eng have been awarded U.S. Department of State 2010 Critical Language Scholarships.

The scholarship was launched in 2006 to increase the opportunities for American students to study critical-need languages overseas and is part of a larger U.S. government effort to dramatically expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical-need languages.

In 2010, nearly 5,300 applications were received from students from a wide range of academic disciplines, colleges and universities, and from all 50 states. Five hundred seventy-five undergraduate and graduate students were selected through a merit-based selection process to study Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Persian, Russian, Indic (Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu), and Turkic (Turkish and Azerbaijani) languages. Students will spend seven to 10 weeks at language institutes in 15 countries and enhance their language acquisition through cultural immersion activities.

Teitsworth is a mathematics major and international studies concentrator from Ridgefield, Conn. She will study Arabic in Tangier, Morocco.

Harris is majoring in Chinese and is from Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. This summer, she will study Chinese at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Eng is from Sacramento, Calif. A writing fellow at Mount Greylock Regional High School, he also will spend the summer in Tangier and afterward attend the Williams-Exeter Program at Oxford, England.
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St. Stan's Students Spread Holiday Cheer at Williamstown Commons

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Students from St. Stanislaus Kostka School  in Adams brought the holiday spirit to Williamstown Commons on Thursday, delivering handmade Christmas cards and leading residents in a community caroling session.
 
"It honestly means the world to us because it means the world to them," said nursing home Administrator Alex Fox on Thursday morning. "This made their days. This could have even made their weeks. It could have made their Christmas, seeing the children and interacting with the community."
 
Teacher Kate Mendonca said this is the first year her class has visited the facility, noting that the initiative was driven entirely by the students.
 
"This came from the kids. They said they wanted to create something and give back," Mendonca said. "We want our students involved in the community instead of just reading from a religion book."
 
Preparation for the event began in early December, with students crafting bells to accompany their singing. The handmade cards were completed last week.
 
"It's important for them to know that it's not just about them during Christmas," Mendonca said. "It's about everyone, for sure. I hope that they know they really helped a lot of people today and hopefully it brought joy to the residents here."
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